Premier League giants Tottenham Hotspur will be looking to secure progress into the quarterfinals of this season’s edition of the UEFA Champions League when they travel to Germany to take on a youthful RB Leipzig side. The first-leg, which was played out at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, ended 1-0 in favour of the Bundesliga club, and Jose’s men would have to be at their best if they hope to overcome the challenge of this deadly German club.
Spurs haven’t been in the best run of form over recent months, and the manager’s win rate of 44% since taking over is the lowest he has averaged at any club he has formerly been employed at. Their most recent league outing was against Burnley, and despite the Clarets’ mixed form, they were able to hold Spurs to a 1-1 draw, where the Lilywhites’ equaliser came in the form of a second-half penalty kick.
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Jose Mourinho made multiple changes for the weekend fixture, and all the first-team stars who missed out on Saturday could return for this tie. The gaffer’s biggest misses in the attack remain Harry Kane and Heung-min Son. While the South Korean was undoubtedly their most significant creative source in the final third, Kane’s presence in front of goal simply cannot be underplayed. Despite picking up a nasty injury, the Englishman is expected to return to the side before the end of the season.
Predicted 3-4-2-1 Tottenham Hotspur Lineup Vs RB Leipzig
Formation: 3-4-2-1
Defence
Hugo Lloris didn’t have the greatest outing against the Clarets on the weekend, as he arguably should’ve prevented the Chris Wood goal in the first half. Despite this, expect the Frenchman to retain his place between the sticks, with an alteration being made by Jose in the defence line. Eric Dier started the weekend fixture as the central man in Spurs’ back three, but he could drop down to the bench. Toby Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen and Davinson Sanchez will form Jose’s trusted back-line.
Midfield
The change in formation means that Spurs will start the game with two wing-backs playing across the midfield line. This would warrant the inclusions of Ivorian Serge Aurier and Young Japhet Tanganga on either side to provide this weakened Spurs attack with some much-needed width. Giovani Lo Celso is expected to make his return to the first-team in place of Oliver Skipp, while Tanguy Ndombele should continue alongside him.
Attack
Steven Bergwijn started life in North London rather well, and his debut goal was a thing of beauty. Although his attacking contributions have been drying up over recent weeks, the Dutchman is set to keep his place in the side. Next to him, expect to see former PSG attacker Lucas Moura providing support. Dele Alli could be deployed as the false nine once against for this fixture after he put up a decent display against Burnley on Saturday.
