Quote ="tvoc"If having a 'fat lip' qualifies as a game missing injury these days it doesn't bode well.'"
Agreed, but I suspect there was damage other than a 'fat lip'. Ali has had a rough time with injuries over the last couple of years, but is a gamebreaker when fit, so we need to get (and keep) him fit. IMHO it's pointless playing him when he is not right, and we have ample others to fill in, saving him from injury that would rule him out for longer.