Antonio Conte confirms Tottenham midfielder unavailable for Crystal Palace fixture

Tottenham Hotspur boss Antonio Conte has confirmed he will be without Rodrigo Bentancur for Wednesday night’s clash at Selhurst Park against Crystal Palace.

The Eagles beat Spurs 3-0 at home last season, with a double from Odsonne Edouard and a Wilfried Zaha penalty earning Palace’s first win under Patrick Vieira in the Premier League.

Conte’s Spurs side beat Palace 3-0 in the reverse fixture at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Boxing Day.

Spurs suffered a 2-0 defeat at home to Aston Villa on New Year’s Day, while Palace secured a 2-0 victory at Bournemouth.

Bentancur has played 14 times in the league this season under Conte, scoring four and recording two assists.

Former Brighton midfielder Yves Bissouma picked up his fifth yellow card of the season against Aston Villa and is suspended for this match.

“Rodrigo Bentancur has started to work,” confirmed the Spurs boss in his pre-match press conference.

“He’s still not ready for this game [against Palace] and also for the FA Cup game [against Portsmouth], but we hope to have him back for the next Premier League game. 

“With Richarlison, we have to see and check the situation. In the future, he will have another MRI to understand his situation.

“Kulusevski is not a serious injury, but you know we need to monitor it day by day and tomorrow, and then we take the best decision. I don’t know, honestly [if he can play against Palace]. 

“We have today and tomorrow to check his situation – we’ll see. The injury is not serious.

“If the player gives his availability, then he could play. Otherwise, we have to wait and have patience for the next game.”

PHOTO: KEITH GILLARD