Tottenham have confirmed that Toby Alderweireld will miss Sunday afternoon’s meeting with Chelsea due to injury. The 31-year-old is struggling with a muscle problem that he picked up in our 2-0 win over Manchester City last Saturday and caused him to miss our Europa League win over FC Ludogorets on Thursday.
Who has Toby done?
Against Man City, Alderweireld went down in the 79th minute after striking a ball and had to be treated shortly after. He was eventually substituted in the 81st minute for Joe Rodon and wasn’t deemed fit enough to face Ludogrets in midweek, so it remains to be seen when he’ll return.
The Belgian international is believed to have a groin injury and should hopefully return in December if all goes well. With nine games in all competitions next month, we’ll need our most experienced centre-back available.
- 3/12/20 (Europa League): LASK v Tottenham
- 6/12/20 (Premier League): Tottenham v Arsenal
- 10/12/20 (Europa League): Tottenham v Royal Antwerp
- 13/12/20 (Premier League): Crystal Palace v Tottenham
- 16/12/20 (Premier League): Liverpool v Tottenham
- 20/12/20 (Premier League): Tottenham v Leicester City
- 23/12/20 (EFL Cup): Stoke City v Tottenham
- 27/12/20 (Premier League): Wolverhampton Wanderers v Tottenham
- 30/12/20 (Premier League): Tottenham v Fulham
Alderweireld has made 10 appearances in all competitions this season, amassing 891 minutes of playing time. He’s missed three Premier League games between mid-September and early-October but has has been a regular ever since and will be missed against Chelsea.
Who could replace him?
Although Rodon replaced Alderweireld against Man City, I don’t think he’ll get the nod at Stamford Bridge. Japhet Tanganga is another option at centre-back, having played a full 90 minutes against Ludogorets, but he’s only just returned from a thigh injury and may not be fit enough for two games in a matter of days.
Davinson Sanchez is also available to start alongside Eric Dier. The 24-year-old has made 10 appearances across the board this season but had missed our last four league games through injury. He also returned against Ludogorets and played a full 90 minutes, so it’s just a question of his fitness.