Tottenham may be without key defender in Juventus clash

After a hard fought first leg draw, Tottenham could be heading into their clash with Juventus a man down.

Tottenham left Turin with a draw and two away goals in their first leg match against Juventus in the Champions League. The Italians scored two early goals but were unable to stop the Spurs comeback. Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen both scored for Tottenham, and the team took a deserved result back to Wembley, where they await Juventus for the second leg match up.

The only problem is that Spurs will likely be without defender Toby Alderweireld again. The Belgian missed the first leg, with the second leg in doubt due to a hamstring injury. This is a big problem for Tottenham, as their main priority for this match should be keeping Juventus off the board.

Luckily, Mauricio Pochettino has a few options at the back that are more than capable of holding the line. The other Belgian in their defense, Jan Vertonghen, will be leading the line against the Italian giants. His partner will probably be Davinson Sanchez, as the two played together in the first leg.

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The absence of Alderweireld will also mean Spurs youngster Juan Foyth could see time in the Champions League. The 20 year old Argentine already played 90 minutes against APOEL in the group stage round of the competition. This means Pochettino could call upon Foyth late in the game if Tottenham find themselves against the wall.

Overall, though, Spurs should be able to survive without the talents of Alderweireld on the field. They have more than enough defensive cover with Eric Dier and Mousa Dembele in the midfield, just ahead of the vastly experienced Jan Vertonghen. With Hugo Lloris between the sticks, it would be harsh to say Tottenham are at a severe disadvantage.

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Spurs also have enough attacking quality that they will trouble Juventus multiple times throughout the match. They may be a man short, but with Harry Kane being set up by Eriksen and Son Heung-Min, Tottenham should feel very confident in their abilities to move on to the next round. Pochettino will still need to be at his best tactically, but Alderweireld missing from the game should not bother him too much.