Postecoglou Confirms Son Will Miss Spurs’ Europa League Second Leg in Frankfurt

Tottenham will be without Son Heung-min for their crucial Europa League second leg against Eintracht Frankfurt due to a foot injury, confirmed manager Ange Postecoglou on Wednesday.

The South Korean was unable to make the journey to Germany, having also missed the Premier League clash against Wolverhampton last Saturday.

“Sonny didn’t travel in the end; he’s the only one missing out,” Postecoglou stated during the pre-match press conference.

“He’s been managing a foot issue for a few weeks but has been pushing through it.”

“He trained over the last few days and tried to take part in training yesterday, but it just wasn’t right, so we decided to let him rest and recuperate at home.”

So far this season, Son has netted three goals and provided one assist across nine Europa League matches.

Following a 1-1 finish in London, where Tottenham’s Pedro Porro equalised after Hugo Ekitike’s early goal, the victor at the Waldstadion on Thursday will progress to the semi-finals.

Postecoglou finds himself under added pressure ahead of the match due to Tottenham’s recent league form.

The Australian remarked he “couldn’t care less” about personal criticism, stating: “If you don’t think I’m a good coach, that’s not going to change based on tomorrow’s outcome.”

“We have a tremendous opportunity tomorrow, and I will fight tooth and nail not to let it slip away.”

Frankfurt’s manager Dino Toppmoeller insisted that Tottenham’s recent league defeat—a 4-2 loss to struggling Wolverhampton on Sunday—has “absolutely no bearing because their entire focus is on the Europa League.”

Toppmoeller dismissed the notion that his side, currently sitting third in the Bundesliga, are favourites against a Spurs team languishing in 15th in the Premier League.

“It doesn’t matter who is the favourite,” he declared.

Frankfurt captain Kevin Trapp will miss out due to injury, meaning Kaua Santos will continue to take the helm between the posts.

Having won the Europa League in 2022 by defeating Rangers on penalties in Seville, the topic of penalties inevitably arose during Wednesday’s press conference.

When asked about the likelihood of a penalty shootout, Toppmoeller was unwavering in his confidence.

“I have absolutely no fear of a shootout, as I have full faith in my team. If it comes down to penalties, we’ll come out on top.”