Tottenham Hotspur have been hit with a late injury blow ahead of Sunday's clash with West Ham United in the Premier League.
The two sides will do battle in North London for their first game after tonight's closure of the domestic transfer window.
The Hammers hope to have midfielder Said Benrahma in the door before the weekend, even if football.london understands that the club have hit a stumbling block with the player's medical examination.
But Spurs will be without two of their first-team stars for this one as boss Jose Mourinho revealed injuries to Giovani Lo Celso and Japhet Tanganga.
Lo Celso withdrew from international duty with Argentina last week as he struggled with a hamstring injury.
And Spurs will also be without Tangana who has already missed the first month of the season with a thigh strain.
When asked if either player could feature against David Moyes' side, Mourinho said: "No, no, they're still injured."
But thankfully for Spurs Lo Celso's injury appears to only be a light one with the midfielder expected to make a brisk recovery.
His manager continued: "It's the hamstring [for Lo Celso]. I don't think [it will be long], I'd say next week.
Gareth Bale could play a part on Sunday with Mourinho refusing to rule out talk that he will be deployed against the Hammers, against who he scored one of his most famous Tottenham goals.
"He wants to play. He has wanted to play since the day he arrived but that wasn't possible," he said.
"I'm not going to tell you if he's going to play or not. What I will tell you is that he's working very well. He's working the way he probably hasn't been able to do for some time.
"The planning of the recent sessions had a big focus on him. His condition is good. Does he play Sunday or Thursday, we haven't made a decision yet.
"Every player is a very important player but the Gareth situation is very special because of the history.
"We care about him as much as he does for Tottenham."
