Tottenham remain without injured trio for crucial Champions League trip to Monaco

Tottenham Hotspur could potentially be without several key starters as they aim to avoid a premature exit from the Champions League against Monaco on Tuesday night (22 November). Mauricio Pochettino's side currently lie third in Group E after collecting only four points from as many matches, and anything less than a victory at the Stade Louis II – coupled with Bayer Leverkusen beating CSKA Moscow – would render them unable to qualify for the last 16.

Centre-back Toby Alderweireld will definitely not feature for the eighth match in succession as he continues to recover from a knee injury suffered following a collision with Jan Vertonghen that saw him stretchered off during the second half of last month's draw at West Bromwich Albion. The prognosis was initially said to be very positive, although Pochettino revealed before the last-gasp 3-2 win over West Ham United that nerve damage had considerably slowed the recovery process, expressing hope that the Belgian defender could be available again in "one week or 10 days more if all goes well".

Left-back Ben Davies has also not travelled to Monaco due to an ongoing ankle problem sustained in Tottenham's last European outing against Leverkusen. Winger Erik Lamela remains absent with a hip issue.

While that trio have already been ruled out, Pochettino, who will have one eye firmly fixed on Saturday's visit to Chelsea, will decide late if Dele Alli, Mousa Dembele and Harry Kane are fit enough to start against Monaco.

"We need to assess Kane, Dembele and Alli," he was quoted as saying at a pre-match press conference by the London Evening Standard. "Can they play 90 minutes? We can't take any risks that may affect the next games. We have had one day less than Monaco to recover, as they played last Friday and we played on Saturday.

"It is very important to see whether the players are fully recovered so they can play without risk tomorrow. If we think it is a risk to start them, they can be on the bench and make an impact. It's always important to start with 11 players where there is no risk."

Alli returned to feature as a second-half replacement for Vincent Janssen in that thrilling defeat of West Ham, after missing the north London derby meeting with Arsenal and England's double-header against Scotland and Spain. Dembele, meanwhile, started and played 79 minutes on Sunday after withdrawing from the Belgium squad prior to their 8-1 World Cup qualifying drubbing of Estonia with what Roberto Martinez described as a "soft-tissue problem".

Kane was referred to as "one of the best strikers in the world" by his manager after notching a dramatic late brace at White Hart Lane to help Tottenham maintain their status as the Premier League's last remaining undefeated team, and also end a seven-match winless run stretching back to early October. However, his fitness is still being carefully monitored after a six-week layoff caused by ankle ligament damage.