Tottenham deadline day signing Pedro Porro could make his debut against Manchester City on Sunday but Antonio Conte has been in Italy, recuperating from surgery, and has not had a chance to watch the Spaniard in training.
Emerson Royal, who scored against City at the Etihad two weeks ago, could therefore keep his place and is often impressive in backs-to-wall defensive displays.
Elsewhere, Conte and assistant Cristian Stellini, who will pick the team together, also face a big decision at left wing-back, with Ryan Sessegnon struggling for form and confidence but Ivan Perisic guilty of three mistakes leading to goals in City’s 4-2 win, 15 days ago.
Sessegnon could get the nod, despite struggling to make an impact against Championship side Preston in the FA Cup last weekend.
The rest of Conte’s team picks itself, with Heung-min Son back among the goals against Preston and new signing Arnaut Danjuma expected to be on the bench again after scoring as a substitute at Deepdale.
Brazilian forwards Richarlison and Lucas Moura are available after injury but are likely to be among the subs.
Ben Davies should start ahead of Clement Lenglet, who was also guilty of an error in the away game at City.
Tottenham predicted XI: Lloris; Romero, Dier, Davies; Emerson, Hojbjerg, Bentancur, Sessegnon; Kulusevski, Kane, Son
Tottenham injury news and return dates ahead of Man City clash: Kane, Richarlison, Lucas
Tottenham got the better of Manchester City in the first half of their clash at the Etihad Stadium last month before a disappointing collapse saw them lose the fixture. Antonio Conte will be hoping his players can get revenge on Pep Guardiola’s side this afternoon as the two sides face each other for a second time in a matter of weeks.
Arnaut Danjuma and Pedro Porro will be hoping to have a positive impact on the team and could both start depending on what system Conte looks to deploy. Both players arrived on loan in the January transfer window despite fans’ concerns over the strategy and future of the Lilywhites.
Spurs secured back-to-back wins with victories against Fulham in the Premier League and Preston in the FA Cup, after two consecutive league defeats against Arsenal and City. Building on the impressive form, Conte will likely have a very similar squad available to him for the next clash at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
READ MORE: Who will be in the Tottenham dugout vs Man City after club confirm Antonio Conte surgery
football.london takes a look through the latest injury news from N17.
Harry Kane
For the first time this season, Kane was named on the bench for Tottenham’s FA Cup fourth round clash against Preston. The 29-year-old missed the victory after struggling with illness throughout the week.
What Cristian Stellini said : “We have only one problem, with Harry [Kane], because he played the last game full of illness. He didn’t train during the week, he trained this morning, but he wants to come with us and be available. We know very well that Harry wants to play every game, so we are happy that Harry is involved in the game, but the only situation we have to take care is this.”
Return date: Available for Man City (H) Feb 5.
Richarlison
The early rounds of the FA Cup give teams the opportunity to rotate their squads and it was expected that Richarlison was going to be named in the starting XI on Saturday.
However, Conte opted to go for a front three of Son Heung-min, Ivan Perisic and Dejan Kulusevski, with Richarlison missing out entirely.
What Cristian Stellini said : “He has a small problem in the last few days. We tried to recover him but it was not a good idea to recover him. We had just Harry Kane sick and so it was not a good idea to risk him. We will find Richarlison next week. No, no, no, it was a different injury. He recovered well, he has a small problem in his adductor but nothing special.”
Return date: Unknown
Lucas Moura
Brazilian forward Lucas Moura has been out with a tendon issue that continues to plague him throughout the season, with it currently being unknown when he will return.
The club confirmed on Friday Lucas would feature in their Premier League 2 North London Derby against Arsenal. The Brazilian played 45 minutes and found the back of the net in the 2-1 win.
What Conte has said: “Lucas Moura, this is the only critical situation because it’s very difficult to understand if he is going to come quickly or we have to wait a long time.”
Source: msn
