Tottenham manager Thomas Frank is being made to sweat over the fitness of one Spurs star ahead of their vital North London derby clash with Arsenal.
Frank's side are desperately seeking to end their dismal run against Arsenal and salvage pride in one of English football's most intense rivalries.
Tottenham have lost seven of the last nine North London derbies, and it's been 14 years since the Lilywhites last won away to Arsenal in the Premier League. These shocking statistics hang heavy over Frank, who's faced criticism for Spurs' lack of creativity in open play this season.
Spurs are also faced with the mountainous task of breaking down a water-tight Arsenal backline which boasts the most superior defensive record in Europe's top five leagues.
Mikel Arteta's title chasers went on an historic eight-game run without conceding a single goal before their 2-2 draw with Sunderland, so you could hardly ask for a worse time to come up against Arsenal, who also splashed nearly £270 million on a plethora of new stars in the summer transfer window.
In 65 league visits to Arsenal, Spurs have won only twice, with their rivals triumphing 26 times. Even more concerning, Tottenham have failed to keep a clean sheet in a staggering 25 consecutive Premier League games away to the Gunners, a record that stretches back over a decade, and Arsenal have won 84 matches in the all-time head-to-head compared to Spurs' 61.
Make no mistake, Arsenal dominate the derby, but there's real encouragement to be found in Spurs' overall away record this season.
An excellent run of four wins, one draw and zero defeats outside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has catapulted them to top of the away form table with an average of 2.60 points per game, though Frank will be hoping as many players as possible will be back in contention after a mini-injury crisis.
No other top-flight has more men out of action right now, with as many as 11 sidelined.
Star winger Mohammed Kudus missed Spurs' 2-2 draw with Man United and their 4-0 win over Copenhagen with a knock, with the Ghanaian also not called up for his national team's friendlies against Japan and South Korea. Meanwhile, striker Dominic Solanke is "unlikely" to feature against Arsenal amid his slow recovery from what was once deemed a 'minor' ankle problem.
It remains to be seen how long Randal Kolo Muani will be out for too, after he fractured his jaw against United.
Frank sweating over Lucas Bergvall ahead of North London derby after injury setback
There is also the matter of young midfielder Lucas Bergvall, who's been missing since their 1-0 defeat to Chelsea due to a concussion.
The 19-year-old was sent home from international duty earlier this week after initially being included in Graham Potter's first ever Sweden squad, with national team official Stefan Pettersson now revealing he was withdrawn due to a 'setback during training’.
Pettersson, speaking to the media, says they didn't hesitate sending Bergvall back to N17 after a "reaction" to testing.
"Lucas was of course very disappointed,” he said.
“We had agreed with Tottenham’s doctor to do some tests during the week and then drive at full speed so that Lucas would feel it properly. When there was a reaction, there was no hesitation. We don’t want to take any risks.”
The teenager has been a revelation ever since arriving at Tottenham in an £8.5 million deal from Djurgardens.
Bergvall's managed 60 total appearances for the club already, enjoying a fantastic September with successive Player of the Match awards and his first Premier League goal for the club against West Ham.
Frank's preferred midfield partnership of Rodrigo Bentancur and Joao Palhinha has largely kept Bergvall out of the starting eleven recently, but the tactician will be hoping that he can upon his fellow Scandinavian from the bench for their all-important clash on enemy turf.