Spurs duo Romero and Van de Ven ruled out of Rangers clash

Tottenham will be without defenders Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven for their Europa League match with Rangers, manager Ange Postecoglou confirmed on Wednesday.

Both players returned from respective injury problems in Tottenham's 4-3 defeat to Chelsea last Sunday, but neither was able to complete the full duration of the match.

Romero was replaced by Radu Dragusin after fifteen minutes at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, while Van de Ven was substituted in the 79th minute.

And with a big game against Rangers in the Europa League on Thursday, Postecoglou revealed he would miss his starting defensive partnership.

“Unfortunately no great news about Cristian and Micky,” Postecoglou said.

“They have both had setbacks this weekend so we will wait and see, but they will not be available for the next games.

“That affects tomorrow night, that affects us for the next few games, so the fact that they are in the same position affects us even more, especially with Ben out in the same position.

“We are in a difficult situation, but it is a great opportunity for us to overcome the odds and hopefully create something special.”

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Postecoglou has endured an inconsistent start to the season, with his side finishing 11th in the Premier League after defeat to Chelsea.

It was the eleventh time that Tottenham had lost a top-flight match after being more than two goals ahead – at least four more such defeats than any other side in the competition's history.

That prompted a response from Romero, who suggested that the lack of investment in the squad has resulted in their poor form due to a lack of cover for injured players.

“He realizes that a lot of what he said was good, but some of it was not the right way to handle it. In the same way, I wouldn't criticize a player publicly,” Postecoglou said.

“I spoke to Cristian about it and he apologized for it. It wasn't the right way to do it. It shows that he cares. There's a way to do it and this wasn't it.'