APOEL vs Tottenham: Injury list 'no excuse' for Mauricio Pochettino as Spurs face vital Champions League test

Tom Collomosse26 September 2017

Tottenham will be without several key players for the meeting against APOEL as Mauricio Pochettino claimed the match could decide his team’s Champions League future.

Christian Eriksen is the latest name on the list of absentees after he stayed in London due to illness.

Eriksen joins Mousa Dembele (ankle) and Jan Vertonghen and Dele Alli (both suspended) on the sidelines, while Victor Wanyama (knee) is also unavailable along with Danny Rose and Erik Lamela, who are long-term concerns.

Eriksen has been in fine form at the start of the campaign and does not have a direct replacement within the squad, while Dembele is the best midfielder at the club, but manager Pochettino insisted: “We are here to try to win and it is no excuse that we have some players out of the squad.

“I don’t cry because some players cannot play. Eriksen has stayed in London because he is ill but all we can do is trust the player in his position to play and perform. It is about collective effort and we have a very strong squad for tomorrow.

“You always miss players who are injured and ill as you want to have everyone available so it is a bit of a shame, but it is important to deal with it in the best way to allow us to win here.”

Pochettino also hinted that homegrown midfielder Harry Winks may be given a starting place, with so many absent in his position.

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Winks was also named in the XI for a crucial Champions League game last season, the 2-1 defeat at Monaco in November that saw Spurs knocked out of the competition.

The Argentine will hope for a better outcome from a fixture that could shape Tottenham’s campaign. If both Spurs and Real Madrid win this week, they would have six points, with the other sides in the group, APOEL and Borussia Dortmund, still to get off the mark.

Tottenham face holders Madrid at the Bernabeu on October 17, with the return fixture at Wembley on November 1. Pochettino added: “We did well to beat Borussia Dortmund but it is key to win tomorrow. For our future in the tournament it is so important to get three points.”