From Tottenham Hotspur's perspective, this matchup is not very significant.
The British 'Evening Standard' reported on the 20th (Korean time) that the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Nottingham Forest will be held at 4 a.m. on the 22nd.
Tottenham, which has 11 wins, 4 draws, and 17 losses, is currently in 16th place in the league, facing Nottingham, which is in 6th place with 57 points.
Evening Standard noted, "After securing a spot in the Europa League semifinals with a win against Eintracht Frankfurt away, Tottenham must now refocus on the Premier League."
This match will take place at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Since it is a home game, Tottenham is desperate for a victory, but considering the situation, this is not entirely true. With Southampton (11 points) and Leicester City (19 points) both relegated, Tottenham has unexpectedly secured their stay in the league. There is effectively no motivation.
Tottenham, which has been struggling in the league, now sees winning the Europa League as the only goal for the season. Winning a European tournament could significantly impact both the end of a 17-year trophy drought and the future of manager Ange Postecoglou.
Evening Standard analyzed, "Tottenham disappointed again in the league last weekend, losing 2-4 to Wolverhampton Wanderers away. There is a high probability of rotation in this match."
This means they are essentially giving up on the league to focus on winning the Europa League. Moreover, Son Heung-min is expected to miss this match as well.
Tottenham Hotspur previously reported on the 19th through the club's official website the content of Postecoglou's press conference. Postecoglou provided an update on Son Heung-min's injury status.
Son Heung-min has missed consecutive matches after starting in the first leg of the Europa League quarterfinals against Frankfurt and missing both the league match against Wolverhampton and the second leg away against Frankfurt. Notably, he was completely excluded from the traveling roster for the second leg, indicating that his injury is not trivial.
The club announced on the 17th through official channels, "Son Heung-min is still feeling pain in his foot and cannot participate in the match," and he was indeed left out of the roster for both the Wolverhampton and Frankfurt matches.
According to club news, Postecoglou stated, "Son Heung-min has been dealing with foot issues for some time. Now is the best time to give him a break to fully recover from the injury," directly mentioning Son Heung-min's additional absence.
Postecoglou confirmed, "He will definitely miss the match against Nottingham," emphasizing that Son Heung-min will be absent once again.
He continued, "The injury has not improved and has rather worsened. This injury is of the type that requires rest above all else," stressing the need for Son Heung-min to take a break.
He added, "So we decided to give him time. Son Heung-min is an eager player who always wants to train, but for now, we will force him to rest and monitor his response."
The opposing team, Nottingham Forest, has been on an upswing under former Tottenham manager Nuno Espírito Santo this season, competing for a higher ranking. However, they recently lost to Aston Villa and Everton in succession and are facing a schedule burden with a match against Manchester City in the FA Cup semifinals.
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