Destiny Udogie pictured with Tottenham players before kickoff against Crystal Palace
Tottenham have received a significant boost ahead of their Premier League clash with Crystal Palace.
Spurs will host Palace at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday, March 2, as Oliver Glasner prepares for his first away journey in England’s top flight.
The Austrian got off to a winning start as manager at Selhurst Park, defeating Burnley 3-0 on Saturday 24 February, and will be looking to build on that performance in North London.
Tottenham will need to show their fans a response after losing 2-1 at home to Wolves on Saturday, February 17.
Ange Postecoglou and his squad have had two weeks to prepare for their London derby against the Eagles, giving the Australian valuable time to bring one of his key players back in training.
And Spurs‘ most recent tweet to their official X account (2 March) reveals that the 21-year-old will be part of the matchday squad, with Udogie one of the players shown arriving at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium a few hours before kick-off in his matchday gear.
Can Destiny Udogie make the difference versus Crystal Palace at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium?
Udogie’s return to the first team will be warmly anticipated by both his management and teammates.
He has been one of Spurs’ finest performers this season, and the statistics back it up.
According to fbref, Udogie ranks in the top 12% of his positional peers in the Premier League this season in terms of progressive passes (5.32 per 90), which is an important aspect of Postecoglou’s attacking style of play.
Defensively, Udogie ranks in the 91st percentile of left-backs in England’s top division this season in terms of tackles (3.07 per 90), demonstrating his abilities both forward and defensively.
Ben Davies battled to replace the Italy international against Wolves and was unable to make the same impression. While the Welshman performed admirably defensively, he had a forgettable day offensively.
According to Sofascore, the 31-year-old recorded two tackles, one interception, and one clearing while winning five of his eight ground duels. However, he was unable to reproduce same results on the other end of the pitch.
While he completed three critical passes out of 89, he did not send a single accurate cross into the box out of six attempts.
Furthermore, he failed two of his three dribbling efforts and squandered a golden opportunity late on, heading Spurs’ chance to rescue a point agonisingly wide of the post from close range.
Postecoglou will be relieved to have Udogie back in his plans, and fans at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will be hoping that the left-back’s name is read out among the other players an hour before kick-off.
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