London (Reuters)
Tottenham Hotspur received a boost ahead of their North London derby against Arsenal in the English Premier League on Sunday, after coach Antonio Conte said Dejan Kulusevski was expected to participate in the match.
Striker Kulusevski has not played with Tottenham since the 2-2 draw with Brentford on December 26, due to a muscle problem, while Rodrigo Bentancur, “injured in the adductor muscle” and Richarlison, “injured in the posterior thigh muscles” will continue to be absent since the World Cup matches.
Conte told reporters today, Friday: «The sure news is that the situation will improve, especially for Dickie (Kulusewski), who participated in training sessions during the past days and will be ready to play. Regarding Richie and Rodrigo, it’s getting better. I think at the moment Dicky is more ready to play but we don’t want to take any risks… For us, it’s important to be patient in this period and not risk speeding up the recovery process and losing (players) for a long time. We have training tomorrow and we will monitor Rodrygo and Ritchie.
Tottenham ranks fifth in the standings, with 33 points from 18 matches, two points behind Manchester United, who has a match in hand. As for Arsenal, they lead the league with 44 points, after losing once in 17 matches.
“I think Arsenal are showing they are going in the right direction, they are leaders in the league,” Conte said. They deserve to stay in this position not because of luck, but because they show in every game that they are a really strong team. I want us to look at ourselves… I think we work hard in all competitions and try to be more solid.”
And after winning 3-1 at home at the Emirates Stadium in October, Arsenal are looking forward to beating Tottenham in the league for the first time since the 2013-2014 season.
Tottenham have not lost in their last eight home league matches against Arsenal.
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