Antonio Conte has confirmed Harry Kane will be fit to face Burnley on Wednesday despite suffering a minor knock against Manchester City on Saturday.
Kane starred at the Etihad Stadium, scoring a brace that included a 95th-minute winner in a dramatic 3-2 triumph over the Premier League leaders.
Victory in Manchester meant Spurs' last three top-flight wins have come courtesy of 90th-minute goals (1-0 v Watford, 3-2 v Leicester City, 3-2 v Man City), as Conte's side continue their top-four pursuit.
But there were suggestions that Kane's heroics came at a cost, with the forward reportedly nursing a back problem.
However, ahead of the trip to Burnley, Conte insisted his talisman will be available for selection at Turf Moor.
When asked on Tuesday if Kane was a doubt, the Spurs head coach responded: "No. He had a hit in his back, but he has to play! If he has one leg he has to play.
"Harry knows very well the importance he has on the squad with his personality, with his experience. But he is good.
"I am joking, I don't force a player if he is injured to play. I only say to tell you the importance of the player. He is good, he is ready."
Kane, who has won the Premier League's Golden Boot award on three occasions, has seven goals to his name after 22 top-flight appearances this season.
By his own high standards, those returns may be lower than expected, but Conte once again heaped praise on his striker, while also hailing the importance of Hugo Lloris.
"There is a sporting director in Italy that is my friend, Pantaleo Corvino, he says: 'You can make mistake about your wife but not about the striker'," Conte added.
"For me that is the best quote that I understand in football, no? You can make a mistake about your wife but not mistakes about your striker.
"To build a team. We are talking about two good players, two important players for us [Lloris and Kane], also the players with more experience.
"I continue to say that to have a competitive team it's important also to match experienced players with young players because when you have players with experience, the young players learn a lot.
"We are lucky because in our team we have these two players that for sure are top, top players."
Spurs are seven points behind fourth-placed Manchester United, who are in the final Champions League qualification spot, but Conte's side do boast three games in hand.
They will look to cut that gap to four at Burnley, though the former Inter head boss is expecting a difficult task.
"My point of view maybe it's the worst period to play against them because in the last period they have had fantastic results and played a good game," he added.
"They drew with Manchester United, and away at Arsenal, and they beat Brighton 3-0.
"They lost only 1-0 against Liverpool, but the game was in the balance. For sure, for us they will be a really tough team, we have to know this.
"It's never easy to play against Burnley and they have a good manager [Sean Dyche] that is showing in these years that his managing is very, very good and maybe he could deserve something more.
"I appreciate his job and what he's doing with Burnley. Remember one month ago many people said Burnley were relegated, but I'm sure they can save this season and I think Burnley are doing a fantastic job."
Kane inspired by Messi and Ronaldo as England enter new era
Harry Kane is drawing inspiration from the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as he prepares to lead England into a new era.
Kane has captained England to two European Championship finals only to finish on the losing side on both occasions, versus Italy in a penalty shoot-out at Euro 2020 and against Spain earlier this year.
The Bayern Munich striker failed to hit top form at Euro 2024 in Germany and was substituted early in both the final and in a 2-1 semi-final victory over the Netherlands.
Kane scored twice from open play at the tournament – in a group-stage draw with Denmark and an extra-time victory over Slovakia in the last 16 – but was criticised for a series of lethargic displays.
However, the 31-year-old remains committed to the Three Lions as they enter the post-Gareth Southgate era and hopes to continue representing his country for many more years.
"It's tough whenever you get so close to reaching one of the pinnacles of your career and it's taken away," Kane told BBC Radio 5 Live.
"It makes me even more motivated. It puts the fire in the belly to try and get there. Our task is to get better.
"I think when you look at players like Ronaldo, [Luka] Modric and Messi, all these players who are playing in their mid to late 30s, that's the inspiration for me because it shows that you can really play at a high level for a long time.
"I want to play football for as long as possible and at the highest level for as long as possible. I use those players for motivation and inspiration to be able to do that.
"I feel I am in a really good place both mentally and physically to have another great season, hopefully that continues for many years to come."
England face the Republic of Ireland in their first game since Southgate's departure on Saturday, with former under-21 boss Lee Carsley in interim charge.
