Can Conor Gallagher play for Tottenham against Atletico Madrid in Champions League last-16? | OneFootball

Gallagher did not feature in Tottenham’s final two league phase fixtures

Tottenham have been drawn against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League last 16.

Back at European football's top table by virtue of beating Manchester United in last season's Europa League final, Tottenham more than held their own in the league phase.

Furthermore, as a result of finishing in the top four, Tottenham have secured home advantage in the second leg against Atletico.

Spurs knew ahead of Friday’s draw that they would next take on one of the winners of the knockout phase play-offs between the 13th/14th and 19th/20th seeds in the round of 16 next month.

Their potential opponents were narrowed down from four to two following the conclusion of the play-offs after Atletico overcame Club Brugge 7-4 on aggregate and Galatasaray held off a spirited comeback from Juventus to qualify.

Interestingly, Conor Gallagher left Madrid for Spurs in the January transfer window but was not able to feature in the final two league phase fixtures due to UEFA's registration rules.

Reunion: Conor Gallagher

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Could this complicate matters now that the knockout phase is about to get underway? The short answer is no.

Can Conor Gallagher play for Tottenham against Atletico Madrid?

Tottenham confirmed at the start of the month that Gallagher was one of three players added to their Champions League squad for the knockout stages.

The midfielder along with Mathys Tel and Radu Dragusin all now been registered, replacing injured pair Ben Davies and Rodrigo Bentancur as well as Brennan Johnson who left for Crystal Palace in January.

Therefore Gallagher is on course for a swift return to the Metropolitano Stadium with the first leg confirmed for Tuesday, March 10, 2026.