Ahead of Leicester City's second trip to White Hart Lane in a matter of days, Claudio Ranieri has revealed he is remaining hopeful of a return for striker Jamie Vardy.
Having suffered a minor groin problem over the New Year that kept him out of the Midlander's 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur in the third round of the FA Cup, the English forward looks set to return to action according to his manager.
'Tomorrow I will check on him'
Previously suggesting that the former Fleetwood Town hitman had a "50/50" chance of returning for the Foxes, the Italian now seems far more optimistic; saying he "thinks" he will make an appearance against Mauricio Pochettino's Lilywhites.
Talking to the club's official website in his pre-match press conference on Monday afternoon, the ex-Inter Milan boss stated that Vardy (who has already scored an outstanding 15 league goals) is "much better" following a small operation.
Implying that the 29-year-old had been suffering from his groin injury "for a month and a half", Ranieri seemed increasingly confident about throwing the speedy striker's name into the mix for the mouth-watering Premier League clash. Highlighting the fact that "he warmed up with the team" in training on Monday, the experienced managed appeared content with the former non-league striker's progress.
However, the Italian also eluded to the fact that Vardy may need more time. Informing the assembled media that he'll "see if he's ready on Wednesday", it still appeared to be slightly touch-and-go in regards to the English international's return to action.
'Spurs are very strong'
For the match in mid-week, the Foxes ironically travel to North London and White Hart Lane yet again after only being there a few days ago. As is expected, Ranieri is anticipating another tough test for his high-flyers, with or without his main forward.
Labelling the current crop of Tottenham Hotspur players as a "good team" who are "now ready to fight for the top four", the former Chelsea boss made no secret of his admiration for Pochettino's men.
Also stating that he believes that it will be a "completely different" prospect to their encapsulating cup stalemate at the weekend, the popular 64-year-old has made it clear that it will be no easier for his men to leave the capital with a positive result (regardless of the two teams' recent meeting).