Tottenham Hotspur will be without winger Dejan Kulusevski for tonight's Champions League clash against Eintracht Frankfurt, despite his return to training.

The Lowdown: Spurs set for big evening...

The Premier League top four contenders are set for a huge evening in north London as their bout against tonight's opponents could very well determine their progress into the last 16.

Group D is shaping up to be one of the more dramatic of the early phases with just three points separating top spot and bottom out of Sporting, Spurs, Frankfurt and Marseille.

Amid very closely fought standings, Antonio Conte's side could take one huge step to qualification with a win against the Europa League champions and if results elsewhere favour them.

The Latest: Tottenham without Kulusevski...

Despite the importance of this game, Spurs and Conte don't appear willing to play Kulusevski, who apparently has a '5%' risk of injury if he features at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

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Conte said, when asked if Kulusevski will play (via the BBC):

"He's almost ready. He had an MRI scan and that was positive.

"I spoke to the doctors and they said we could have 5% of risk if he played.

"It would be stupid to take the risk and lose him for the rest of the games and I don't want to take any risk as he's an important player."

The Verdict: Big miss...

Conte not willing to play the Sweden international out of caution is understandable, but he will be a big miss for Tottenham.

Called a 'monster' by reporter Sachin Nakrani of The Guardian, Kulusevski has bagged an impressive 11 assists and six goals to boot since joining from Juventus in a loan-to-buy deal.

It's hardly surprising Spurs are reportedly set to sign him permanently and, if he continues in this vain, the winger could be invaluable for years to come, with his link-up play between defence and attack absolutely crucial to Conte's system.