Football news – ‘It will be tough’ – Pochettino delivers stadium blow

Tottenham announced on Thursday that their north London derby against Arsenal on March 2 would be played at Wembley as the finishing touches are applied to their 62,000-seater home.

A statement said the club are undergoing “remedial works on the safety systems” before they could move forward to the final stages of testing, leaving the door open to the possibility that Spurs could play their remaining home games at Wembley this season.

And Tottenham boss Pochettino admitted in his Friday press conference that it could prove tough to move into the new stadium before season’s end.

"My wish is to play at the new stadium before the end of the season," the Spurs manager said.

"We'll see if you can trust more in my gut or the [club's] capacity to finish the stadium before the end of the season."

Pochettino added Spurs striker Harry Kane, who injured his ankle last month, was making progress but would not return in time for Sunday's game or the Champions League last-16 first leg against Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday.

"He's nearly ready to play, but we need to be realistic too. I think he's so close to come back again, not for Sunday and not for Wednesday, but we'll see after," Pochettino said.

With additional reporting from agencies