Tottenham captain Cristian Romero will be back in the starting lineup against Leeds after overcoming a minor injury scare, head coach Thomas Frank has confirmed on tottenhamhotspur.com
Romero was absent from the 2-2 Champions League draw with Bodo/Glimt in midweek as a precaution, sparking fears of another defensive setback for Spurs.
With his partnership alongside Micky van de Ven proving vital to their success, supporters were understandably anxious about the skipper’s availability.
However, Frank reassured fans in his pre-match press conference, saying:
‘Romero is fit and available, and he will start tomorrow. Promising news. That was a contact to his foot; the medical team did a good job to get him turned around. Trained and ready for tomorrow.’
The Argentine was appointed Spurs captain following Son Heung-min’s summer move to LAFC. On Friday, the club also confirmed that Ben Davies, James Maddison, Guglielmo Vicario and Micky van de Ven will form part of the new leadership group.
Boost
While confirming Romero will start after overcoming a knock, Frank also revealed positive news regarding forwards Dominic Solanke and Randal Kolo Muani—although neither will feature at Elland Road.
‘Dom’s minor procedure went well, and Kolo Muani has been on the pitch the past two days, so that’s a positive,’ Frank said.
“He will not be available; he is not in the squad. Kota [Takai] is better and better. He has trained fully with the team for a week to 10 days.’
The Lilywhites have been frustrated in recent weeks, recording back-to-back Premier League draws — 2-2 against Brighton & Hove Albion and 1-1 against Wolverhampton Wanderers — equalling the number of draws they recorded across their previous 23 league outings (W7 D2 L14).
The North Londoners have not gone three league games without a win since October to November 2016, when they endured a four-match run of stalemates.
However, they remain in a strong position, as Frank’s side sit third in the table with 11 points from six matches, behind only Liverpool and Arsenal.
Saturday’s clash at Elland Road could present the perfect opportunity to respond. Tottenham have claimed victory on each of their last two Premier League visits against the West Yorkshire outfit by an accumulative scoreline of 8-1, and this weekend, they will be aiming to register three successive league wins against Leeds for the first time in their history.
