---
title: "Tottenham Hotspur: Mourinho hit by huge blow as Dele Alli is ruled out of Arsenal clash"
canonical: "https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/tottenham-hotspur-mourinho-hit-by-huge-blow-as-dele-alli-is-ruled-out-of-arsenal-clash-opinion/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Thomas Ward"
section: "Opinion"
published: "2020-07-11T08:30:40Z"
modified: "2020-07-11T08:30:40Z"
---

# Tottenham Hotspur: Mourinho hit by huge blow as Dele Alli is ruled out of Arsenal clash

**Tottenham meet Arsenal in the first ever north London derby at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this weekend.**

Spurs will know they face an uphill battle to reach the top four and beating their arch rivals on Sunday would be a major step in the right direction.

However, they will have to face the Gunners without Dele Alli, who has been ruled out of the clash.

Speaking to a press conference before the game, [Jose Mourinho](https://twitter.com/jonathandveal83/status/1281563545658949632) revealed he has not recovered from a hamstring injury in time and will not take part.

The Portuguese has already suffered a setback, as [Eric Dier](https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/tottenham-hotspur-news/tottenham-eric-dier-suspended-confrontation-arsenal/) has been banned for four games, meaning he will miss the weekend fixture as a result, although this one will also sting.

Indeed, Mourinho has been hit by a huge blow, as [Alli](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/teams/tottenham-hotspur/top-scorers) is the club’s third-highest goalscorer this season.

\[freshpress-quiz id=”303369″\]

The 24-year-old, who moved to White Hart Lane for [£5m](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/31111200) from MK Dons, has [a solid record](https://www.transfermarkt.com/dele-alli/bilanzdetails/spieler/207929/gegner/11) against the Gunners, as he has scored 2 goals and supplied 2 assists in 9 previous derbies so far.

Alli had started strongly since the Premier League restart, as he was part of the side that thumped [West Ham](https://www.transfermarkt.com/dele-alli/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/207929/wettbewerb/GB1/saison/2019) 2-0 at home, after missing the draw with Manchester United due to suspension.

Spurs have only won one out of the [last four games](https://www.11v11.com/teams/tottenham-hotspur/tab/opposingTeams/opposition/Arsenal/) against Arsenal, with their most recent victory dating back to a League Cup win in [2018](https://www.11v11.com/teams/tottenham-hotspur/tab/opposingTeams/opposition/Arsenal/), which will give Mourinho cause for concern, as he needs to pick up as many points as possible to keep their realistic chances of [Champions League qualification](https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/11837839/dele-alli-banned-fined-video-coronavirus/) alive.

Mourinho may be forced to rely on Erik Lamela instead, which is unlikely to fill him with much confidence. Lamela has [struggled for consistency](https://www.football.london/tottenham-hotspur-fc/players/erik-lamela-tottenham-future-transfer-18165411) all season and is evidently a downgrade on [the Englishman](https://www.whoscored.com/Players/131519/Show/Dele-Alli), as he has received a lower [WhoScored](https://www.whoscored.com/Players/75830/Show/Erik-Lamela) rating for his performances so far.

***Tottenham fans, do you think Alli’s presence will be missed against Arsenal? Let us know down below!***