European football returns and it’s Match Day 4 in the Champions League, as Tottenham Hotspur host Bayer Leverkusen at Wembley on Wednesday night. Here’s the Spurs team news for the Group E return clash against their German opponents
Belgian centre-back Toby Alderweireld is facing a race against time to be fit in time for the visit of Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday night. The game may come too soon for the Belgian defender though, and Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino is unlikely to risk the centre half with Sunday’s crucial North London derby against Arsenal in sight. Alderweireld sustained a knee injury in the Premier League match against West Bromwich Albion on October 16 and has since missed four games.
Eric Dier is likely to continue filling in during Alderweireld’s absence, slotting in alongside Jan Vertonghen in the heart of the Spurs defence. Meanwhile, Pochettino is expected to continue with his policy of rotating his full backs, giving some much needed rest to first team regulars Kyle Walker and Danny Rose.
In their place, Kieran Trippier and Ben Davies should fill in as the right and left backs respectively.
In midfield, Erik Lamela managed to recover from the illness that saw him miss the match against Leicester City last weekend but is now an injury doubt after sustaining a minor hip injury in training on Tuesday. The game comes too early for Harry Kane, though, with Pochettino confirming that the striker will not be ready for the match on Wednesday.
Speaking on the English’s striker’s chances of featuring in Wednesday’s match and providing update on Alderweireld’s fitness, Pochettino said: “He [Kane] won’t be ready for tomorrow night. Sunday, maybe. We need to assess. Harry and Toby had a special session today. We hope Harry will be back in full training on Thursday.”