Kane admits it was strange to return to the Three Lions camp without their long-serving former boss, under whom he netted 61 goals, the most ever scored by any England player under a single manager.
"It felt a little bit strange when we first came into camp," Kane said. "The boss has his own ideas and identity.
"We did a lot of good things with Gareth but ultimately the new coach has fresh ideas. It's been good. There are a lot of young players excited to be here and express themselves."
Kompany grateful for Bayern experience after Muller's record-breaking heroics
Vincent Kompany lauded the influence of Thomas Muller after the Bayern Munich forward capped his record-breaking outing with a goal against Freiburg.
Muller made his 710th appearance across all competitions for Bayern, coming off the bench to overtake the record for the most outings for the club, set by goalkeeper Sepp Maier, who retired in 1979.
The Germany veteran marked the milestone in style, scoring to seal a 2-0 victory for Bayern after Harry Kane was also on target with a penalty on Sunday.
Muller made his Bayern debut back in 2008 when Kompany appeared in his final club appearance in Germany, before the Belgian boss left Hamburg to join Manchester City.
Their careers have now met once again, with Kompany moving to the touchline, and the Bayern head coach is delighted to have reunited with Muller in a bizarre twist of fate.
"Outstanding. I witnessed his first game. I was there with Hamburg on this pitch. 710 games later, it's unbelievable," Kompany said.
"He gave 100% in 710 games, but not only in the games, but also in training. That's what makes Thomas so special.
"There are a few more games that he can still play and we are definitely pleased that he's got a few more in his locker and the fact that he can keep going like this, it's so important for us."
Muller has now found the net in a joint-record 16 successive German top-flight seasons, matching Holger Fach, Mats Hummels, Bernd Nickel, Olaf Thon and Michael Zorc.
His 150th Bundesliga goal on Sunday, sweeping home from Serge Gnabry's cross, marked the perfect end to a special day for the 34-year-old.
As for Bayern overall, Kompany said his side's performance dipped after the break, but luckily he has players like Muller he can call upon when the need arises.
"Very positive first half, and then in the second half we were just one step later than Freiburg on second balls, and we lost a little bit of the momentum," he said.
"But then I have to say that we're very fortunate to have very good players that can come on and make the difference, and Thomas Muller came on, Kingsley Coman too, and the players from the bench were very important for us to win this game.
"Positives and things to learn and we also got to celebrate a fantastic moment for Thomas Muller and that was important as well for us today."
Real Madrid 2-0 Real Betis: Mbappe off the mark in LaLiga with double
Kylian Mbappe's second-half brace powered Real Madrid to a hard-fought 2-0 win over Real Betis in Sunday's LaLiga clash.
Madrid controlled possession but struggled against a well-organised Betis defence until they finally managed to break the deadlock in the 67th minute.
Mbappe struck his first goal in LaLiga with a close-range effort from a brilliant back-heel pass by midfielder Federico Valverde, and the forward would soon add to his account shortly after.
The France captain secured all three points eight minutes later from the penalty spot after Vinicius Junior was fouled inside the box by goalkeeper Rui Silva.
Madrid moved to second in the standings with eight points, four behind leaders Barcelona, while Betis are 17th on two.
Data Debrief: Mbappe's wait proves worthwhile
The expectations remain high on Mbappe following his headline move from Paris Saint-Germain to the Spanish capital this season, with the France forward failing to score in his first three league games.
Heading into this fixture, Mbappe had attempted the most shots this season (17) across Europe's top five leagues, and had the worst difference between expected goals (1.8 xG) and goals scored (none).
Yet the World Cup-winning forward quietened his doubters here, firing nine shots across a one-man attempt to break down Betis.
That paid dividends, however, with his two clinical finishes securing a much-needed victory, and moving Madrid to 26 home games in LaLiga unbeaten (W22 D4), their best run in 11 years (34 between January 2012 and September 2013).
Away from Mbappe, at the back, Madrid have also not conceded in their last five LaLiga games at home for the first time in the competition since October 1996.
Mbappe, coupled with Carlo Ancelotti's well-drilled defence, could be the difference for back-to-back LaLiga crowns by the end of the campaign.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
