Spurs duo Romero and Van de Ven ruled out of Rangers clash

Tottenham will be without defenders Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven for their Europa League clash with Rangers, manager Ange Postecoglou confirmed on Wednesday.

Both players returned from respective injury issues during Tottenham’s 4-3 defeat to Chelsea last Sunday, but neither were able to complete the full duration of the game.

Romero was replaced by Radu Dragusin after just 15 minutes at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, while Van de Ven was substituted in the 79th minute.

And with an important game against Rangers to come on Thursday in the Europa League, Postecoglou revealed he would be without his starting defensive partnership.

“Not great news about Cristian and Micky unfortunately,” Postecoglou said.

“They’ve both had setbacks at the weekend, so we’ll wait and see, but they won’t be available for the next period of games.

“That affects tomorrow night, that affects us for the next few games, so the fact they’re in the same position affects us even more, especially with Ben out in the same position.

“We’re in a bit of a tough spot but a great opportunity for us to overcome the odds and hopefully create something special.”

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Postecoglou has overseen an inconsistent start to the campaign, with his side finding themselves 11th in the Premier League standings following their defeat to Chelsea.

It was the 11th time that Tottenham lost a top-flight game after having been 2+ goals ahead – at least four more such defeats than any other side in the competition’s history.

That prompted a response from Romero, who suggested that the lack of investment in the squad has resulted in their poor form due to a lack of cover for injured players.

“He realises that a lot of what he said was good, but some wasn’t the right way of dealing with it. The same way, I wouldn’t criticise a player publicly,” Postecoglou said.

“I’ve spoken to Cristian about it, and he’s apologised for it. It wasn’t the right way to do it. It shows he cares. There’s a way to do it and this wasn’t it.”