Son Heung-min (Tottenham) is expected to start for the Tottenham Hotspur after returning from injury.
Tottenham will host Galatasaray in the fourth leg of the 2024-2025 Europa League (UEL) League Phase at the Neft Stadium in Turkkiye Istanbul at 2:45 a.m. ET on Aug. 8. Galatasaray is notoriously known as the ‘graveyard of the away team’. It’s a tough away trip. Tottenham are currently unbeaten in three games in the UEL, while Galatasaray have won two and drawn one.
The English publication has released its final predicted best 11 ahead of the showdown on Sunday. Tottenham will be forced to rotate due to a number of injuries. After Cristian Romero, Micky van der Penne, N’Golo Kante and Timo Werner, 17-year-old Mikey Moore did not travel with the team to Turkiye.
Son Heung-min returned to action on April 4 against Aston Villa in the 10th round of the English Premier League (EPL) after a three-match absence. Despite needing to work on his fitness, Son’s name is in the predicted best 11. Son will start on the left wing. In the center is Will Lankford in place of Dominic Solanke.
Brennan Johnson is on the right.
Solanke was present at the official pre-match press conference for the Galatasaray game, but was removed. ‘Football London’ said of Son: ‘In the absence of Werner, the Spurs captain can provide more leadership and experience to the team in Tourequiye. On a personal level, he could improve his agility and fitness after his recent injury.
In midfield, James Maddison, Yves Bissouma, and Lucas Verbal are expected to start. At the back, Pedro Foro, Ben Davies, Radu Dragucin, and Archie Gray would line up, with Fraser Forster in goal.
Van der Vaal injured his hamstring (back thigh muscle) in the Carabao Cup (League Cup) against Man City on March 31st. Romero and Michy Batshuayi were injured against Aston Villa.
Postecoglou told the press conference: “We haven’t received the final information yet, but unfortunately, he’s injured his hamstring and will be out for a while. Romero hopes it’s not serious and will be available for the weekend. Werner is still suffering from a groin problem and has been ruled out. Moore was left out with a cold. But all the other healthy players are here,” he explained.
However, Son Heung-min is still a concern.
He’s been on and off this season. Son went down with a hamstring injury in the UEL against Karabakh (Azerbaijan) on September 26. 토토사이트 He missed Tottenham’s next three games. He was also ruled out of the A-match squad.
His return to the pitch came in the eighth round of the EPL against West Ham on November 19th. Heung-min scored a brilliant ‘one goal, one assist and one own goal’ late in the game after the score was tied 1-1, leading the Hammers to a 4-1 victory.
Despite playing 70 minutes, he was still not at his best. Son Heung-min missed another three games in a row. He missed the UEL AZ Alkmaar (Netherlands) match on May 25, the EPL ninth round against Crystal Palace on May 27 and the Carabao Cup round of 16 against Man City. Spurs won 1-0 against AZ Alkmaar but lost 0-1 to Palace. They won 2-1 against Man City.
Son Heung-min changed the course of the game against Aston Villa in his second game back. Tottenham went down 0-1 to Morgan Rogers in the 32nd minute of the first half. The first half showed no signs of turning around.
That changed at the start of the second half. Son Heung-min was at the center of it all, assisting Johnson’s equalizer four minutes into the second half with an elegantly trajectory cross. But the celebration was short-lived.
Postecoglou pulled out his substitution card in the 10th minute of the second half.
Son Heung-min was replaced by Heichalisson. With the game on the line and the momentum in their favor, the bench’s call was disconcerting.
He looked towards the bench and pointed his finger at his chest. He checked his number and returned to the bench with his head down. The fans responded with a standing ovation, but Son vented his anger. He was so angry that Ben Davies had to console him. He then bit his lip on his jersey and looked at the ground in a daze.
Tottenham were fortunate to come back. Solanke scored back-to-back goals in the 30th and 34th minutes of the second half. In second-half stoppage time, substitute Maddison sealed the deal with a stunning free kick to make it 4-1.
Postecoglou said of Son Heung-min: “I planned to never let him play more than that today, he just came back from injury and last time he played 60 minutes and looked tired. Today, we planned to play him for 55 to 60 minutes, regardless of the game situation,” he explained.
“The best thing is that he made a really big contribution, putting in a crucial cross for the first goal and then the equalizer. There are many more games to come, and we need him. We didn’t plan to play him more than that today,” he added.
When asked about Son’s surprised reaction, Postecoglou smiled and said, “I didn’t see anything different in him. Very few players like to be substituted when they feel fit. But there was no need to explain it. For us, it’s more important to look at the overall picture,” he laughed again.
Son Heung-min has three goals and three assists this season.