Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte has not ruled Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Cristian Romero out of contention for Wednesday's Champions League clash with Sporting Lisbon.
The pair were both absent from the weekend's 2-1 defeat to Newcastle United in the Premier League, with Romero picking up a calf problem and Hojbjerg dealing with pain in his thigh.
Both injuries were not thought to be too serious at the time, with both Hojbjerg and Romero suffering from fatigue after being ever-presents in the team so far this season.
However, the two players were not pictured in training on Tuesday morning, sparking fears that they would again be absent for the visit of Sporting to North London.
Conte was asked about the pair in his pre-match press conference, where he also confirmed that Dejan Kulusevski and Richarlison would remain out of action.
Romero and Hojbjerg will be given every chance to prove their fitness, though, with football.london quoting Conte as saying: "Richarlison and Kulusevski they are out because they are recovering but still not ready. Romero and Hojbjerg tomorrow morning we will see if there is the possibility to try and recover them."
Should the pair both miss out on Wednesday, Oliver Skipp could join Yves Bissouma and Rodrigo Bentancur in the engine room, while Davinson Sanchez and Japhet Tanganga will compete for a start at the back.
Meanwhile, Richarlison's calf injury will likely render him unavailable until just before the World Cup, but there are fears that Kulusevski's issue will not clear up before the Qatar break.
Prior to the loss to Newcastle, Conte affirmed that a three-man midfield was needed to counter his side's attacking losses, but the Italian has Bryan Gil and Lucas Moura waiting in the wings.
Moura has now recovered from a tendon injury that has plagued him for the majority of the season, but Conte has nevertheless taken a cautious approach with the Brazilian's fitness.
Lucas is yet to start a game in any competition this season, but Conte believes that the time may now be right to take a chance on the 30-year-old.
"Lucas Moura is a player who is recovering from a long issue. He's improving but there are moments when you have to take some risks and we will see," Conte added.
"I want to check tomorrow morning real situations with injuries. We will wait until tomorrow morning and then check the position."
Tottenham's spate of injuries has led to talk of the club being active in the January transfer window, and Conte will reportedly be backed with funds over the winter.
However, the 53-year-old was in no mood to discuss the club's transfer dealings, adding: "My priority now is not in January but to finish in the best way before the World Cup."
Tottenham sit top of Champions League Group D with seven points from 12 games and will progress to the knockout stages with a win on Wednesday night. body check tags ::
