Tottenham Hotspur boss Antonio Conte has been dealt some bad injury news before his side's blockbuster Premier League clash with Liverpool at Anfield this evening.
The Lowdown: Conte eyes top four...
The Italian, aiming to guide Spurs to Champions League qualification by the end of 2021/2022, is gearing up for his toughest test yet with a trip to Merseyside tonight.
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Jurgen Klopp's title-chasers are currently competing with champions Man City in a heated head-to-head at English football's summit with barely any separating both sides.
It will be a big ask for Conte's Tottenham to come away with a result in the race for a top four finish, especially with the likes of Matt Doherty, Japhet Tanganga and Oliver Skipp having already been ruled out for this match and the rest of the campaign.
The Latest: Conte also without Reguilon...
Sharing a pre-Liverpool injury update, the former Chelsea boss confirms that Spurs will also be without Reguilon again alongside the aforementioned trio.
The Spaniard missed Leicester City last week through injury and could now miss the rest of the season.
Conte explained:
“He [Reguilon] is not available.
“He hasn’t had a training session with us. He is not available. I honestly don’t know – there are only two weeks before the end of the season – whether it is possible for him to come back.”
The Verdict: Bad news...
Conte's shortage of full-backs will now continue at Liverpool and news that he may well be left with just Emerson Royal and Ryan Sessegnon as natural options comes as a disappointing development.
Reguilon, called 'quality' by former Leeds striker Noel Whelan, has actually been a fairly consistent and solid performer at Spurs over 2021/2022.
According to WhoScored, he's averaged the seventh-highest match rating per 90 (6.95) out of Tottenham's squad whilst also putting in the second-most crosses from out wide every league game - only behind Son Heung-min in that respect.
Having him is an option to turn to is arguably crucial given Sessegnon's spotty injury record, and if the Englishman were to be sidelined again, it's unclear how Conte would resolve a major left-wing-back problem.
As Spurs prepare for their toughest remaining test of the season, news of the Reguilon blow is an unwelcome worry.
In other news: Fabrizio Romano says 'monster' Spurs player is now 'expected to leave', find out more here.