Tottenham Hotspur without captain Son for crucial Europa League clash in Frankfurt

While Son is missing, they have a near full-strength squad to choose from and are boosted by the return of Swedish forward Dejan Kulusevski

Europa League - Quarter Final - First Leg - Tottenham Hotspur v Eintracht Frankfurt - Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, Britain - Apr 10, 2025 Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-min REUTERS/David Klein

Tottenham Hotspur will be without captain Son Heung-min as they seek to reach the Europa League semi-finals by overcoming Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday.

The quarter-final tie is on a knife edge after the sides drew 1-1 in London last week but Spurs have been dealt a blow for a game they must win to keep a poor season alive.

"Sonny didn't travel in the end. He's the only one who misses out," manager Ange Postecoglou told reporters on Wednesday. "He has been battling with this foot problem for a few weeks now and he's managed through it, but it's got too painful over the last few days.

"He tried to train yesterday and just wasn't right, so we've made the decision to leave him at home."

While Son has failed to hit the heights of previous seasons, the South Korean forward remains Tottenham's talisman and his absence, according to Postecoglou, presents his under-performing side with another challenge to overcome.

"Look it's a blow but it's consistent with everything else that's happened this year, so it's just another challenge for us to overcome. Unfortunate for him and he tried really hard."

Tottenham sit 15th in the Premier League table with 17 defeats from their 32 games and Postecoglou's future at the club could hinge on winning the Europa League.

"I don't see it as salvaging the season, I see it as an opportunity to do something special, so it depends on your outlook on life mate," Australian Postecoglou, said. "You're at a point where you have got an opportunity to get to the semi-finals of a major competition.

"These opportunities don't come round very often even if you're having a good season, so why not take it? That has kind of been the message to the players."

While Son is missing, Tottenham have a near full-strength squad to choose from and are boosted by the return of Swedish forward Dejan Kulusevski.

"It's massively positive because you realise when we've got everyone together, we've got a really exciting young squad that I think we can build on," Postecoglou said.