Why did Cristian Romero & Djed Spence miss Tottenham vs Chelsea pre-season friendly?
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The Blues are playing Spurs in tonight’s Sydney Super Cup clash.
Tottenham, who finished 17th in the Premier League last season, are battling Chelsea at Accor Stadium. Roberto De Zerbi’s men line up in a 4-3-3 formation. The former Brighton coach started Antonín Kinský as his goalkeeper.
The starting lineup has recent new signings. The likes of Andrew Robertson, Sandro Tonali and Jan Paul van Hecke all start for their new team. Dominic Solanke, Conor Gallagher and Ben Davies also began the match.
The last time these Premier League teams met was back in May. The Blues finished the league match as 2-1 winners. The game took place at Stamford Bridge.
In the Blues camp, coach Xabi Alonso is also starting to get accustomed to his new managerial team. In his first pre-season outing, he delivered a 6-4 win against Western Sydney Wanderers.
Meanwhile, Tottenham Hotspur remain unbeaten in their pre-season games. They faced three opponents – MK Dons, Auckland FC and Sydney FC. All of those finished with a victory in their favour.
Both James Maddison and Mateus Fernandes have been ruled out through injury. But what about the likes of Cristian Romero and Djed Spence?
Also read: Why were Chelsea sanctioned £10m by English FA?
Why did Cristian Romero and Djed Spence miss out facing Chelsea in pre-season?
Players such as Cristian Romero and Djed Spence did not participate against the Blues for a reason. In the FIFA World Cup 2026, they were actively involved for their respective national football teams.
They did not travel to Australia with the rest of the Tottenham Hotspur squad. In the case of Romero, he reached the final with Argentina. Meanwhile, Spence grabbed a third-place podium finish with England against France.
Additionally, as per recent reports, Cristian Romero is set to leave the club. He is linked with this transfer to Serie A side Inter Milan. The club would not want to hinder that move with any untimely injury on their part, if they are ready to part ways with the defender.
Anyhow, as both players made a deep run in the summer tournament, they are permitted to have time off under regulations. It will only them recover in time, both mentally and physically, for an action packed new season ahead.
Why did Cristian Romero miss out facing Chelsea in pre-season?
He was extensively involved in Argentina’s FIFA World Cup 2026 final run. Moreover, there are rumours he could leave Tottenham.
Why did Djed Spence miss out facing Chelsea in pre-season?
Spence helped the Three Lions win their third medal in the World Cup. He is thus enjoying some time off.
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Govind once believed table tennis was his favorite sport—until he discovered the magic of football and Cristiano Ronaldo. Though once told he wasn’t cut out for writing, he now edits the work of others as Sub Editor of Football at Khel Now. Not a caffeine addict, Govind runs on pure adrenaline—whether he’s playing or watching sports.