Although the club had prepared to be without Son due to the Asian Cup – even striking a deal with the South Korean football federation that meant he missed their opening two games of the tournament – injuries to his fellow attackers have left their resources extremely stretched. Kane is expected to be sidelined until the first week of March after sustaining his third ankle injury in as many seasons during the 1-0 defeat to Manchester United, while a similar timescale has been put on Dele Alli’s recovery from a hamstring strain picked up in the 2-1 win over Fulham.
With Spurs’ three most potent attacking weapons all unavailable, Pochettino will have to shuffle his pack accordingly. Fernando Llorente was handed a first Premier League start of the season at Craven Cottage on Sunday but failed to make the most of his rare opportunity, scoring an own goal and missing two good chances at the right end. Both Christian Eriksen and Erik Lamela started against Fulham and will retain their places at Stamford Bridge, but another forward player who could be in contention once more is Lucas Moura, who has returned to first-team training following three weeks out with a knee problem. Lucas emerged as a genuine centre forward option in the opening weeks of the season and impressed from that role in the 3-0 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford when he scored two clinical finishes en route to winning the August Premier League Player of the Month award. Pochettino will therefore have a decision to make up front and who he picks will give an indication as to his game-plan on the night: Llorente’s physicality and hold-up play could be utilised if Spurs look to match Chelsea, whereas Lucas’ pace would be better-suited to a counter-attacking style.
In addition to Lucas’ return to fitness, Moussa Sissoko is back in contention to play after suffering a setback during the defeat to Manchester United. With Eric Dier returning as a substitute against Fulham, Pochettino’s midfield options have suddenly been boosted. That could lead to him deviating away from a back-three system that didn’t look completely solid against Fulham. Due to injuries at the attacking end of the pitch, Pochettino set Spurs out in a 3-4-3 system but a number of players looked uncomfortable in their roles, particularly during the first half. One final decision that Pochettino has to make is over who out of Hugo Lloris or Paulo Gazzaniga starts. Club captain Lloris remains the club’s undisputed No.1 in the Premier League and Champions League, but Gazzaniga has impressed in the Carabao Cup and is likely to start once more.
