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Thomas Frank could be without a few key players when Tottenham Hotspur lock horns with Borussia Dortmund next month
Three Tottenham Hotspur players will be walking on thin ice when they face Slavia Praha in the UEFA Champions League. The Lilywhites will look to pick up from where they left off when they host the Czech outfit in north London on Tuesday night.
Spurs enjoyed a 2-0 victory against Brentford at the weekend, climbing back into the top half of the Premier League. Tottenham were winless in their last five games across all competitions before facing Thomas Frank's former side, drawing two and losing the other three.
Meanwhile, Slavia Praha have been enjoying an excellent vein of form. Jindřich Trpišovský's side won their sixth successive game in the Czech top-flight on Friday night, defeating FK Teplice 2-1 to defend their five-point lead at the top of the table.
The Czech outfit, however, is one of six teams that are yet to taste victory in the Champions League this season. Tottenham will certainly fancy their chances on Tuesday evening, even if a few players are walking on eggshells.
Randal Kolo Muani, Micky van de Ven, and Richarlison have each been cautioned twice during the league phase. If they receive a third yellow card, they'll be suspended for one match by UEFA.
The governing body's rules state: "As from the first match in the league phase, players and team officials are suspended for the next competition match after three cautions, that did not result in a red card, as well as after any subsequent odd-numbered caution (fifth, seventh, ninth, etc.)."
The accumulation of bookings expires upon completion of the quarter-finals, and they're not carried forward to the semi-finals. Frank will want his full squad available to him when the Lilywhites host Borussia Dortmund in January.
The Germain giants have enjoyed an excellent start to the campaign, climbing into the top eight of the Champions League table. Dortmund have won three of their five games, with their only defeat coming against Manchester City.
The following week, Tottenham will drop the curtain on the league phase and face Eintracht Frankfurt at the Deutsche Bank Park. Speaking to reporters on Monday afternoon, Frank previewed the Slavia Praha clash.
"It's always good to build on and get the momentum and get more consistent, good performances," said the Dane. "That's a big part of getting into that.
"We really try to build on that tomorrow night and have a good opportunity against a good Slavia Prague team that I’ve studied a lot and they make it difficult. They play a very direct, physical style.
"They have more or less man-to-man over the pitch, so that just makes it different. You can't relax at one stage of the game. When you're a little bit further up the pitch, you also have man-to-man over the pitch, so you're not as used to that bit.
"That can definitely, potentially, make it difficult for us. It's a game where we respect the opponent a lot, but it's about us. It's about us making sure we perform well and continue with the forwardness and directness we had in the offensive play."
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