16 players missing from Tottenham vs Chelsea as Thomas Frank and Enzo Maresca suffer major blows
Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea will both be without a number of players when they meet at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the Premier League on Sunday, in the latest top flight London derby
Tottenham and Chelsea face a combined injury crisis with up to 16 stars potentially sidelined for their London derby. Both sides were in Carabao Cup action during the week, with contrasting fortunes.
Enzo Maresca's Blues secured a thrilling 4-3 victory away at Wolverhampton Wanderers to book their place in the quarter-finals. Meanwhile, Thomas Frank's Spurs were eliminated from the competition following a disappointing 2-0 defeat at Newcastle United.
Despite Chelsea's progression to the last eight, where they'll face League One outfit Cardiff City, Maresca was left seething over Liam Delap's needless double booking and subsequent dismissal in the Midlands. With the derby looming at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this weekend, Mirror Football breaks down who will be missing from the fold...
Tottenham Hotspur
Former Brentford boss Frank could be without 11 first-team stars for the Chelsea clash. Archie Gray has become the latest to join the injury list after sustaining a calf problem.
The youngster joins an extensive treatment room containing Destiny Udogie, Ben Davies, Radu Dragusin, Kota Takai, Yves Bissouma, Dejan Kulusevski, James Maddison and Dominic Solanke.
However, Frank confirmed Guglielmo Vicario should return between the sticks against Chelsea after sitting out the Newcastle defeat. The Italian's absence was initially thought to be due to a tactical rotation.
But in his post-match comments, Frank revealed an injury concern, explaining: "He had a smaller thing that had to be done but he'll be ready for Chelsea."
Unfortunately for Spurs, Wilson Odobert is also a doubt for the match, after picking up a "side strain" recently. On the Frenchman, Frank said: "Odobert had a side strain unfortunately, that kept him out for this game. Also we need to assess him, but it could look positive for Chelsea."
There also remains lingering doubts about the fitness of club captain and defensive warrior Cristian Romero, who has not featured in the Premier League since the 2-1 away victory over Leeds United at the start of the month.
Chelsea
Maresca's injury list isn't quite as extensive as Tottenham's, which will come as a relief to Chelsea supporters. However, he was left furious by Delap's unnecessary red card against Wolves midweek.
Delap had been sidelined for several weeks before coming off the bench for his return to action at Molineux. But the summer acquisition saw red following two reckless yellow cards, the second of which could have warranted a straight dismissal on its own, in a substitute appearance branded "embarrassing" by Maresca.
Despite occurring in the League Cup, Delap will serve a suspension for the away fixture at Spurs. It represents a massive setback, with the Italian also missing Cole Palmer in attack.
At the back, his choices are equally limited with Benoit Badiashile and Levi Colwill both recovering from long-term knocks. Midfield prodigy Dario Essugo remains on the injury list, while Mykhailo Mudryk is still provisionally suspended after being charged by the Football Association in mid-June with anti-doping rule violations.
In the League Cup, Chelsea managed to rotate nine players from the starting line-up that suffered a defeat to Sunderland, giving a rest to Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez. They are anticipated to make a comeback in north London.
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