LONDON -- Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino is hopeful that striker Harry Kane will be fit for the match at Swansea on Jan. 2 after missing training because of illness.
Kane is aiming to become the first player in Premier League history to score three consecutive hat tricks after finishing 2017 with trebles against Burnley and Southampton, but missed training on Friday.
"He's ill. He's cold, like me!" Pochettino told a news conference. "He's at home and the doctor was there at his house.
"We'll see if he can be here at training tomorrow [Saturday]. It's not a big issue. I don't know if he will be available or not. We'll see how he reacts to the treatment."
Meanwhile, midfielder Mousa Dembele is also a doubt after coming off against Southampton on Boxing Day with hip and groin pains, but Victor Wanyama is expected to be in the squad for the first time since August.
Dembele was sidelined for a month from late September with foot and hip injuries, missing seven games.
The Belgium international was withdrawn in the 55th minute of the Southampton game and Pochettino said: "Now we're assessing him. Today he's not training with the group. He's another doubt for Tuesday."
Meanwhile, the Spurs manager hailed Dele Alli's return to form after the England midfielder finished with two assists against both Burnley and Southampton and scored against the Saints.
He said Alli had been a victim of high expectations after winning the PFA Young Player of the Year award in the last two seasons but added: "He was good in the last few games. He starts to improve, and we start to recognise the player who achieved all in last two seasons.
"For me, there's no doubt about his quality and potential. It's only because he's young, he needs to breathe sometimes, take some time to again perform in the same way.
"From day one, when he started to play here at Tottenham and achieve all he has achieved, not one other young player of his age -- not Cristiano Ronaldo, not [Frank] Lampard, not [Wayne] Rooney ... massive players, great players -- he achieved more than all those big names.
"The problem is the expectation. We expect from him in every touch, every action, unbelievable things. Sometimes it's not possible."
Asked about his favourite moment of 2017, Pochettino named Spurs' 2-1 win over Manchester United in the last-ever match at their old White Hart Lane home, which was followed by a farewell ceremony featuring 48 club legends.
"To finish unbeaten [at home] in a season, to say goodbye to White Hart Lane, was such an emotional day," he said.