Breaking news from Spurs sees a fourth key man ruled out of the West Ham clash after an Antonio Conte development.
West Ham head to north London for a clash with bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur this Sunday.
Tottenham are like a box of frogs at times this season. Having beaten Man City, Spurs went and got a 4-1 hiding at Leicester at the weekend.
And they followed that up with a 1-0 defeat to AC Milan in the Champions League last 16 on Tuesday night.
That will give the Hammers great encouragement ahead of their meeting with Conte’s unpredictable side on Sunday.
Like West Ham, Tottenham have several players out injured for the match.
Absolutely crucial Spurs midfield star Rodrigo Bentancur will miss the West Ham clash after being ruled out for the rest of the season.
Captain Hugo Lloris also misses the game as does Bentancur’s back-up Yves Bissouma, who requires ankle surgery.
And breaking news from Spurs sees a fourth key man ruled out of the West Ham clash after a Conte development.
Tottenham have announced that their manager will not lead the team for the West Ham match for health reasons.
Instead Conte will remain in Italy to recover from a recent operation with assistant Cristian Stellini assuming management duties.
“Following a routine post-operation check in Italy yesterday (Wednesday), Antonio Conte will remain at his family home to further and fully recover from his recent gallbladder surgery,” Spurs said in an official statement.
“Health is the most important consideration and everyone at the club wishes him well.”
Health is indeed more important than football. And we all wish Conte a speedy recovery.
But given West Ham’s desperate situation in the relegation battle this will surely come as a massive boost for the Hammers and David Moyes.
Conte is an inspirational leader. Without him on the touchline Spurs could be impacted.
West Ham must also guard against the Tottenham players perhaps putting in extra effort to get a result for their boss.
It certainly adds a layer of intrigue to what is already a big game for both sides and for very different reasons.