DOUBLE BLOW: THIBAUT COURTOIS AND HUIJSEN OUT FOR REAL MADRID NOW
Real Madrid faces an injury crisis with 7 players out vs Olympiacos. Courtois is ill, and Huijsen is injured, leaving the defence dangerously thin.
Real Madrid will be without goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and centre back Dean Huijsen for Wednesday's Champions League game against Olympiacos.
Courtois has a stomach bug, so he won't be travelling to Greece. Andriy Lunin is expected to start his first of the season while Courtois is out.
Huijsen's situation is less clear. Real Madrid didn't say why he wasn't included in the squad, but he missed practice on Tuesday and will stay in Madrid for tests, according to The Athletic.
The 20-year-old had to pull out of international play last week because of a sore muscle, but then he played a full 90 minutes in Real Madrid’s 2–2 tie with Elche on Sunday, even scoring his first goal for the team.
Now, Real Madrid is concerned about Huijsen's fitness, especially with games against Girona, Athletic Club, Celta Vigo, and Manchester City coming up in the next two weeks.
Huijsen's injury is especially bad timing for Real Madrid. Éder Militão, Antonio Rüdiger, and David Alaba are already out. Xabi Alonso now has only one healthy centre back for the Champions League game against Olympiacos on Wednesday: Raúl Asencio.
Even Dani Carvajal, an emergency centre back, is hurt. Alonso will probably have to play midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni next to Asencio. Álvaro Carreras or Ferland Mendy could also be options, though Mendy hasn't played since April.
Besides the defensive injuries, Real Madrid is also without Franco Mastantuono, who is still recovering from a groin injury. Including Courtois, who is sick, Alonso is missing seven players for the trip to Greece.
Even with so many players out, Alonso is expected to get Real Madrid back on track. The team has not secured a win in their last three games, putting pressure on Alonso, who was criticised for his odd tactics against Elche, to turn things around.
CONTRASTING FORTUNES: SCOTT MCTOMINAY SCORES, RASMUS HOJLUND MISSES PENALTY
Scott McTominay shines for Napoli as Rasmus Hojlund's struggles continue, missing a penalty in their Champions League victory.
Manchester United is aiming for a spot in Europe next season, but they have many weeks without matches, allowing them to focus on domestic games.
Ruben Amorim is keeping an eye on things happening in Europe, including Rasmus Hojlund's progress while on loan at Napoli.
The striker had trouble convincing the United coach that he deserved a spot in the team. The arrival of Benjamin Sesko meant even less playing time for him.
So, the Danish player decided to return to Serie A, hoping to get back to the form he had at Atalanta before moving to Old Trafford.
Hojlund started well, scoring four goals in all competitions, with two in the Champions League, but things have been harder recently.
He had a chance to end that bad run in the middle of the week, when Napoli played Qarabag in a big European match. The Man United player, on loan, had a chance to put his team ahead with a penalty.
But he missed, shooting the ball too close to the centre, and the goalkeeper, Mateusz Kochalski, was able to push it away.
It was a setback for Hojlund, but luckily, Scott McTominay, a former Man United star, stepped up.
The midfielder made two big plays in the game, scoring on a header to give Napoli the lead. Also, a few minutes later, his play led to an own goal. The game ended 2-0 for Napoli.
After the game, McTominay posted on social media: Champions League nights. The real MVPs, always, with a picture of the support staff.
He has been in great form since moving from Man United back in 2024.
The midfielder was important in helping Scotland get to the 2026 World Cup, beating Denmark and Hojlund to the top spot in their qualifying group.
Now back at Napoli, their performance is contrasting, with McTominay scoring goals often, while Hojlund is trying to score his first goal in six games.
PRIORITY ONE: THOMAS FRANK TARGETS PSG AFTER ROMERO'S 'STYLE' WARNING
Spurs boss Thomas Frank remains detached from criticism after the Arsenal loss as his team faces a crucial test of style against PSG.
Even a tough loss to Arsenal wasn't enough to get to Thomas Frank.
The Tottenham coach often says he doesn't pay much attention to the chatter around the club, except for what his press officer tells him or what reporters ask.
Sitting in Paris before a Champions League game against the champs, just days after a 4-1 defeat, Frank insisted that hasn't changed.
I don't read anything—no articles, no social media. So, I don't know if people are upset, he said.
Frank is smart, though. He probably has an idea what Spurs fans thought of the game and knows where the team needs work.
He's also heard enough this season to know people aren't thrilled with the way they play. Some home games have ended with boos, and after the Arsenal game, Frank and the players walked over to clap for the mostly empty away section.
Spurs now play Paris Saint-Germain tonight in what feels like the least important game of the week.
Fulham is coming to north London on Saturday, and that's a key game for Frank. If they don't win and win big, he'll have a hard time avoiding the criticism.
The Champions League isn't as risky since Spurs already have eight points from four games. A few more points should be enough to get them to the next round.
Frank's team needs to almost double their current points to finish in the top spots and move straight to the final 16, and a good result against PSG would help.
But that's not the biggest thing right now. How they play in this game will matter more than the score.
Losing 3-1, but really going for it against PSG, creating chances, even if they fall short against a better team, would be better than a boring 0-0 tie.
Frank's time at Spurs won't be judged by the PSG game. It'll be judged by whether Spurs start playing better together on offence.
Spurs have three of the five lowest xG scores in the league this season.
They were great defensively in the UEFA Super Cup against PSG in August, holding a 2-0 lead until the last few minutes despite having the ball only 25% of the time.
That was okay for Frank's first game, but it would be worrying if they haven't improved after a few months.
The fans need to see improvement, and so do the players. They can only be told to defend and disrupt so many times before they want to create. Too often, Frank's approach has made the players scared of the other team.
That can't be fun, and it won't work for long. Cristian Romero didn't like the mood at Spurs under Antonio Conte's style and praised Ange Postecoglou's more attacking style.
"It's the way Tottenham always played," Romero said in 2023. It's about taking risks and trying to control the game.
Again, a year later, the Spurs captain said, "We play in a fun style, and we're all happy with how the coach sets us up."
If Romero, a defender, doesn't like sitting back, the forwards definitely don't.
There's no such thing as an easy game at a club like Spurs, but fans will accept some losses.
This is one of those games, but only if Frank and his players show they're trying.