London: Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Mousa Dembele is confident he can make his first Premier League start for the club in two months in the weekend’s clash at Arsenal after fully recovering from a foot injury.

Dembele, whose progress has also been stalled by a hip issue, has featured just six times in the Premier League this season and played the full 45 minutes after coming on at half time in the 1-0 win over Crystal Palace earlier this month.

The Belgian international is targeting a full time return to first team action.

“My injury is much better,” Dembele told Sky Sports. “I played 45 minutes in the last game so it is good. Of course, I want to be playing for the team and adding my value but right now I am very optimistic and feel good.

“For us every game is important but we know there is some extra vibe the for this kind of game, it’s important for us.” Tottenham are third in the table, eight points behind runaway leaders Manchester City, and Dembele stressed the importance of a win on Saturday.

“Also, like the fans, we have the same goal, we want to achieve something as a club and any team that we play we want to beat, we want to win,” he said.

“That is the same with this game, we are aware of the importance of this derby.”

Arsenal, who were beaten 3-1 at City in their last league outing, are sixth in the standings with 19 points from 11 games.

Meanwhile, Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy says new manager Claude Puel has been able to get the club back on track without making huge changes and that the Frenchman plans only to make small adjustments that will help them improve.

Puel joined Leicester late last month and has helped the 2015/16 champions climb out of the relegation zone and into 12th spot on the back of a win and a draw in the two league games he has taken charge of so far.

“It has been good,” the England international was quoted as saying by the Leicester Mercury. “He hasn’t changed too much but he has said he wants to change a few things, coming up in the future… but he says they will only be little things.

“They are things he says will make us better, so we are looking forward to it.

“The new manager has come in and four points from two games is a good start.”

The 30-year-old also backed former teammate Danny Drinkwater to be given another chance to earn a spot in the England squad ahead of next year’s World Cup. The Chelsea midfielder declined a call-up for friendlies against Germany and Brazil due to a lack of match fitness.

“If he is playing the best he can, then why not?” Vardy told British media. “He should be in with a shot, but it is down to him to make sure he puts the performances in there.

“I think he definitely wants to play for his country, but… he was injured and he needs to get the match sharpness back. He has been doing that in recent weeks for Chelsea and he needs to keep building that up.”

Leicester host league leaders Manchester City on Saturday.

City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne said the table-toppers can be defeated.

After 11 matches in EPL, the Manchester club are unbeaten, winning 10 matches and drawing one.

“You have so many games and too many important games,” the Belgian international said.

“The power of the Premier League means every team has a lot of money and every team has a lot of quality players. So I think one day or another you will face a team who find a system to beat you or they have a better day,” De Bruyne added.

The 26-year-old also said Manchester City were playing positive football this season and they want to continue in the same manner.

“Everybody is in the same spirit. We want to play the football that we play,” De Bruyne added.