Tottenham without Nabil Bentaleb for Arsenal clash while Mauricio Pochettino sweats on Ryan Mason fitness

Mauricio Pochettino will be without midfielder Nabil Bentaleb for Tottenham Hotspur's League Cup showdown with Arsenal, with Ryan Mason also a doubt for the North London derby. Tottenham have been beset by injury problems in midfield in recent weeks with Christian Eriksen also among those sidelined.

The 23 year old has not featured since the 2-2 draw with Stoke City on 15 August, missing three games including the 1-0 win over Sunderland on Saturday in a game where Spurs suffered further blows. Ryan Mason clashed with Black Cats goalkeeper Costel Pantilimon in the process of scoring his side's winner and was stretchered off, with the club still yet to determine the severity of his knock.

"We hope Ryan Mason isn't too long in his recovery, we need to assess him day by day," manager Mauricio Pochettino said via the club's Twitter account.

Pochettino added that Eriksen, who was pictured in training, is 'close', suggesting he could be in line to make his return against Crystal Palace on Sunday.

Things look less positive for Bentaleb, however. The midfielder suffered an ankle injury in the build-up to the match with Sunderland with early reports suggesting he could face three to four weeks on the sidelines.

On the Algeria midfielder, Pochettino said the club must exercise caution, adding: "Nabil Bentaleb is out for maybe two more weeks. We need to assess him as well, have patience."

The Argentine coach is therefore likely to be without his first-choice midfield partnership for the visit of Arsenal on Wednesday 23 September.

The Spurs boss also confirmed Mousa Dembele's unavailability for the Europa League showdown. The Belgium international was another recent casualty after being stretchered off in the goalless draw with Everton with what appeared to be a twisted ankle.

With so many midfield options unavailable, Pochettino is likely to continue to deploy Eric Dier in a holding midfield role with 19-year-old Dele Alli also in line to hold on to his first team role. The former MK Dons youngster started in an attacking three alongside Son Heung-min and Nacer Chadli behind striker Harry Kane against Sunderland.