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Currently something along the lines of a violent political revolution is happening in Ukraine. It's a little weird to be writing on a football match that will probably happen in the country. But that's what sports blogs are for. It's worth noting here that the revolution is centered in Kyiv and the mostly Ukrainian-speaking west of the country, while Dnipropetrovsk is located in the currently mostly quiet, predominantly Russian-speaking eastern Ukraine. So while Dynamo Kyiv's match against Valencia has been relocated to Cyprus because of the protests, all indications are that Tottenham Hotspur's match against FC Dnipro will go forward as scheduled.
However, it will go forward without a good number of Spurs' best players. Manager Tim Sherwood revealed today that Emmanuel Adebayor, Aaron Lennon, Kyle Walker, Hugo Lloris and Younes Kaboul all have remained in England rather than traveling with the club.
On team news, Tim reported that Younes, Ade, Aaron, Kyle Walker and Hugo hadn’t travelled.
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) February 19, 2014
Tim: 'They all have niggles. They will miss this game but we hope they will be ready on Sunday. It’s an opportunity for the other lads.'
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) February 19, 2014
This is on top of the players who played in a youth match against Bolton on Monday. One presumes that Danny Rose and Sandro will not feature, though it's possible that Harry Kane or Zeki Fryers might still be in the squad.
The news does not mean that Spurs will be punting the first half of the tie. Roberto Soldado presumably will lead the line, and the club has more than enough midfielders to fill out the squad. Backup fullbacks appear likely.