Qarabag vs Tottenham Hotspur: Mauricio Pochettino to rest players ahead of key Chelsea clash

Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane could be among a raft of players rested for the Europa League visit to Qarabag FK, ahead of the crunch Premier League duel with Chelsea at White Hart Lane. Manager Maurico Pochetitino has selected a depleted squad for the 5,000-mile round trip to Azerbaijan for the club's fifth group match where victory would secure their place in the knock-out phase.

Danny Rose, Kyle Walker and Mousa Dembele have all been omitted from the traveling party, while injured trio Nacer Chadli, Erik Lamela and Nabil Bentaleb will remain in North London to continue their recovery. Youngsters Shayon Harrison, Josh Onomah, Harry Winks and Luke McGee could all feature, having been included in an experimental squad.

Kane, who has netted in each of his last five matches for Tottenham, has made the trip to Azerbaijan, but Pochettino has refused to confirm whether the England international will be involved from the start. The Argentine boss also suggested that Eric Dier and Dele Alli may be rested in the build up to the visit of Chelsea.

"We will see tomorrow if Kane plays,'' Pochettino said of the 22-year-old. "This is a problem we have had in the last few weeks, the international players play a lot; Kane, Alli, Walker, Dier. The competition is very tough and it's not easy to manage that. But always we try to assess and analyse to make the correct decision. It is a very important game, one that we need to win.

"For us, it is a very important game," the Tottenham boss added. "Some players who can play have again stayed in London, but all the important players available, who we believe can win the game tomorrow, are here. But it is not our right to win."

The game with Chelsea on Sunday 29 November gives Tottenham the chance to extend their lead over their London rivals in the Premier League to 13 points and their unbeaten record to 13 matches. Jose Mourinho claimed back-to-back wins for the first time since September after beating Maccabi Tel Aviv 4-0 in the Champions League, but the true test of their revival will come in the trip to North London.