Tottenham were back in training on Monday morning at Hotspur Way ahead of their Champions League last 16 clash
11:55, 09 Mar 2026Updated 12:10, 09 Mar 2026
Igor Tudor took Tottenham training on Monday morning at Hotspur Way
Tottenham’s numbers have been boosted ahead of the Champions League last 16 trip to Atletico Madrid after defenders Djed Spence and Radu Dragusin returned to training.
Spurs were out on the grass at Hotspur Way on Monday morning before they were due to fly to the Spanish capital where they will go head-to-head with Diego Simeone’s Copa del Rey finalists for a place in the quarter-finals.
Spence has recently missed the defeats to Fulham and Crystal Palace with a calf issue while Dragusin sat out of the 3-1 home defeat to the FA Cup finalists on Thursday.
But both, as Igor Tudor had anticipated, look set to be part of the travelling squad, though the Europa League winners are still without eight key first-team stars for the contest due to injury.
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James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Ben Davies, Mohammed Kudus, Wilson Odobert, Rodrigo Bentancur and Lucas Bergvall all remain sidelined.
Midfielder Yves Bissouma and left-back Souza are not registered to play in UEFA competitions, either.
Spurs added Mathys Tel, Conor Gallagher and Dragusin to their roster following the conclusion of the January transfer window.
Clubs are only permitted to add three new players to their updated squad per UEFA regulations.
Radu Dragusin is back in training with Tottenham after missing the defeat to Crystal Palace
Speaking ahead of the tie, right-back Pedro Porro has made it clear Spurs’ lack of numbers is the primary reason behind the club’s domestic struggles.
He told Radio MARCA: “It’s difficult, because when you’re competing in four competitions under these circumstances… we already had that bad experience last year in the Premier League with so many injured players, and you just can’t compete. We have young players coming on strong, and looking at this season, it’s basically the same.
“You’re going to play against Arsenal, [Manchester] City, Liverpool, or Chelsea, and you just can’t. We could field a starting eleven of injured players that might even be stronger than the eleven that’s currently playing.
“And it’s not out of disrespect to anyone, but that’s basically the reality. We have to think and maintain a positive mindset. I’ve told my teammates, it’s difficult to compete like this, but we always have to give 100 per cent, even though things aren’t going well in the Premier League, just like last year. We’re going to approach the tie with the same ambition we’ve shown so far in the Champions League.”
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