Tottenham and Arsenal fans were undoubtedly tuning in to Antonio Conte's pre-North London Derby press conference likely waiting for a significant update on the availability of Dejan Kulusevski. The Swede has been absent for the last three games with a fresh injury, but the hope of him playing on Sunday was given to Spurs after he appeared in training on Tuesday.
Despite returning to Hostpur Way this week, after only featuring in one Spurs game following the restart, there were concerns over whether or not the 22-year-old would be match-fit and therefore able to play a role in the latest North London Derby. However, Conte was able to give good news regarding the winger for Spurs fans which will certainly be seen as bad news for the Gunners.
Asked about the latest injury updates, the Italian said: "The news for sure the situation is going to improve, especially for Deki, for Kulusevski. He had training sessions in the last few days with us. He's going to be ready to play."
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Bryan Gil had been the man deployed by Conte in the absence of Kulusevski but his return to training will likely see him thrown straight back into the starting XI, with such an important game up next.
The news surrounding two other influential Tottenham players currently on the sidelines Rodrigo Bentancur and Richarlison was less promising , with Conte coy about giving too much away about the duo but seemed to suggest they will both be unavailable.
"About Richy and Rodrigo, both situations are improving," he said. "I think in this moment Deki is much more ready to play and especially don't take risks.
"For us, it is important to have patience ahead of this period and not to risk accelerating and losing them for a long period. We will see. We have another training session tomorrow to monitor the situation with Rodrigo and Richy.
As for the Gunners, the only concerning absence was Bukayo Saka after he limped off late into the FA Cup third-round win over Oxford, but Mikel Arteta confirmed that the Hale End grad should be fine to play.
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