12 Jun 2019
Having taken just one point from a possible nine, Tottenham have slipped out of the Premier League title race.
Their 1-1 draw with Arsenal – who missed a late penalty – means that Maurico Pochettino’s side are 10 points behind leaders Manchester City with nine games remaining. As such, they have drifted from 150/1 to 500/1 to win their first title since 1961 and are just four points in front of fifth-placed Arsenal in the race for a Top Four place and a spot in next season’s Champions League. The Genting Casino Premier League odds for a Top Four spot has Spurs at 4/11, with Arsenal at 15/8.
Out of both domestic cup competitions, this has been another promising season gone by the wayside and Pochettino has stated that Spurs are still a decade away from having the mentality to win silverware on a consistent basis.
That may or may not be the case, yet Spurs are still very much alive in the Champions League, following their extraordinary 3-0 first-leg win over Borussia Dortmund at Wembley two weeks ago.
An early second-half strike from Son Heung-min and two late goals from Jan Vertonghen and Fernando Llorente gave Spurs a handy advantage to take to the Westfalenstadion, which is the seventh largest football stadium in Europe.
Tottenham will, of course, move into their new stadium at White Hart Lane next season and while it will not be among Europe’s top 25 in terms of capacity at a proposed 62,062, it will eventually provide the Lilywhites with the finance to become one of the Premier League’s big clubs – providing they can fill it on a regular basis.
To generate that interest, Spurs must have a measure of success on the field and they have not won any silverware since winning the League Cup in 2008.
Lifting the Champions League trophy would be the ideal answer to their critics and the Genting Casino Champions League odds have Spurs at 14/1 to do that this season. Following their 3-0 defeat in London, Borussia Dortmund are out to 50/1.
Dortmund to hit back?
Since blowing away Lucien Favre’s Bundesliga leaders in the first leg at Wembley, things have not gone according to plan for Pochettino’s side, with successive defeats to Burnley and Chelsea all but ending their title hopes. They drew 1-1 in the North London derby against Arsenal on Saturday after Harry Kane’s contentious penalty cancelled out an early goal from Juventus-bound Aaron Ramsey.
Dortmund, meanwhile, have had their own struggles. They appear to have completely fallen apart since blocking young Jadon Sancho’s to return to the Premier League and they also failed to break down bottom club Nuremburg in the German top-flight, allowing Bayern Munich to further close the gap at the top.
While they later saw off Bayer Leverkusen, defeat to Augsburg on Friday evening, combined with Bayern’s 5-1 thumping of Borussia Monchengladbach means they remain top on goal difference only. They have leaked 13 goals in their last six competitive games, so there may be a few who think that backing between four and six goals in the game against Tottenham is value at 8/5.
Dortmund are a shade of odds-on to win the return leg at 19/20, with Tottenham at 13/5 to complete the job with a win. The draw is available at 11/4.
Team news
The hosts receive something of a boost with captain Marco Reus, who missed the first leg with a thigh injury, fit again for the return fixture after lasting 66 minutes against Augsburg.
Reus has been outstanding all season and has scored 13 Bundesliga goals this term.
He is 11/8 to score at any time and 9/2 to score the first goal.
Former Chelsea winger Christian Pulisic did not play at Wembley, but he is also back in full training following a thigh injury and could return. Lukasz Piszczek remains sidelined with a heel injury, while Marcel Schmelzer is also a doubt after picking up a foot injury in training on Thursday.
Tottenham may have Dele Alli back. The England star has been suffering from a hamstring injury, and Vertonghen’s return from a hip injury against Arsenal was a much-needed fillip. He made a crucial block to help Spurs avoid a third successive domestic defeat and is pivotal to Spurs’ Champions League assault.
Goals in the offing?
Dortmund are always a force in front of their famous Yellow Wall at home, but they have conceded at least once in each of their last six games at home and, as such, are 1/3 to keep a clean sheet and it is 21/10 that Spurs draw a blank.
There have been three or more total goals in six of Dortmund’s last eight games in all competitions, while four of the last seven games involving Spurs have yielded three goals or more. It is 4/7 that there will be over 2.5 goals scored on Tuesday evening, and Dormund are 4/6 to get the first goal.
It should be remembered that for all their recent shaky performances, Dortmund are unbeaten at home in 90 minutes this term, but they will have to play on the front foot, which will suit Tottenham’s breakaway style, particularly if Alli plays.
We should expect Dortmund to come out all guns glazing, yet Spurs may well score and kill off the tie.
The two sides have met on five previous occasions, with Tottenham boasting three wins to Dortmund’s two. They met in the Champions League group stage in 2017-18, with Spurs winning 3-1 at home and 2-1 away. It is 11/1 for Pochettino’s side to come away with another 2-1 success.
For all the odds on this crucial game, click here.
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