Cristian Romero will miss Tottenham’s Europa League opener against Qarabag FK due to UEFA rule

Tottenham Hotspur announced their Europa League squad for group stages earlier this week.

Due to Wednesday’s deadline and to comply with the strict guidelines on squad numbers, unlike the Premier League, the North London club faced a challenge in picking their squad for the Europa League group stages. They were forced to omit Djed Spence and Sergio Reguilon and announce only a 23-man squad for the European competition.

Spurs’ European adventure begins against Qarabag FK at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on September 26. However, according to a report from Football London, Tottenham will be without the services of experienced defender Cristian Romero for the visit of Qarabag FK.

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This is due to the 2022 World Cup winner picking up a red card two seasons ago when Tottenham were last in Europe. Cristian Romero was sent off for two bookable offences during Tottenham’s round of 16 tie against AC Milan two seasons ago. The centre-back was first cautioned in the 17th minute, followed by a second yellow card in the 77th minute, resulting in his dismissal.

The aforementioned report adds UEFA regulations state that carry over to future tournaments, so while Spurs didn’t participate in a European competition last season, Romero must serve his ban in the forthcoming Europa League fixture against the Azerbaijan side as the sanction is ‘still alive’.

Romero has been one of the first names on Big Ange’s teamsheet, making his absence against Qarabag a massive blow. A leader and fantastic organiser, the Argentinean is Spurs’ best defender and his presence on the pitch makes a huge difference.

With Micky van de Ven missing the trip to Newcastle United due to not being 100 per cent fit, Big Ange will be hoping for no further defensive injuries ahead of the gruelling schedule after the ongoing international break concludes.

The Greek-Aussie tactician has Radu Dragusin as his third natural centre-back option in the squad, and going by his first outing of the season in the 2-1 defeat to Newcastle, the Romania international can be relied upon in the upcoming domestic cup competition and European adventure. In Romero’s absence, Dragusin is expected to step into the starting XI against Qarabag later this month.

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With a taxing schedule set to follow post-international break, our gaffer must manage his squad sensibly in the weeks and months ahead.