Tottenham vs Arsenal: Mousa Dembele and Dele Alli face late fitness tests ahead of north London derby

Tottenham Hotspur midfielders Mousa Dembele and Dele Alli face late fitness tests ahead of the huge north London derby against Arsenal on Saturday 5 March. Dembele, 28, has missed the club's last three games, including the 1-0 defeat to West Ham United on 2 March that saw Spurs miss the chance to move to the top of the Premier League.

The Belgium international has been nearing his recovery from a groin problem throughout the week and will be in line to return to the squad for the visit of the Gunners. "He has a chance," Pochettino told a press conference, the Evening Standard report. "We will assess him tomorrow after the last training session."

Alli meanwhile is hoping to be fully fit to return to the starting XI. The 20-year-old suffered a foot injury in his warm-up ahead of the 2-1 win over Swansea on Sunday and while he went on to complete that match, Pochettino opted to leave him on the bench at Upton Park, bringing him on after an hour with his side chasing an equaliser.

"Maybe yes," Pochettino said when asked whether the England international will start, Ham and High report. "He played last night 30 minutes. Today he is good but we need to assess him tomorrow."

Tottenham's defeat in east London was cushioned somewhat by Arsenal's loss at home to Swansea, a result that ensured the gap between the two rivals remains at three points. The Gunners announced prior to the 2-1 defeat they had lost Laurent Koscielny to a hamstring injury and their evening turned from bad to worse when Petr Cech suffered a hamstring injury in the closing stages of the match.

Speaking after the match, Arsene Wenger confirmed both Koscielny and Cech will be unavailable for the trip to White Hart Lane. Wenger said: "He (Cech) struggled. He had a little groin problem before the game and I think he struggled a little bit tonight. He will not play on Saturday."

"I don't know, we have to see. It's a muscular problem, a calf problem and I don't know how long he will be out for." On Koscielny, he added: "He has a calf problem as well," the boss said. "He will not play on Saturday."