As Tottenham Hotspur prepare for this weekend’s clash against Liverpool, the importance of the game needs little explanation.
On the back of the disappointing defeat to Watford ahead of the September international break, Spurs need to get back to winning ways and show a reaction as the Champions League clash against Inter Milan will be quickly upon on us.
There is one clear player in the headlines as we go into the match though, not only has goalkeeper Hugo Lloris now received his punishment for drink driving this week, there is also the issue of whether or not he’ll actually be passed fit for the game.
Moving on from non-football related angles, the 31-year-old is expected to be given the go-ahead for the game according to the Daily Mail having sat out Watford with a thigh injury.
With him also missing out on international action the last fortnight with the problem, the expectation is that the rest will see him back between the sticks but it’s by no means guaranteed.
Whilst Michel Vorm doesn’t shoulder the blame for the Watford showing, the importance of this tie certainly wouldn’t lend itself to giving Paulo Gazzaniga the run-out, and for Lloris after off-pitch activities this week, I’d imagine he’d want to get back on the pitch and put in a performance that helped him draw a line under things.
The worry is RMC quote him at the beginning of the week as saying.
“Do I have a date of return? Not yet. I’m going to work hard to get back and as quickly as possible. There may be a chance this weekend but we will see according to the progress of the week.”
Whilst he admits there’s a chance and a small hope for a return for this one, I wouldn’t have expected him to comment there was no return date – but there could be an element of mind games possibly going on.
Either way, our chances of a result increase if he does take to the pitch.