KEY POINTS

  • Duo back in contention for Premier League encounter after hamstring issues and illness respectively.
  • Aaron Mooy and Elias Kachunga are also expected to resume full training soon.
  • Abdelhamid Sabiri, Jon Gorenc Stankovic and Dean Whitehead all played for the Under-23s on Monday.

Huddersfield Town duo Chris Lowe and Philip Billing are back in contention for the weekend trip to Tottenham Hotspur, while Aaron Mooy and Elias Kachunga are also closing in on their respective returns from injury.

The Terriers - 'Beast from the East' and Storm Emma permitting - will return to Wembley Stadium for the first time since their Championship play-off final penalty shootout victory over Reading on Saturday [3 March] sitting 14th in the Premier League and three points above the relegation zone after boosting their survival hopes with successive wins over Bournemouth and West Bromwich Albion.

Huddersfield's chances of becoming the first team to beat in-form Tottenham in the top-flight in 2018 and gaining revenge for a heavy 4-0 defeat on home soil in September is set to be boosted by the recovery of left-back Lowe, who has missed the last three matches with a hamstring strain suffered in the FA Cup fourth-round replay against Birmingham City earlier this month.

Danish Under-21 international Billing, who missed three months earlier this season following ankle surgery, is also available having shaken off the illness that caused him to sit out that crucial 2-1 win at The Hawthorns last weekend.

Influential midfielder Mooy and striker Kachunga [both knee] will not feature against Tottenham, though both are expected back in training over the coming fortnight.

Winger Sean Scannell is still nursing a shoulder injury, but the trio of Abdelhamid Sabiri, Jon Gorenc Stankovic and Dean Whitehead all came through Monday's Under-23 victory over Birmingham at PPG Canalside unscathed.

"Aaron looks better, he is back on the grass with the fitness coaches and I expect him back in training with the group next week," head coach David Wagner told reporters when asked for an injury update at his pre-Spurs press conference on Thursday.

"Chris Lowe is back in training, Philip Billing is back after illness. Kachunga is back on the grass with the fitness coaches as well, I have hope that he is back not next week, the week after next week.

"Everybody else looks fine, we have some players who played in the second team on Monday, Sabiri, Stankovic and Dean Whitehead without any issues after the game. They are back in training as well, so it looks fine, better than a few weeks ago."

Tottenham, now back in the top four, go into the clash with Huddersfield that comes five days before the Champions League decider against Juventus unbeaten in their last 16 games across all competitions following a VAR-dominated 6-1 FA Cup fifth-round thrashing of third-tier Rochdale on Wednesday [1 March] evening.

Toby Alderweireld will remain absent for the hosts, but Mauricio Pochettino has stated that Belgian defensive colleague Jan Vertonghen could return from an ankle issue.

Philip Billing
Philip Billing missed Huddersfield's 2-1 win at West Brom last Saturday due to a bout of illness Clive Brunskill/Getty Images