Injuries and suspension force Pochettino to reshuffle his pack
Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has a big decision to make as he weighs his attacking options ahead of their side's Champions League semi-final, first-leg clash with Ajax Amsterdam.
With Harry Kane ruled out through injury and Son Heung Min, who scored three goals against Manchester City in the Champions League quarter-final, suspended for the first leg, Pochettino has lost his main sources of ammunition against the Dutch league leaders.
The Argentine manager now must decide whether to switch Lucas Moura to a central striker role or give a start to Fernando Llorente on Wednesday morning (Singapore time).
Both Moura and Llorente have stepped in recent weeks to good effect, with the Brazilian scoring a hat-trick against Huddersfield Town as a central striker and the Spanish hitman bagging a goal against Man City in the Champions League quarter-final, second leg after being involved in a run of games.
Spurs can also rely on playmaker Christian Eriksen who has scored twice in their last five English Premier League games.
Also ruled out for the Ajax game are Erik Lamela and Serge Aurier, while Pochettino declined to offer an update on the fitness of Moussa Sissoko and Harry Winks, who are both struggling for fitness, saying: "They will be assessed."
Meanwhile, Pochettino urged his side to forget about Spurs' 1-0 home defeat by West Ham United in the EPL and focus on the Ajax clash which is being billed as their most important in more than half a century.
Saturday's loss was their first at their rebuilt stadium, as they struggled to assert themselves against dangerous opponents who threatened on the counter-attack.
"I'm disappointed, but we have to forget about it, move on and think about Tuesday," said Pochettino.
"It is tough to prepare for a very good team like Ajax... But it's up to us to manage the situation, make sure we rest and are ready to compete on Tuesday." - REUTERS
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