Antonio Conte has confirmed that his Tottenham squad will be three men light heading into their clash with Southampton on Wednesday night.
The Lilywhites head into the tie in seventh place, but will have three games in hand on Manchester United by the time their fixture kicks off, and know that should they win their games in hand they will sit well clear of the competition in fourth place, and the final Champions League spot.
But they will have to do it without the influential Eric Dier, who returned for their 2-0 defeat to Chelsea in the Premier League but is now set for another spell on the sidelines.
Additionally, both Oliver Skipp and Japhet Tanganga are set to miss out, courtesy of a groin strain and a knee injury respectively.
Conte on team news: “No news. Eric Dier is not available and it’s the same for Skipp and Tanganga. The others are all available.” https://t.co/0unjN8jlEp
— Alasdair Gold (@AlasdairGold) February 8, 2022
How long will they be out for?
Conte did not have the answers for how long Tanganga and Dier may be sidelined for, but was much more hopeful about Skipp, who has impressed during his first season of top-flight football.
And it seems that Conte has taken a shine to him too, with the Italian describing him as ‘another player I have seen great improvement in’ and ‘an important player for Tottenham’.
Fortunately for Antonio and Tottenham, it seems as though Skipp’s time on the sidelines will not be too lengthy, with Conte revealing that ‘the medical department told me two weeks but I hope to have him in a week/10 days maximum’.
Conte on Skipp: “Another player I have seen great improvement in. The medical department told me two weeks but I hope to have him in a week/10 days maximum. I push the medical department because we’re talking about an important player for Tottenham.” https://t.co/0unjN8jlEp
— Alasdair Gold (@AlasdairGold) February 8, 2022
As they look to push for top 4, they need every option available.
