Tottenham will be given a big boost with the return of Harry Kane. But Spurs will still be without five other players due to injuries and a suspension.
There’s some good news followed by a lot of bad news on the injury front for Tottenham. Startnig with the good news (as there’s only one), Harry Kane is fit to face Arsenal when Spurs travel to the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
“Yes. Today I can confirm he will be available to be selected for Sunday and now I need to decide if he will be in the starting XI or on the bench.” Mauricio Pochettino said at his press conference (via Spurs’ official website).
“We are very happy after yesterday, he had a very good training session and he’s fit.”
Getting the 23-year-old back into the lineup is a big boost as he can help Spurs in front of goal. In previous seasons, Harry Kane has found the back of the net against the Gunners and that is something that Pochettino will be looking for, to give the team a winning result.
It’s always important.” Pochettino added. “In the last few seasons he was very important for us, he was the top scorer in the Premier League and always the player that was the last top scorer in the Premier League, when he’s fit, is important for any club. Of course, for us it’s very good news and it’s good that he will be back.”
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With two goals in back-to-back games against Stoke City and Sunderland, Kane was getting into a good groove until an ankle injury sidelined him for over a month.
Now that he’s back, Pochettino was asked if there would be any risk in playing Kane after just recovering from his injury.
“It’s not a risk. You need to understand that after two-and-a-half years here we try to avoid risks.” Mauricio Pochettino explained. “If he is on the pitch or on the bench you can be sure that it’s not a risk to play.”
“In football you cannot avoid all the risks because it’s a contact sport and you cannot avoid risks 100 percent but if the doctor says he’s available to be selected it’s because there’s no risk about him being injured.”
Now, here’s the bad news. A plethora of guys who will be unavailable for selection are Toby Alderweireld, Érik Lamela, Mousa Dembélé, Moussa Sissoko and Ben Davies. They have just been confirmed as out for Sunday’s North London derby.
Getting Harry Kane back will help but his return alone won’t offset the absence of two other starters and three bench options when a substitution needs to be made.
Regarding Alderweireld’s recovery: “Toby is struggling a little bit to recover but will be available after the international break. He is not in the Belgium squad now, he is very close but it’s a very slow recovery, it’s a very painful thing that happened.”
On Dembélé’s injury: “I can only say that he’s a doubt. We need to assess him tomorrow and then decide. It’s not a big deal but it’s painful in his ankle. We need to assess him tomorrow and he’s a doubt for Sunday.”
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On Lamela’s availability: “No, he is out for Sunday.”
An update on Davies’ ankle: “[…] Ben Davies got a big impact with the ball and twisted his ankle. He has some swelling, it’s painful and he’s not available for Sunday.”
And lastly, Moussa Sissoko is serving his third and final domestic three-match ban. He should be available once the international break is over and be in contention to suit up against West Ham United.