Aiming to secure a place in the last 16 of the Champions League and avoid a repeat of recent history, Tottenham Hotspur welcome Sporting Lisbon to North London for Wednesday's Group D match.
Antonio Conte's side sit at the top of the section and will advance to the knockout rounds with a win here, while Sporting sit in third, just one point worse off than their confidence-sapped hosts.
Match preview
© Reuters
Tottenham fans would have been licking their lips with glee when Arsenal dropped points at Southampton just before their kickoff against Newcastle United, but Antonio Conte's side could not close the gap to their bitter rivals as they suffered back-to-back Premier League defeats for the first time since February.
So often their saviour against Manchester United, Hugo Lloris's error handed Callum Wilson the opening goal on a plate - fruitless calls for a foul on the Frenchman went unanswered - and the red-hot Miguel Almiron then finished with aplomb before Harry Kane's consolation header.
Attacking absences are hitting the Lilywhites hard, and Conte has already poured cold water on any hopes his side had of challenging for the Premier League title, but only 90 minutes separates Tottenham from a place in the Champions League knockout stages for the first time since the 2019-20 campaign.
Sitting at the top of the group with seven points to their name, Tottenham will ensure that they cannot be usurped by their Portuguese opponents or Eintracht Frankfurt with a win here, but they could also end the matchday in third if results do not go their way.
Defeat to Newcastle ended a 10-game winning run for Tottenham in front of their own fans - although they have scored in all of their home games so far this term - and not many bets should be placed on the sides sharing the points here, as Spurs have not drawn a home fixture in the Champions League since March 2011.
© Reuters
Barely a week goes by where Sporting manager Ruben Amorim is not linked to a new job, with Aston Villa understood to be the latest side showing an interest in the up-and-coming Portuguese, but his focus remains solely on making lightning strike twice against Tottenham for now.
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, then Pedro Goncalves and Ricardo Esgaio were given their marching orders in a 2-0 loss to Les Olympiens last time out.
Back-to-back defeats to the French hopefuls have seen Amorim's side drop to third place in Group D, and defeat on Wednesday could spell the end of their hopes of making the knockout rounds if Marseille prevail against Frankfurt. Even if Sporting win in North London, there is still work to be done on the final matchday to guarantee a top-two place.
Seeking to bounce back from their shock Taca de Portugal exit to third-tier side Varzim, Sporting returned to form with a 3-1 success over Casa Pia at the weekend, but a seven-game run without a clean sheet is not what the doctor ordered before a trip to North London.
However, the Portuguese powerhouses have fond memories of their 2-0 success over Tottenham from September 13, with Paulinho and Arthur Gomes netting quickfire goals in the dying embers, and ex-Tottenham youngster Marcus Edwards will no doubt be motivated to put in another effervescent display upon his return to the English capital.
Team News
© Reuters
Conte has already conceded that neither Dejan Kulusevski (hamstring) nor Richarlison (calf) will be fit for Wednesday, and there are now fears that the former will not be available again before the World Cup.
Spurs were also forced to make do without Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (thigh) and Cristian Romero (calf) for the visit of Newcastle - the duo also missed training on Tuesday morning and will surely only be considered for places on the bench at best if they can prove their fitness on game day.
Despite the presence of Bryan Gil and Lucas Moura, the latter of whom is still being carefully watched over after a tendon injury, Conte has affirmed that a midfield-heavy formation is the way forward for the time being, and changes in other areas could see Ivan Perisic come back into the fray.
While Sporting number one Adan will now take his rightful place in goal, Esgaio and Goncalves will serve their suspensions here alongside coach Carlos Fernandes, who was also given a red card on matchday four.
Paulinho will likely come in for his first Champions League start of the season alongside Edwards and Francisco Trincao with Goncalves absent, while Pedro Porro's spot on the right is safe as Esgaio sits out.
Daniel Braganca (cruciate ligament) and Luis Neto (knee) are both out, but the visitors have welcomed defenders Sebastian Coates and Jeremiah St. Juste into the travelling party. However, with both men having only just returned from their injuries, 20-year-old Jose Marsa could still start at the back.
Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:
Lloris; Sanchez, Dier, Davies; Emerson, Skipp, Bentancur, Bissouma, Perisic; Kane, Son
Sporting Lisbon possible starting lineup:
Adan; Inacio, Marsa, Reis; Porro, Ugarte, Morita, Santos; Trincao, Edwards; Paulinho
We say: Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 Sporting Lisbon
Tottenham would do well to take advantage of Sporting's absentees this week, especially given their penchant for goals at home, but it is difficult to back Conte's side with any real confidence while Kulusevski is not there to pick the lock.
Sporting's own attacking prowess will be taken down a notch without top goalscorer and top assister Goncalves, but barring any more moments of madness from Amorim's side, we can envisage a low-scoring stalemate as Tottenham share the points in Europe's premier competition for the first time in over a decade.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
