Tottenham are in a promising position in their Champions League tie against Juventus, but they still face a difficult test to make it to the next round as their opponents are a lot more experienced in this competitions. The first leg was a great game, as Spurs came back from 2-0 down to earn a credible draw. Given the Serie A side have an excellent defensive record, it was an incredible achievement for Mauricio Pochettino’s team to score twice away from home. However, they will need another good showing to progress on Wednesday night. The job is far from done.
They are coming into the game in good form as they have maintained an unbeaten record since December when they lost to Manchester City. In recent weeks, they have beaten Manchester United and Arsenal, which has given them momentum to take into this match. Pochettino has done a great job as manager and taken the club to a whole new level. A win over Juventus over two legs will establish them as a real force on the European force and there will be few teams wanting to face them in the next round if they do.
Juventus have come close to winning the Champions League in recent years and reached two of the last three finals, but they have yet to claim the major prize. The competitiveness of Serie A means that they won’t be able to fully focus on this competition and it may be beneficial to drop out at this stage. However, they won’t want to and they will go to Wembley with a positive gameplan to win the match on the night. Although it will be a tough ask, they do have the quality to reach the next round and the return of Paulo Dybala will be a huge help to that. He scored a late winner at the weekend against Lazio and will come into this match with plenty of confidence.
Interesting stats
Son Heung-min has been involved in 23 goals across all competitions this season. Only Harry Kane (38) has been involved in more for Tottenham.
Juventus have won their last three matches 1-0, which shows their gameplan. They will look to take a similar approach at Wembley of staying tight at the back and nicking a goal.
Key men
Kane
There has been a lot of debate about whether Harry Kane is a world-class striker and it is in matches like this that he will prove himself one way or another. He was excellent in the first leg and scored the first goal in the comeback. That took his tally in the Champions League to seven goals and he is a contender to finish as the top scorer of the competition. Tottenham will have to go deep in the competition for him to achieve that, but that would establish the striker as one of the best in his position. Although the game against Huddersfield was the first time that he didn’t score in six matches, he remains in excellent form and he will the player that Juventus fear most. The visitors will set up to frustrate Tottenham and the home side may get few chances. They will need to take the ones that come their way and their striker will be the one that they hope takes them to the next round with a crucial goal. He caused plenty of problems in the first leg and got a number of chances against one of the best defences in Europe. A similar performance should see them make it to the quarterfinals.
Dybala
Tottenham didn’t have to worry about Paulo Dybala in the first leg as he was injured. The Argentine is now back and arrives in London in good form, having scored the winner against Lazio at the weekend. It was an important goal as it saw the Bianconeri close the gap on Napoli to one point with a game in hand. The league has been more competitive this season and that means that the team can’t focus fully on the Champions League at this stage, but they still have the quality to go deep in the competition. The 24-year-old has been excellent in Serie A with 15 goals and three assists to his name. His goal involvement currently stands at one every 78.2 minutes, which is an excellent record and shows he is one of the best players in Italy. Like Kane, he will want to prove that on the European stage and a match-winning performance on Wednesday would go a long way to do that.
Team news
Toby Alderweireld is almost certain to be missing for the hosts, but Jan Vertonghen should be fit to start after playing against Huddersfield. Son Heung-min is likely to keep his place after a superb performance at the weekend.
Federico Bernadeschi is not going to be available for the visitors and Gonzalo Higuain is a doubt after scoring twice in the first leg. Blaise Matuidi will be available for Juventus after missing the first leg.
Verdict
This is going to be one of the most exciting matches of the second legs, as both teams are in the tie and will be confident of progressing. Tottenham have the home advantage, but Juventus have a lot of experience and will believe they can win at Wembley. The return of Paulo Dybala and Blaise Matuidi will help the visitors, yet they could be missing Gonzalo Higuain. It would be surprising if the Old Lady are as poor at the back as they were in the first leg, but Tottenham will be confident of breaking them down. Another score draw could happen.
