Arsenal vs Tottenham: Pochettino still unsure of Harry Kane's participation in the north London derby

Mauricio Pochettino has revealed that Harry Kane continues to remain a doubt for Tottenham Hotspur's lunchtime kickoff against Arsenal on Saturday, 18 November, despite being confident of his availability during the international break.

The Spurs forward withdrew from the England team ahead of their games against Germany and Brazil with a minor knee injury, but was expected to be fit in time for the north London derby. Kane will be vital when Pochettino's team travel to the Emirates Stadium owing to his excellent scoring record against their archrivals – six goals in six appearances.

The Argentine manager however is unsure of his participation after revealing that he will be assessed on Friday, 17 November, and refused to give a percentage to indicate the chances of him being available. On the other hand, it could also be a bit of gamesmanship from Pochettino to keep his counterpart Arsene Wenger guessing until the last minute.

"We need to assess him tomorrow and then see if he can play at the weekend. I can't say a percentage, we need to assess him and make the best decision for him and the team," Pochettino said during his pre-match press conference, as quoted by Sky Sports.

"Of course, he is a great player, so important for us. How he feels about the derbies is very passionate and if he scores again against Arsenal, it is fantastic for him and fantastic for us," the Argentine added.

Pochettino, meanwhile, could welcome Dele Alli, Harry Winks and Hugo Lloris back into the squad after the trio also returned to first team training during the week. The trio also missed the recent international break owing to injury but are likely to make the team for the game against Arsenal.

Alli picked up a minor hamstring injury during Spurs' win against Real Madrid in the Champions League and missed their last Premier League clash against Crystal Palace prior to the break. Similarly, Lloris also suffered a hip injury in the game against the La Liga giants and was ruled out for 15 days.

Winks, on the other hand, suffered an ankle injury in the first-half during their 1-0 win over Palace. He joined up with the England squad but then had to withdraw later after being assessed by the Three Lions medical staff. The England international has established himself as a regular in Pochettino's team after impressing in both the Premier League and Champions League.