Fiorentina vs Tottenham: Spurs hoping Hugo Lloris recovers for title push

The France goalkeeper sustained a shoulder injury in the closing minutes of Sunday’s victory at Manchester City

Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Hugo Lloris (Getty Images)

Hugo Lloris faces a race against time to recover for the next stage of Tottenham’s title challenge after he was ruled out for at least two matches with a shoulder injury.

The France goalkeeper sustained the damage in the closing minutes of Sunday’s 2-1 Premier League victory at Manchester City as he pushed away a cross from Sergio Aguero.

Lloris, who is Spurs’ captain, indicated immediately after the game that he was healthy but he did not travel to Italy for tonight’s Europa League last-32 tie at Fiorentina. Head coach Mauricio Pochettino also said Lloris would miss Sunday’s FA Cup fifth-round tie at home to Crystal Palace.

“It’s a very small injury and we hope he will be ready to play again in the second leg against Fiorentina next Thursday,” said Pochettino. “There is always an impact – Hugo is our captain and a very important player. But we have Michel Vorm to replace him, who is a top goalkeeper, and we believe in him and trust in him. We need to assess Hugo during the week to see if he is available next Thursday, but for the first leg against Fiorentina he is out, and he will miss the game against Palace, too.”

Tonight’s first leg here in Florence is the first of three consecutive cup matches Spurs must face before turning their attention again to Premier League duty, when Swansea visit White Hart Lane on 28 February.

Vorm’s inclusion in place of Lloris is unlikely to be the only change to the Tottenham starting XI as Pochettino shuffles his pack.

Kyle Walker and Danny Rose, the full-backs who started at the Etihad Stadium, should be replaced by Kieran Trippier and Ben Davies, while Tom Carroll, Nacer Chadli and Erik Lamela are also expected to start.

Spurs were beaten 3-1 on aggregate by Fiorentina at this stage of the Europa League a year ago, and lost the Capital One Cup final to Chelsea three days later. Tottenham’s push for a top-four spot also crumbled after that as they ran out of steam – but their head coach feels this team are better-equipped to challenge on three fronts.

Pochettino said: “After 20 months at the club we’ve improved a lot. When you get to a new club it’s difficult to set your principles but we can be happy with how we’ve developed our philosophy.

“The players are willing to learn and try to give the best in every training session, which is very important for us. We need to remember, though, that we are still one of the youngest squads in England and we need to improve more and work harder.

“The schedule in England is tough for players and staff to manage. We have a squad who can fight [on all fronts] but the mentality and culture of English players is that the Premier League is the most important competition in the world. Today we have a good mix, a good balance, and every game we play is our priority. We are in a position where we want to fight for every game in every competition.”

If they finish the campaign strongly, Spurs and Fiorentina could meet in European competition for the third season in succession. Next time, though, it might be in the Champions League.

Spurs are only two points behind league leaders Leicester while Fiorentina are third in Serie A, which would secure a place in Europe’s main club competition.

The Italians’ coach, Paulo Sousa, compared this tie to a Champions League match and Pochettino added: “I agree, because of the level our teams have shown. We must work hard to ensure we are in next season’s Champions League.”