Antonio Conte has revealed that Eric Dier will miss Sunday's North London Derby against Arsenal through injury.
Missing the team's recent Carabao Cup semi-final first leg against Chelsea due to illness, the experienced player has also been absent for the past two games against Morecambe and the Blues.
The England international will not be available again this weekend when the Gunners make the short trip across the capital, thus meaning the Spurs head coach may have to stick with the same defence from Wednesday's defeat against Chelsea unless Joe Rodon comes into his thinking.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the game, he said: "About Eric Dier, he’s suffering a little problem. A little muscular problem. He’s not fit for the game against Arsenal. It’s a pity, I repeat.
"Now it’s important for us to play these three games before the international break and then to recover important players. For us, much more than other teams it’s very, very important to recover all the important players.
"Yeah, it's life for us to recover these players."
Also admitting in his press conference that the club are checking one Covid situation, Conte outlined the current scenario on the injury and Covid front.
"As you know very well, we have many, many injuries. And then there is always the Covid situation everyday, that you have to check. Sometimes you find a surprise," he added.
"But we are preparing the game against Arsenal. I think in this moment, all the teams are suffering injury problems, Covid situation, and international competition. And Tottenham the same.
"You know very well, you have seen the bench, our bench during the game against Chelsea. I can understand that we are in a moment where we have to try to recover very soon the players that are injured."
One player who will be back for the team on Sunday, however, is Steven Bergwijn.
Not playing for the team since the Boxing Day win over Crystal Palace after picking up a calf injury late on in the match, Conte has revealed that his player is not quite there in terms of his fitness but he will take his place on the bench.
"Steven Bergwijn, for example, is a player that has recovered from his injury. He had two training sessions with us," he admitted.
"For sure he is not 100% fit in this moment, but I needed him to come on the bench, to stay with us.
"I asked him his availability for the game against Arsenal, because for me he's an important option after Son was injured.
"In this moment we have only two strikers, Harry and Lucas, and then there is Bergwijn. And then also there is Scarlett, he is also recovering from an injury."
