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Team news emerged today for Tottenham Hotspur's Capital One Cup clash with Arsenal tomorrow, and despite hopeful early murmurings, Spurs are still without three crucial central midfielders for the North London Derby.
Mauricio: "They are close to being back with the squad, but not for Wednesday, unlucky for them and for us." #COYS
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) September 22, 2015
It's not a complete surprise, but I think many fans were hoping that Ryan Mason in particular would be back in the frame for starting the Arsenal match. Mason is still rehabbing a knee injury picked up after his winning goal against Sunderland, while Nabil Bentaleb and Mousa Dembele are both recovering from what are listed as "foot/ankle injuries."
All this leads up to yet another selection dilemma for Mauricio Pochettino. With a big league match against Manchester City looming on Saturday, one would think that there would be at least some rotation for a third round Mickey Mouse cup game, but it is Arsenal. Does Poche really trust Tom Carroll and Harry Winks to anchor the midfield against the Scum, for example, or will we see Eric Dier continue to play every match? Will Harry Kane be rested? What about the likes of Hugo Lloris, Toby Alderweireld, and Son Heung-Min? Poche has some decisions to make.