Tottenham without captain Son for crucial Europa League clash in Frankfurt

FRANKFURT - Tottenham Hotspur will be without captain Son Heung-min as they seek to reach the Europa League semi-finals by overcoming Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday.

The quarter-final tie is on a knife edge after the sides drew 1-1 in London last week but Spurs have been dealt a blow for a game they must win to keep a poor season alive.

Sonny didnt travel in the end. Hes the only one who misses out, manager Ange Postecoglou told reporters on Wednesday. He has been battling with this foot problem for a few weeks now and hes managed through it, but its got too painful over the last few days.

He tried to train yesterday and just wasnt right, so weve made the decision to leave him at home.

While Son has failed to hit the heights of previous seasons, the South Korean forward remains Tottenhams talisman and his absence, according to Postecoglou, presents his under-performing side with another challenge to overcome.

Look its a blow but its consistent with everything else thats happened this year, so its just another challenge for us to overcome. Unfortunate for him and he tried really hard.

Tottenham sit 15th in the Premier League table with 17 defeats from their 32 games and Postecoglous future at the club could hinge on winning the Europa League.

I dont see it as salvaging the season, I see it as an opportunity to do something special, so it depends on your outlook on life mate, Australian Postecoglou, said. Youre at a point where you have got an opportunity to get to the semi-finals of a major competition.

These opportunities dont come round very often even if youre having a good season, so why not take it? That has kind of been the message to the players.

While Son