<
>

Tottenham's Mousa Dembele fit and ready for 'vibe' of Arsenal derby

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Mousa Dembele has told Sky Sports he is ready to face Arsenal in Saturday's north London derby at the Emirates Stadium.

Dembele, 30, has not started for Spurs since the EFL Cup win over Barnsley on Sept. 19 because of foot, ankle and hip injuries but has appeared as a substitute in their last four matches.

He said he was looking forward to the special "vibe" of a derby against the Gunners and added: "My injury is much better.

"I played 45 minutes in the last game [against Crystal Palace], so it is good. Of course, I want to be playing and adding my value, but right now I am very optimistic and feel good.

"For us every game is important but we know there is some extra vibe the for this kind of game -- it's very important for us.

"Also, like the fans, we have the same goal, we want to achieve something as a club and any team that we play we want to beat, we want to win.

"That is the same with this game -- we are aware of the importance of this derby."

Spurs are unbeaten in their six league meetings with Arsenal under Mauricio Pochettino, and Dembele said: "We work with him every day and you can see the way we play, how fit we are, how positive we try to play.

"From the outside, you can see the mentality of the team and this is the vibe that we get every day from the coach."

Spurs are confident that Dele Alli (hamstring), Harry Kane (knee), Harry Winks (ankle) and Jan Vertonghen (ankle) will be fully fit.

Toby Alderweireld (hamstring) and Hugo Lloris (groin) remain doubts.

Victor Wanyama (knee) has stepped up training during the international break as he closes in on a return from a knee injury, but the game is likely to come too soon for him.