Ange Postecoglou makes honest claim about Tottenham squad ahead of Man City clash

Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou has insisted his squad will not be "down in the dumps" ahead of their trip to Manchester City on Saturday, despite Rodrigo Bentancur being the latest player to join the list of absentees. Bentancur has been handed a seven-match domestic ban by the Football Association for using racist language during a media interview earlier this year.

Although Spurs have appealed against the length of the ban, the Uruguay international will definitely miss the clash at the Etihad Stadium. This comes as another blow for the club, with vice-captain Cristian Romero forced to return early from national team duty due to an ongoing toe issue, ruling him out of the fixture against Pep Guardiola’s side.

Additionally, Wilson Odobert underwent hamstring surgery last week. Micky van de Ven (hamstring), Mikey Moore (virus) and Richarlison (hamstring) are also unavailable.

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Despite Premier League champions City losing their last four games, they have several key players back and will be keen to celebrate Guardiola’s new contract with a win.

"It’s really important when they come back here again we move on pretty quickly," Postecoglou reflected, referring to the 2-1 home loss to Ipswich before the international break. "They understand we still have to do our review and we did that. We looked back at the areas we need to be better, but I don’t get the sense the lads are down in the dumps in any way.

"I think there is a determination there to get back to the level we need to be and get consistency around that. You are playing City at their place and they have a pretty imposing record there. Those four losses have all been away from home.

"Irrespective, it is always a great test and a great challenge for us to go there and see whether we can disrupt things again and hopefully put some pressure on them, but we know it is never an easy task.

"It's great that Pep has re-signed. It's fantastic for the Premier League. He keeps setting the standard, which is great for all of us trying to mow him down."