With a 3-0 lead for Tottenham going into the second leg of their Champions League tie with Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday, many are labelling the tie as being over already. However, I wouldn’t be so sure myself, especially if the German side can get an away goal.

During the first leg, after an even first half, Tottenham came to life in the second and blew the German club away. It was disappointing from Dortmund, who many fancied to win the tie. However, since then and despite the return of Harry Kane to the starting eleven, Tottenham have not been playing well at all.

Losses to Burnley and Chelsea, with a draw against Arsenal at the weekend have highlighted that this Tottenham club is not firing on all cylinders right now. They look a little dis-jointed since the return of Kane, and they seem as though they are struggling to get back to playing how they should with him in the team. They also look tired, and with nine Premier League games to go, plus a run in the Champions League that they will be hoping lasts longer than just this game, there is a lot of football left for them to play and that has to be a worry for their fans.

This all stems back to something that has been mentioned before here, and that is the fact that Tottenham did not strengthen their squad by signing any player during the 2018 summer transfer window, or the 2019 January transfer window. That means it is over 12 months since a new face came into the club.

Despite that, Tottenham have allowed players to leave, with Mousa Dembele being the most recent example, leaving Spurs very short in the middle of midfield, a vital part of any game. We are seeing Liverpool and Manchester City battle it out at the top of the Premier League right now and based on what we have seen in the past few games, Manchester City will win that battle. They won’t win it because they have the better quality players on their team, but because they have great depth that Liverpool cannot cope with. Liverpool look tired, just like Tottenham do, and to compete and win in the Premier League, you have to have players fit and ready to play.

The Premier League is no longer a league where you need a top quality starting eleven to win trophies, you need more. That is also going to have a knock on effect on their participation in the Champions League, and it would not be a massive surprise to see both Liverpool and Tottenham knocked out of the Champions League during this round. Hopefully they learn during the summer just what they need to do, and they can address their problems.

Can Dortmund Wrestle the German Title Away from Bayern Munich?

Borussia Dortmund are in a big battle with Bayern Munich for the Bundesliga title right now. It is Dortmund who currently hold the advantage, although they are only at the top on goal difference after a surprise loss to Augsburg at the weekend. Both teams are now tied on 54 points, with 10 games to go and the run in is going to be a fascinating watch for fans.

For a long time we have seen Munich take control of the footballing world in Germany, and they have also performed well in Europe to back up those league title wins. However, Dortmund are really throwing all they have at them right now, and the shape of German football could be changing.

The two clubs are completely opposite to each other, Munich are solid in defence and very experienced while Dortmund are all about their young, attacking flair. It is a contrast that has already given us some memorable moments this season, and we are sure to see more as the season draws to a close and someone takes hold of the Bundesliga trophy.

Domestic success is fantastic, especially for a club like Dortmund who have long since been in the shadow of Bayern Munich, but eventually their fans will want to see the team succeed on the European stage. Restoring pride is the first job in this game, after the club took a heavy 3-0 beating in the first leg of the tie at Wembley. That will show the fans that this club can compete, and they can make it through the knockout phase and throw their name into the hat as a potential winner of the trophy at some point. That may not happen anytime soon, but the last thing that Dortmund can afford to do here is roll over and allow Tottenham to come away with a comfortable aggregate success. This is a big test of pride for the German club, and their fans will be expecting them to deliver.

Borussia Dortmund vs Tottenham Betting Tips

With a 3-0 deficit to overcome, the task in front of Dortmund in terms of qualifying for the next round is huge. Had they kept the first leg to 1-0 or 2-0 then I would have fancied them a lot more to qualify from this game and reach the last eight, but I don’t believe they quite have it in them to come out and do it from 3-0 behind.

I do however, think they will win this game on the night, and that will restore a little faith and pride in the team from the fans perspective. They have a lot of work to do on that front after losing very tamely 3-0 in the first leg, and the fans will be expecting a response here. They also have to respond to the fact that they were beaten at the weekend by Augsburg, who are near the bottom of the Bundesliga table. That allowed Bayern Munich to draw level on points with Dortmund in the standings, which is a big psychological move for them.

I’m not completely ruling out Dortmund qualifying here, and they are a huge price to do that for anyone that fancies them. To keep things a little more simple, I am going to back them to win this game on the night in 90 minutes, which looks a good bet based on how Tottenham have played over the past couple of weeks. Dortmund are not pulling any trees up themselves recently, but they have a point to prove in front of their home fans, and that is exactly what I think they will do here, by winning this game on the night.

 

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