Son Heung-min (33, Tottenham) has been excluded from the lineup again.
Tottenham Hotspur will face West Ham United at the London Stadium in London, England, at 10 p.m. (Korea time) on the 4th in a Premier League round 35 match for the 2024-2025 season.
With 37 points, Tottenham, currently in 16th place, must defend their pride against West Ham (17th). Although both teams have less relegation concern, they could swap places in the standings if they lose.
Ahead of the match, Tottenham revealed their starting lineup.
Tottenham will take the field in a 4-3-3 formation. Matheus, Richarlison, and Wilson Odobert will occupy the front line, while Dejan Kulusevski, Pape Sarr, and Yves Bissouma will play in midfield. Jed Spence, Ben Davies, Kevin Danso, and Archie Gray will form the back four, with Guglielmo Vicario in goal.
Son Heung-min has once again been excluded from the lineup. He has not appeared in an official match since the first leg of the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals against Eintracht Frankfurt on Nov. 11 and has missed six consecutive games since then.
Coach Ange Postecoglou noted during a pre-match press conference on the 3rd, "Son Heung-min is working hard on rehabilitation and getting better every day. He has not yet joined team training, but he is doing individual training on the grass." He added, "We need to monitor his readiness for the match."
A disappointing aspect is Son Heung-min's record. If he continues to miss games, the possibility of breaking his impressive performance streak over the past eight seasons increases. Excluding his debut season in 2015-2016, he has scored more than 10 league goals each season. He even managed to score 10 goals during the challenging 2022-2023 season, which was marked by an ankle fracture and sport hernia.
This season, Son Heung-min has recorded 7 goals and 9 assists in the league. If he adds just 3 goals and 1 assist, he can achieve 10 goals and 10 assists, but time is running out. Excluding the match against West Ham, only 3 league matches remain.
Meanwhile, if Tottenham defeats West Ham, they could move up to 15th place, depending on the result of the match between Manchester United and Brentford, which is being held at the same time.
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