Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino could be without four key players heading into a crucial European clash with Barcelona on Wednesday.
Mousa Dembele and Jan Verthonghen will be assessed before the Group B showdown in midweek after both men were withdrawn at half-time during Saturday’s Premier League win against Huddersfield.
The Lilywhites picked up another three points with a 2-0 win at the John Smiths Stadium thanks to a Harry Kane brace, but Pochettino may now be heading into the Champions League with a depleted squad.
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According to Football London, the Argentine boss confirmed post-match that Dembele and Vertonghen will have fitness checks over the next couple of days, but if both men are ruled out they could join Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen on the sidelines.
When asked about the two men, Pochettino responded: “We need to assess tomorrow and after tomorrow, we’ll see.
“I cannot say whether they’ll be available for Wednesday. I don’t know.
“We don’t know, because the players feel some muscle problem. But they don’t know if they got a knock or they feel something different. That is why it is so difficult now to tell you what is going on.”
Alli has already been ruled out for the next few weeks, while Eriksen was forced to sit out the Huddersfield victory with a stomach injury and is also a major doubt for the game at Wembley in three days time.
?? Mauricio provides an injury update on @JanVertonghen, @mousadembele and @dele_official…#COYS pic.twitter.com/dPyMkt8Jqn
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) September 29, 2018
If Spurs end up being without all four men against Barcelona, the odds on them picking up a much needed three points in the match will be stretched to say the least, having already lost their opening fixture in the group against Inter Milan.
Tottenham’s start to the 2018-19 campaign on domestic and European fronts has been mixed, but there have been signs of improvement during their last two Premier League victories.
Expect this story to develop in the coming days, with club supporters likely to be checking for regular updates right up until kick-off in the hope that the squad’s key players can be fit in time for the biggest game of their season so far.