Dele Alli Expected to Return from Injury for North London Derby vs. Arsenal

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Dele Alli is expected to return from injury and make his first Premier League appearance of the season on Sunday against Arsenal in the north London derby.

According to Sam Wallace at the Daily Telegraph, Spurs believe the 23-year-old will be fit for the clash at the Emirates Stadium after recovering from a hamstring injury picked up in pre-season.

Alli could also be named in Gareth Southgate's England squad for the Three Lions' UEFA 2020 European Championship qualifiers against Bulgaria and Kosovo in September, per the report.

Tottenham confirmed that Alli returned to training ahead of Sunday's 1-0 defeat to Newcastle United:

However, the 23-year-old was not risked against the Magpies as Spurs suffered their first defeat of the Premier League season.

Their surprise loss to Steve Bruce's side means that the club have managed just one win from their three Premier League games against Aston Villa, Manchester City and Newcastle.

The return of Alli to the squad will be a boost to the club ahead of an important game against their fierce rivals, particularly as Pochettino has said he does not know if Christian Eriksen will play for the club again:

The Denmark international wants to move to Real Madrid or Barcelona before the close of the transfer window on September 2, per Mark Ogden at ESPN FC.

Spurs struggled to break down a well-organised Newcastle team and will need to improve as an attacking force if they are to take anything against Arsenal.

The return of Alli would help freshen up Pochettino's side and add more of an attacking threat from midfield. The England international did not have his best campaign in 2018-19 but still contributed seven goals for Spurs in all competitions.

He was on target for Spurs in their 2-0 win over Arsenal in the quarter-finals of the League Cup. The midfielder was also hit on the head by a plastic bottle thrown from the crowd during the match:

Meanwhile, Arsenal also head into the game on the back of a defeat. The Gunners lost 3-1 to Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday, and manager Unai Emery has called on his team to show their "big mentality" against Spurs, per the Mirror's Matt Maltby.