Tottenham Hotspur hope to get back to winning ways after a disappointing late draw at Everton against Brighton & Hove Albion.
Ange Postecoglou’s charges are currently fifth in the Premier League standings, but with their eyes on Aston Villa in fourth place, they have little reason to check their shoulders.
With Micky van de Ven and James Maddison back healthy and fully included in the first eleven, there is certainly reason for optimism.
The Spurs will also soon be looking forward to the return of captain Son Heung-Min, who plays tomorrow in the South Korea semi-final against Jordan.
In view of this, another Tottenham player will have some hope of playing against Brighton at the weekend.
Yves Bissouma completed his AFCON appearances with Mali after losing 2-1 to Ivory Coast in Saturday’s quarter-final.
According to The Standard, Bissouma will return to Hotspur Way in the next 48 hours to undergo a routine check-up.
The report also states that Bissouma contracted malaria during the AFCON, but is now believed to be free of the disease.
Tottenham can hope that Yves Bissouma will return on Saturday against Brighton:
Bissouma has already served his suspension for the red card he received before going to AFCON.
If the midfielder proves fit, he could be in the squad this weekend.
This would of course be a big boost for Tottenham, who hope to get back to winning ways away at Brighton.
Perhaps it has been under-emphasised how much they have missed Bissouma while he has been absent – it almost seems as if the red cards have tarnished his excellent start.
But in reality, Bissouma has been “outstanding” in the Spurs midfield in his first months under Postecoglou and will continue to do so.
Of course, with a number of options that the Spurs manager has rarely enjoyed, it will be interesting to see who is considered the strongest of the eleven.
It seems almost impossible that any of Pape Matar Sarr, Rodrigo Bentancur or Bissouma will be missing when fully fit, but the reality is that one of them will be.
This is a very positive problem that needs to be addressed and Postecoglou will probably act pragmatically on a match-by-match basis.
As said, one Spurs player is now thriving while a key player is out on loan.