Tottenham boost as Marc Guehi set to miss out once again for Crystal Palace on Saturday
Tottenham have been handed a big boost ahead of their clash with Crystal Palace on Saturday (2 March).
Ange Postecoglou and his players will welcome Oliver Glasner’s new-look Palace side to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for a London derby this weekend.
Spurs will be looking to bounce back after they were beaten 2-1 at home by Wolves on Saturday 17 February. Meanwhile, Glasner’s reign in South London got off to the perfect start as his side put three past Burnley at Selhurst Park (24 February).
Aston Villa continued to march on in the race for UEFA Champions League qualification after picking up a big three points with a 4-2 win over Nottingham Forest at Villa Park (24 February).
It was a win that put Unai Emery’s side five points ahead of Spurs, albeit having played a game more, and Postecoglou and his players will know they cannot afford to drop points against Palace.
Glasner and his players will arrive full of confidence after their big win last time out, but it looks as if they will be without one of their key players.
As per London News Online (27 February), Marc Guehi is expected to once again be unavailable for the Eagles having been missing since he went off injured in the 4-1 defeat at Brighton on Saturday 3 February.
Just how big of a loss is Marc Guehi for Crystal Palace ahead of showdown with Tottenham?
Guehi has been one of Palace’s main men this season.
The England international has started 22 Premier League games this term, missing the last three as a result of the injury he suffered against Brighton.
When he has played, it has been clear why he is such a big hit at Selhurst Park.
He last completed 90 minutes on 30 January as Palace recorded a 3-2 home win over Sheffield United, with his performance at the back key to helping the home side hold on for the three points.
As per Sofascore, he was not dribbled past once, and he also made two interceptions, one tackle and blocked one shot. On the ball, he was efficient, as he completed 89 per cent of his passes, with one of those key.
Guehi has captained Palace in Joel Ward’s absence, demonstrating his importance to the side.
Palace last kept a clean sheet on 4 January, in a 0-0 draw with Everton in the FA Cup, and Guehi justified the decision to hand him the armband that day as he won 100 per cent of his ground duels, made four clearances, one tackle and completed 81 per cent of his passes.
Spurs’ forwards in particular will be delighted that Guehi will not make the trip to North London, after the 23-year-old made life difficult for them in the reverse fixture on Friday 27 October.
Tottenham ran out 2-1 victors that day but were made to work for the three points as Guehi won three of his four ground duels, made two clearances, blocked three shots and made one interception and one tackle.
Son Heung-min and co will be hoping for a more straightforward afternoon this time around.
In other Tottenham news, a Spurs expert has made a prediction for the future of one “talented” 19-year-old ahead of the 2024/25 season.
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