Van der Vaart eyes derby return

Tottenham forward Rafael van der Vaart is confident he is winning his race to be fit for this weekend's north London derby at Arsenal.

Van der Vaart has missed Spurs' last three games since hobbling off with a calf injury during the 3-1 win over Wigan last month. The Dutchman, who has scored nine goals for his club this season, will return to full training on Wednesday, however, and hopes to be involved in Sunday's Barclays Premier League game at the Emirates Stadium.

Van der Vaart told his official website: "I'm recovering well from my injury. I expect to be joining the team training next Wednesday after which I will start to focus on the match against Arsenal. I'll be happy to play Arsenal. I can't wait."

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