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Former Barcelona and Brazil defender Dani Alves has been ordered to stand trial in Spain on charges of sexual assault of a woman in a Barcelona nightclub last December, a Spanish court said on Tuesday. 

Alves, 40, was arrested on January 20 and has been held in a prison outside Barcelona. If found guilty he could face a jail sentence of four to 15 years. 

The former Brazil international, who also played for Sevilla, Juventus and PSG, has denied any wrongdoing. 

In a document signed by three judges, the investigation court No. 15 in Barcelona, which is yet to set a date for the proceedings to begin, said there were sufficient grounds for Alves to stand trial, following requests by the public prosecutor and the woman's lawyer. 

In August, judges formally indicted Alves after finding evidence of suspected wrongdoing by the former right back.

'The statements of the alleged victim and the witnesses statements and experts' reports that appear in the case must be considered as sufficient for this purpose, without prejudice to the final outcome following the plenary phase,' the court said.

Under Spain's sexual consent law passed last year, sexual assault takes in a wide array of crimes from online abuse and groping to rape, each with different possible punishments.