Dele Alli

Dele Alli will miss Spurs' next 3 European matches with suspension

Published Mar. 24, 2017 2:31 p.m. ET

Alex Dowd

Dele Alli will miss Tottenham's next three European matches after UEFA handed the Spurs midfielder a suspension on Friday. Alli was banned three matches after being sent off with a straight red card in Spurs' 2-2 draw against Gent in the Europa League.

The 2-2 draw saw Tottenham tumble out of Europe with a 3-2 aggregate loss to the Belgian side, meaning Alli's suspension would kick in next season. There are a number of scenarios where Tottenham could find themselves without the 20-year-old midfielder.

Given Tottenham's current Premier League position (in second place), the most likely scenario would see Alli out for three matches in the Champions League group stage. That's half of the group stage, which is quite significant.

Should Spurs slip to fourth place in the EPL, which is entirely possible given there is just a three-point difference between fourth and second at the moment, he'd miss the two qualifying playoff matches and potentially one group stage match.

The suspension applies beyond the Champions League, too. It's hard to see Tottenham not making at least the Europa League next season, where the ban would see him missing three group stage matches.

It's difficult to know exactly which matches Alli will miss and how significant his absence will be. What we do know is that he's bound to miss some kind of action in Europe next season (or beyond, if Tottenham inexplicably don't qualify). Given his form this year, it's a safe bet that Spurs would much rather he be on the pitch rather than in the stands.

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Dele Alli

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