Alli, 22, missed Saturday’s 3-2 win at Wolves as he recovers from a hamstring injury, but trained on Monday. Dembele (ankle) joins injured absentees Eric Dier, Jan Vertonghen, Danny Rose and suspended goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.
Tottenham could have Dele Alli back for their key Champions League game against PSV Eindhoven, but will be without fellow midfielder Mousa Dembele.
Spurs have one point from three games and will be eliminated if they lose on Tuesday and Inter Milan beat Barcelona. Spanish side Barca top the group on nine points, three ahead of second-placed Inter Milan of Italy. PSV’s only point comes courtesy of the draw with Spurs in the Netherlands on 24 October.
A must-win game
Should Tottenham lose and Inter win on Tuesday it would be the second time in three years that the north London club have been knocked out of the Champions League in the group stage.
After failing to get past the group stage two seasons ago, they appeared to announce their arrival on the European stage with an impressive group victory over Real Madrid last term. Spurs were eventually knocked out by Juventus in the last 16, but their run was seen by many as a potential springboard for future success.
However, defeats to Inter and Barcelona were the worst possible start for Tottenham this season, with a late PSV equaliser in the draw in Eindhoven leaving the Premier League side in even deeper trouble.
Their European woes are in contrast to their domestic form, where they have made their best start to a Premier League season – sitting in fourth place after Saturday’s 3-2 win at Wolves. Pochettino insists it will not be embarrassing if Tottenham are knocked out. “When you compete at that level against Inter Milan or PSV, of course Barcelona, it is not easy to go to the next stage of the Champions League and qualify,” he said.
“When you are competitive at that level, if you are not good enough, if you are not clinical, or defend poorly like in the last minute in the Inter Milan game… If you don’t deserve to go, it’s disappointing but not embarrassing.
“We need to do our job. We want to be in the next stage – it’s not only that we need the help of Barcelona winning the game; we need to do our job and we need to perform as well.
“I think it’s a great opportunity to get the three points and to have the hope to go to the next stage – and then we have Inter Milan here and play the last game in Barcelona. Maybe if they win it can help us, but we are the most important thing.”
‘A must-win for both sides’
PSV have been unstoppable in their domestic league so far this season, with Mark van Bommel’s side having won all 11 of their Eredivisie games to sit five points clear at the summit. They have scored 39 goals and conceded only four.
“It won’t be an easy game, it is a must-win for Spurs but if we want to do something as well we have to win as well. Both teams will want to win, so let’s enjoy,” said Van Bommel.
“I played here with Holland against England, we won, that’s a very good memory. It’s the history of football so everybody loves to play at Wembley.”
Hirving Lozano, who scored the Dutch side’s equaliser against Spurs in Eindhoven, remains the man to watch.
The Mexican has scored nine goals in 16 games so far this term. PSV also welcome back fit-again winger Steven Bergwijn, who missed the reverse fixture.
‘Spurs have 15% chance of progressing’
Simon Gleave, head of sports analysis, Gracenote:
Despite only managing a single point from their first three matches, Tottenham Hotspur still have a slim chance of making it into the knockout phase of the Champions League. The Euro Club Index estimates the chance of progress for Spurs at around 15%.
Victory against PSV this week is absolutely crucial though and has the added bonus of making a consolation Europa League place highly likely after Christmas. Group B is one of only two CL groups, along with Liverpool’s, containing three of Europe’s current top-20 teams.
Match stats
Head to head
- Spurs last hosted PSV in a European match in March 2008 at White Hart Lane in the UEFA Cup – they lost 0-1 to a goal from Jefferson Farfan.
- PSV’s 1-0 away win over Spurs in the 2007-08 UEFA Cup is their last away win in England – they’ve lost to Liverpool (1-3 in October 2008) and drawn with Manchester United (0-0 in November 2015) since then.
Tottenham
- Spurs are winless in five Champions League matches (D2 L3) – their longest ever winless run in major European competition.
- Three of the five English sides to achieve just one point or fewer from their opening three Champions League group stage games went on to qualify for the next round – Newcastle United in 2002-03, Arsenal in 2003-04 and Liverpool in 2007-08.
- Spurs striker Harry Kane has the best goals per game ratio of any player in Champions League history to play at least 10 matches in the competition (0.85 – 11 goals in 13 matches).
- None of Spurs’ 10 home Champions League group stage matches have ended as draws – they’ve won seven and lost three.
PSV
- PSV have won none of their last 11 Champions League matches (D5 L6) since winning 2-1 against CSKA Moscow in December 2015.
- Only Red Star Belgrade (75) have faced more shots in this season’s Champions League than PSV (69), with the Dutch side facing at least 20 in each of their three matches.
- PSV are the first Dutch club side to appear at Wembley since June 1971, when Ajax won 2-0 against Panathinaikos in that season’s European Cup final.
- Should PSV win, Spurs could become the second English team that the Dutch side have beaten more than once in away European games – they’ve also beaten Leeds United twice.
Source: BBC News
