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Alli: Spurs can handle Rochdale pitch

Cape Town - Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli believes they have enough steel and determination about them to handle League One side Rochdale in the FA Cup fifth round.

Spurs will travel to Spotland on Sunday, where the pitch is expected to be uneven. The Dale have had the playing surface re-laid, but it's not bedded in yet.

However, Alli doesn't think the pitch will provide the north Londoners with problems as many of their players have competed on worse surfaces in their careers and will take it in their stride.

"We're not soft," the England international was quoted as saying by ESPN. "A lot of us grew up playing on worse pitches than that. A lot of us grew up playing on concrete, so I don't think the pitch is a problem.

"For us, we've just got to go there and be professional and ensure a good performance to win the game. It's going to be a very difficult night for us. It's important we don't go there and think it'll be an easy game.

"We know it's not going to be easy. We saw that against Newport when we played them - it was a difficult game and we had to play them at our place and get the win there.

'It suits them a lot more being at their place, but for us we want to go there and play well, put on a good performance and win the game."

Kick-off is at 18:00.

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