Tottenham Team News: Poch Fears Key Man Will Be Out Until 2018 + Lamela Update

Tottenham will get back to Premier League action following their Champions League exploits when they entertain West Bromwich Albion at Wembley on Saturday afternoon.

Ahead of the game, Mauricio Pochettino has been speaking to the media at his pre-match press conference this afternoon and he’s provided a team news and injury update.

Thankfully for Spurs, they have no fresh injury worries to contend with following the 2-1 comeback victory over Borussia Dortmund in Germany on Tuesday night.

However, neither of their current injured players are any closer to making their comebacks with Victor Wanyama out with a knee injury and Toby Alderweireld not expected back from his hamstring injury until after Christmas.

The Belgian international sustained the injury against Real Madrid at the start of the month and Tottenham will have to continue without the centre-back for the foreseeable future.

Wanyama hasn’t featured since suffering a knee injury in September and the midfielder has been forced to see a specialist as the issue is proving difficult to overcome.

Pochettino has provided an update on Wanyama’s fitness and worryingly the Spurs boss says he ‘hope’s’ the Kenyan international will be fit by the the end of the year but can’t say for sure we’ll see him again before 2018.

The Tottenham boss also offered the latest on Erik Lamela and the attacker has a small chance of being on the bench against West Brom but they’ll make a late decision after training on Friday.

The Argentinean international has been out for over a year with a hip injury and he’ll make his comeback with the U23’s at Man City if he isn’t involved against the Baggies.

Pochettino told reporters:

#thfc No change in terms of team news: Toby Alderweireld is expected back in the new year and Victor Wanyama "continues to progress well with his training outdoors".

— Ben Pearce (@BenPearceSpurs) November 23, 2017

Mauricio Pochettino "hopes" Victor Wanyama will be back before the end of the year, but at the moment he is "not sure". #COYS

— Ben Dinnery (@BenDinnery) November 23, 2017

Poch just told me that Erik Lamela has a small chance of being on the bench against West Brom on Saturday if the player tells him after tomorrow's training session that he feels ready. Otherwise he may play in the U23s match at Man City to keep building his confidence in his hips

— Alasdair Gold (@AlasdairGold) November 23, 2017

Spurs head in to the weekend action sitting fourth in the Premier League table following last weeks defeat at Arsenal so they’ll be desperate to get back on track with a win over West Brom on Saturday.