Tottenham Hotspur head coach Jose Mourinho expects Harry Kane to be fit for the north London derby against Arsenal on Sunday, having left the talisman out of Thursday night’s 3-3 Europa League draw with LASK because of a minor injury.
It was the first time this season that Kane has been completely absent from a matchday squad, having at least been on the bench for every game Spurs have played in the Europa League and Carabao Cup.
But leaving Kane at home for the trip to Austria appears to have been no more than a precaution.
"I believe he is going to be fit,” Mourinho declared in a post-match media briefing as he looked ahead to the hotly anticipated clash against Arsenal.
“I'm not sure. He's having treatment, but I could be doing some bluff and pretend he's in trouble. But he's not and I think he'll play."
Spurs go into the derby clash top of the table, compared to an Arsenal side languishing in 14th place. Yet Mourinho will hope to see more from his players than was on show against LASK, suggesting his team took their foot off the pedal.
“I think it's a question of attitude, which I have experienced before even at Manchester United. I had a similar situation - we lost two matches away in the group phase,” the Spurs boss explained.
“When we get into the knockouts and you get better opponents and more difficulties, the team faces matches in a different way. [I learned] nothing new, really – the fact that the Europa League group phase doesn't motivate some of the players, I knew it.”
Spurs are second in their Europa League group but can still top the standings and be seeded for the last 32 knockout draw if they win the final game at home against Antwerp next Thursday.
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Source : 90min