Moneycontrol News
Tottenham Hotspurs will be wary of the threat that German giants Borussia Dortmund carry as they welcome them to the Wembley Stadium for the first leg of their last-16 tie on February 14.
Tottenham are currently third in the premier league but will be without their talismanic duo Harry Kane and Dele Alli who have been ruled out with injury.
Dortmund are flying high in the Bundesliga as they hold a five-point lead over Bayern Munich at the top of the table.
However, they come into this game on the back of a frustrating result against Hoffenheim. Cruising towards victory by a 3-0 margin with just 25 minutes to go, Dortmund suffered a spectacular collapse as Hoffenheim scored thrice to end the game level at 3-3. The draw was Dortmund’s third in as many games and they will be eager to get back to winning ways when they travel to Wembley.
Tottenham on the other hand recorded a hard-fought 3-1 win over Leicester City to keep the gap between them and leaders Manchester City down to just 5 points. The return to form of Christian Eriksen who provided the assist for the first goal while scoring the second would be biggest plus point for Tottenham from that win.
Lucian Favre’s Dortmund will be without captain Marco Reus who has 17 goals in all competitions for the German’s this season and is the club’s leading scorer. Reus injured his thigh when playing against Werder Bremen in the German Cup and it is not clear whether he will be fit to participate in the return leg too.
Exciting English 18-year-old Jadon Sancho will be expected to fill in for Reus in the starting XI. Sancho who moved to Dortmund after complaining about lack of playing time at Manchester City has hit the ground running in Germany. This will be his first match on English soil following his move abroad and Sancho will definitely be out to prove a point. He has 8 goals in 28 appearances this season as he has established himself as a first-team regular at Dortmund.
Team news
Eric Dier and Erik Lamela have both returned to training and could feature for the tie against Dortmund. Both players missed the game over the weekend. Danny Ross suffered a shin injury in the tie against Leicester and will be assessed ahead of the game. Dele Alli, Harry Kane and Ben Davies continue to remain out of the squad with long-term injuries.
Marco Reus, Julian Weigl, Paco Alcacer and Lukasz Piszczek are all absentees from Dortmund’s squad for the last-16 tie. Mario Goetze though is likely to return to the squad and start up front.
Possible XI
Tottenham: Lloris, Aurier, Alderweireld, Sanchez, Vertonghen, Sissoko, Winks, Lamela, Eriksen, Son, Lucas
Borussia Dortmund: Burki, Schmelzer, Toprak, Diallo, Hakimi, Delaney, Witsel, Sancho, Pulisic, Guerreiro, Gotze
Players to watch out for:
Jadon Sancho
The 18-year-old will be eager to impress on his first return to England since leaving for Germany from Manchester City. Since making the move, Sancho has gone on to establish himself as a vital member of Lucian Favre’s squad and even earned three England caps.
Christian Eriksen
The 26-year-old playmaker roared back to form with a dominating performance against Leicester City over the weekend. Without Harry Kane and Dele Alli in their ranks, Tottenham will rely heavily on Eriksen to provide that creative spark in midfield.
Form Guide: (All competitions -- most recent first) Tottenham: W W W L L Borussia Dortmund: D D D W W
Betting Odds: (Bet365) Tottenham: 23/20 Borussia Dortmund: 5/2 Draw: 13/5
Other popular odds can be viewed on Oddschecker.
Where to watch:
The match will be beamed live on the Sony Pictures Sports Network and will begin at 1.30 am on February 14. Online users can catch the action live on the SonyLIV app.
Prediction:
With both teams suffering heavily due to injuries to key players an outright victory for either side becomes difficult to predict. However, both managers aren’t the type who would set up with a defensive shape and we could be in for an entertaining 3-3 draw.
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
