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LONDON -- Mauricio Pochettino says he will rotate his squad for Sunday's FA Cup third-round clash with Leicester City, but refused to confirm if Harry Kane will continue up front. Spurs host the Foxes in the first of a double-header at White Hart Lane, with a high-stakes Premier League match to follow on Wednesday. Leicester coach Claudio Ranieri has revealed he will rotate his squad for Sunday's match, with Premier League joint-top scorer Jamie Vardy definitely ruled out after groin surgery. Pochettino, too, hinted that he will hand opportunities to his fringe players, with the likes of Michel Vorm, Nacer Chadli, Nabil Bentaleb, Kevin Wimmer, Danny Rose, Kieran Trippier and Son Heung-Min possible starters. The Argentine, however, refused to reveal if Kane, who has started every Premier League game so far this season, would be given a rest. "It's not a distraction [the FA Cup]. It's the oldest competition in the world and we respect it a lot," Pochettino told a news conference. "We have a strong squad but we have come off a very busy period of Christmas. It's a good opportunity for some players that haven't played regularly in the Premier League to show their quality and fight for their place. "It's not about resting players. After Christmas, it's very tough for the players. Some players believe they are fresh but it's not true. We need to be clever in our decisions. We need to analyse and we work hard every day to decide which players are fresh and want to play every game. "All the players have a desire to play every game. But it's our decision whether or not to pick them. Harry is in a very good condition. He's fresh, mentally and physically, and we are happy with the way he is. "It's true that after every game we analyse every player and try to make a good decision for every player and the team, to ensure they are able to compete." Pochettino will again be without injured trio Ryan Mason, Mousa Dembele and Alex Pritchard on Sunday but said there were no fresh injury concerns. Reports this week suggested Pritchard is back in training and could be available for the league match against Sunderland next weekend. The winger injured his ankle on England under-21 duty in the summer and underwent surgery in October, but Pochettino insisted Spurs were being cautious with the 22-year-old. "You need to understand that after six months injured, to catch up with the rest of the team is very difficult," he said. "One thing is to be available, to train with the group, another thing is to compete. "He's starting training with the team, which is good for his mood because he had a long-term injury and it was a difficult period. We need to take it step-by-step, his fitness."
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