Tottenham Hotspur aims to secure a place in the last-16 of the Champions League and avoid a repeat of recent history when they welcome Sporting Lisbon to North London for Wednesday’s Group D match with kickoff at 10 pm.
Spurs fans would have been delighted to see their side open the scoring against Newcastle despite losing at Southampton in the previous game.
But a late goal from Miguel Almiron ensured that Spurs would not be able to catch Arsenal for the final Champions League spot in the Premier League.
The attacking absences are hitting Tottenham hard, and Antonio Conte has already poured cold water on any hopes his side had of challenging the Premier League title.
However, with only 90 minutes separating Spurs from a place in the Champions League knockout stages, they still have every chance of qualifying for next year’s competition.
Sporting manager Ruben Amorim is constantly being linked with a new job, but his focus remains on making a lightning strike twice against Tottenham.
A lack of discipline in their two encounters with Marseille has seen Sporting lose their grip on a top-two place. First, it was Antonio Adan’s red card on matchday four, and then Pedro Goncalves and Ricardo Esgaio were given their marching orders in a 2-0 loss to Les Olympiens last time out.
Tottenham vs. Sporting Lisbon Head to Head
Both sides have one game against each other, with the hosts winless and the visitors with one win. Here is a look at their previous encounters:
Home
- Tottenham 1-2 Newcastle
- Man United 2-0 Tottenham
- Tottenham 2-0 Everton
- Tottenham 3-2 Frankfurt
Away
- Sporting 3-1 Casa Pia
- Varzim 1-0 Sporting
- Sporting 0-2 Marseille
- Santa Clara 1-2 Sporting
Tottenham Team News
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino has already conceded that neither Dejan Kulusevski nor Richarlison will be fit for Wednesday’s Champions League clash with Juventus. There are fears that the former will not be available again before the World Cup.
Sporting Team News
Coach Carlos Fernandes will serve a one-match ban after being sent off in the previous game, while two of Sporting’s most influential players, Esgaio and Goncalves, are suspended. Though Paulinho is expected to slot into central midfield alongside Edwards and Trincao, Pedro Porro will likely keep his spot on the right wing as Esgaio sits out.
Prediction and Odds
Tottenham should exploit Sporting’s depleted back line this week, especially given their prolific home form of late. But it’s difficult to trust Tottenham without Kulusevski in the lineup.
- Draw
- Double Chance
- Goals Under 3.5
