Tottenham v Fiorentina: Wounded Spurs ready for ´massive´ test, says Alli

Dele Alli wants Tottenham to put their FA Cup exit behind them quickly as they prepare to host Fiorentina in the Europa League on Thursday.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side suffered a surprise 1-0 fifth-round defeat to Crystal Palace at White Hart Lane on Sunday to end a run of seven straight victories in domestic competitions.

Spurs hold a slight advantage heading into the second leg of the last-32 tie with Fiorentina following last week’s 1-1 draw at the Artemio Franchi, but Paulo Sousa’s side boast an impressive record in away games against English sides, having only lost twice in 11 matches.

And Alli underlined the importance of a swift return to form as his side look to avenge the 3-1 aggregate defeat to Fiorentina at the same stage last season.

“Our mentality at the moment is to want to win every game and there is a lot of disappointment after that result [against Palace], but we have to pick ourselves up,” he told Spurs’ official website.

“We have to work hard in training now, push ahead and look forward to the next game. Fiorentina is a massive game. We want to get back into form and we want to win on Thursday.”

Fiorentina stretched their unbeaten run in all competitions to seven matches with a hard-fought 3-2 win against Atalanta on Sunday – a result which keeps them third in Serie A and just six points off the top.

Defender Manuel Pasqual has little doubt his side can create problems for the hosts at White Hart Lane if they can sustain the kind of attacking rhythm that has seen them score eight goals in three away games in Europe this season.

“We need to go there with the same enthusiasm, desire and spirit,” he said. “We need to show we want to go through, move the ball well and cause them problems, as we did at home.”

Spurs captain Hugo Lloris is battling to recover from a shoulder injury, but Jan Vertonghen, Clinton Njie (both knee) and Tom Carroll (calf) are set to miss out. Mousa Dembele (groin) and Erik Lamela (illness) will face late fitness tests.

Yohan Benalouane is struggling with a thigh problem, but Fiorentina have an otherwise strong squad as they look to inflict a first home defeat in six European encounters for Tottenham against Italian sides.

The visitors went unbeaten on the road during the group stage, but Spurs have gone eight matches in Europe without defeat in London since they lost 3-1 to Benfica in March 2014.

Key Opta Stats:

– This will be the 15th meeting between Tottenham and an Italian side in European competition, with the London club winning just four previous games (W4 D6 L4).
– Fiorentina are unbeaten in five European games against English opposition (W3 D2), with two of those coming against Spurs last season.
– Tottenham have lost just one of the last 20 European matches at White Hart Lane, netting an impressive 50 goals and conceding just 17 (W15 D4 L1).
– In contrast, Fiorentina have themselves lost just once in 16 Europa League away matches, conceding two or more on just two occasions.
– Nacer Chadli has scored five goals in his last eight appearances in all competitions for Tottenham.
– Fiorentina have qualified from three of their last four last 32 knockout ties in Europe, including in their last two appearances in the Europa League (2013-14 and 2014-15).