Spurs Take On Dortmund in Injury-Ladden Champions League Tie

Spurs will host Borussia Dortmund in their Champions League round of 16 contest on Wednesday, with both sides having to cope with injuries to key players.

We’ve known for a few months now that Spurs would be without 2 of their star men, Harry Kane and Dele Alli, for their Champions League round of 16 tie against Dortmund. Now, the German side are struggling with their own injuries, after captain Marco Reus, star centre-forward Paco Alcacer, starting right-back Lukasz Piszczek, and midfield dictator Julian Weigl being ruled out for the first leg. What advantage Dortmund thought they might have had, has thus disappeared, especially with their talisman Reus missing the match.

Both sides are currently exceeding expectations within their divisions, especially high-flying Dortmund, who are at the top of the Bundesliga where many are accustomed to seeing only Bayern Munich. Spurs on the other hand, have done well to stay in the Premier League title race despite not playing in their own stadium and not signing a single first-team player for over a year.

In the Champions League thus far, Dortmund have done very well, topping a group that contained one of the favourites for the competition in Atletico Madrid. Spurs on the other hand, got off to an awful start, but wins over PSV and Inter and a draw against Barcelona on the final matchday earned them qualification to this stage, barely though!

Despite the fact that both sides are weakened, this should still be an exciting Champions League tie between 2 perennial underdogs.

There will be no Reus, Kane, or Alli, but there still won’t be a lack of firepower at Wembley on Wednesday evening. Heung-Min Son has been in red-hot form of late, taking up the spearhead reigns from Harry Kane and often single-handedly winning his side points in the Premier League. Jadon Sancho may have cooled down a bit, but his sensational play down the wing is sure to be a threat to Tottenham, especially with Danny Rose reportedly being questionable for the match after sustaining an injury against Leicester over the weekend. The sublime Christian Eriksen will likely play a large role in the match, and will be arguably the very best player on the pitch, at least on paper.

Both sides will be expecting to have their star names back for the 2nd leg, but this leg is obviously a must-win for both. Dortmund are coming off a shocking result over the weekend, where they blew a 3-0 lead to Hoffenheim to draw 3-3, minimizing their lead atop the table to just 5 points.

It remains to be seen whether this will play a psychological factor in Dortmund’s performance, and it may not do them many favours, as they aren’t the favourites regardless.

Prediction: Spurs 2 Dortmund 1