12 Jun 2019
After Tottenham had put Leicester City to the sword in the Premier League at Wembley on Sunday afternoon, Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino used his post-match presser to complain about his team being at a disadvantage heading into tomorrow’s Champions League Last 16 against Borussia Dortmund.
The Spurs boss bemoaned his side’s lack of recovery time compared to the Bundesliga leaders. If Pochettino considers his side to be the underdogs heading into this match, then that’s at odds with the betting. With a propensity to grind out results in recent weeks, the North Londoners are the slight favourites at 13/10 to win this one.
Spurs’ position as favourite comes as Dortmund experience their first wobble in an otherwise stellar season. With just one defeat in the league to date in this campaign, Dortmund are on a run of two draws and one defeat in a row. The Germans head into this tie a 15/8 shot to win. The draw is available at 12/5.
No Kane, No Reus
Injuries are starting to take their toll on both sides with key personnel set to miss out at Wembley. Both teams are missing attacking players, with Harry Kane still a fortnight away for Spurs while Dortmund captain Marco Reus has also been ruled out.
For Spurs, Son Heung-Min has been a more than capable replacement for Harry Kane, scoring three goals in his last three games. The diminutive South Korean is an 11/8 chance to score anytime on Wednesday night.
Dortmund are expected to have England’s Jadon Sancho leading their attack at Wembley. The 18-year-old has kept opposition on their toes with his acceleration and mazy runs, something the Spurs backline will have to be mindful of. Sancho has a solid track record in front of goal, scoring eight goals in 28 appearances to date. He’s a 16/5 shot to score anytime.
Defensive frailties
Based on recent results, we can expect both teams to concede. Spurs’ Kieran Trippier and Danny Rose are far from their best this season, while there are question marks over the fitness of Dortmund’s defensive lynchpin Manual Akanji. Tottenham have only kept one clean sheet in their last seven games, whilst Dortmund have conceded eight goals in their last four games. Both teams to score and either team to win looks a decent bet at 7/5.
Although Tottenham and Dortmund look suspect in defence, with both teams missing their main goal threat, we anticipate it to be a low scoring affair. With that in mind a bet of under 3.5 goals scored available at 2/5 looks appealing.
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