Tottenham will look to leave behind their disappointing performance against West Brom when they visit BayArena to play Bayer Leverkusen in their third Champions League match on Tuesday.
Spurs currently sit at the second spot of the group table below Monaco with just 3 points in two games. Unlike their Premier League campaign this season, where they are yet to lose a game, Spurs had a shaky start to their Champions League campaign with an opening game loss to Monaco before coming back strongly against CSKA. They will look to move top of the table with Monaco facing a tricky game against CSKA.
Leverkusen, on the other hand, comes from a frustrating loss against Werder Bremen. They haven’t started their Bundesliga season in the best way possible with 3 losses and 1 draw in their opening seven games. They currently sit at the 10th position in their home league below Monchengladbach.
Their Champions League campaign has been somewhat fruitless with 2 draws in their opening two games. They would like to repeat their brilliant performance against Dortmund when they welcome Spurs on Tuesday.
Team News
Tottenham Hotspur
With Alderweireld getting a serious knock on in leg Spurs’ 1-1 draw against West Brom, and Pochettino has not ruled out playing Dier at the central defensive position if the situation demands when asked in the press conference. Pochettino might be tempted to start with former Leverkusen man Heung-Min Son who had a pretty good run prior to last game against West Brom where he failed to score.
Bayer Leverkusen
Leverkusen hasn’t had the best of starts at both the campaigns but are pretty comfortable when comes to playing at home. Hence, with all the key players at his disposal, Schmidt is looking forward to a close game with few chances at either side.
Predicted Line-up
Bayer Leverkusen (4-4-2)- Leno; Wendell, Toprak, Tah, Henrichs; Kampl, Calhanoglu, Aranguiz, Brandt; Hernandez, Volland.
Tottenham (4-1-4-1)- Lloris; Davies, Vertonghen, Dier, Walker; Wanyama; Lamela, Dele Alli, Eriksen, Sissoko; Son.
Key players
For Tottenham, of course, all eyes will be on Son, who has earlier spent two years in Leverkusen with one year under the current manager Schmidt. Pochettino will be looking to start with the man, who has been in serious form this season. Dele Alli has been another player, who could open things up at the opponent’s defence. Eriksen’s technique and free kicks could be a matter of concern for Leverkusen.
For Leverkusen, Hakan Calhanoglu has been in a good touch and will be confident with a goal against Bremen over the weekend. Chicharito has been a rejuvenated player in Bundesliga, who could definitely cause problems with his agility. Charles Aranguiz is another player to look out for. With his unparalleled stamina, the Chilean international is almost as highly-rated as Arturo Vidal.
Odds
Bayer Leverkusen @ 2.15
Draw 3.50
Tottenham @ 3.60
