Lucas Moura, after transferring from Paris Saint-Germain to Tottenham Hotspur in January, has not played a single game for the Lilywhites but Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino revealed the Brazilian was in contention to feature in the North London Derby against Arsenal on Saturday.
“I think he will be ready, maybe to be in contention for Saturday,” Pochettino responded when asked at his pre-match press conference on Thursday whether he would start the January signing against their crosstown rivals.
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“He is doing well, training so hard and I think we need to assess him tomorrow (Friday), but after the last training session tomorrow, I hope that he is still doing well and we can put him in contention,” the Argentine manager added.
When quizzed for the team news, Pochettino revealed that apart from Moura and Toby Alderweireld, there was no fresh update ahead of the clash at Wembley Stadium.
Star centre-back Alderweireld featured for the first time in three months since suffering a hamstring injury in their midweek win over Newport County in the FA Cup and is available for selection against the Gunners.
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“We have a squad that in every single game you can use one player or another and that is the team,” Pochettino stated as he continued, “It’s so positive (to have everyone available) but at the same time it will be tough because we cannot put out more than 11 and seven on the bench. I am sure that many players will not be happy that they will be out but that is football, they understand the rules and always we are going to take the best decision for the team”.
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Currently in fifth place in the league table, Spurs have 49 points from 27 matches while the likes of Chelsea (4th) have 50, Liverpool (3rd) have 51 and Manchester United (2nd) have 56.
Arsenal, in sixth place, aren’t too far behind in the race for the top-four as they have a points tally of 45 and Saturday’s clash could see the winner gain serious momentum as the business end of the season nears.