Zeegelaar to miss Hornets clash with Town
WATFORD’S appeal against the red card shown to Marvin Zeegelaar against Burnley has been rejected.
Zeegelaar will sit out the Premier League fixtures against Huddersfield Town and Brighton, having already missed last night’s game against Crystal Palace, after being sent off for a two-footed challenge on Steven Defour in Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at Turf Moor.
Hornets boss Marco Silva insisted after the match that referee Lee Probert had been wrong to show Zeegelaar a straight red card in the 40th minute.
“There was a good competition between everybody, then after one decision the referee made a big difference in the match, a big influence, and it was a harsh decision for me,” Silva said.
“It’s not a red, that changed everything, and after two or three minutes they scored.
“The referee never had control of the match and he lost it with the moment when he made the mistake.
“I understand I can make mistakes and so can our players, and the referee can too, but he made a big mistake and that had a big influence on the game.” ■■Paul Pogba continues to be absent for Manchester United through suspension and Marcos Rojo is a doubt for tonight’s visit of Bournemouth.
The France international is in the middle of a three-match domestic ban, meaning he continues to join captain Michael Carrick and defender Eric Bailly on the sidelines.
Marouane Fellaini is pushing for a return after a knee complaint, while defender Rojo will be assessed after sustaining a cut to his head in the derby defeat to Manchester City. ■■Mauricio Pochettino has confirmed Tottenham defender Toby Alderweireld will be out until February with a hamstring injury.
Alderweireld sustained the injury against Real Madrid on November 1 and the Belgian is now expected to miss another eight weeks of competitive action.
It means the defender is likely to sit out crunch Premier League games against Manchester City and Manchester United but could return in February for matches against Liverpool and Arsenal.
Spurs then face Juventus in the first leg of the Champions League last 16 on February 13. Manchester City ................................. Manchester Utd .................................. Chelsea .................................................... Burnley ..................................................... Liverpool ................................................. Arsenal ..................................................... Tottenham Hotspur ......................... Leicester .................................................. Watford .................................................... Everton ..................................................... Southampton ....................................... TOWN ......................................................... Brighton ................................................... Bournemouth ...................................... Stoke .......................................................... Newcastle ............................................... Crystal Palace ...................................... West Brom ............................................. West Ham ............................................... Swansea ..................................................