Tottenham face a difficult Champions League home fixture against Bayern Munich. Although Spurs managed to get to the final of last season’s competition, they don’t have the pedigree of their opposition and they will start the match as the underdogs. This is especially true based on their mixed start to the campaign. A big result on Tuesday could kickstart their season and give them a platform to build from. It won’t be easy.
Harry Kane spoke up his team’s chances of battling back from a difficult start to the season. The Premier League title and Champions League trophy remain on the agenda of the players, but their early performances show that they are a far way from that. The underlying issues evolving from the contract situations of some senior players seem to be having an impact on the dressing room. Toby Alderweireld and Christian Eriksen have been two that have voiced a desire to move on to new challenges. Mauricio Pochettino has been a great success at the club, but this is a testing period and it will be interesting to see how he copes with it.
Bayern Munich are a giant of European football and they will be the favourite to win the group. They come to England with a point to prove following some quieter years following the departure of Pep Guardiola. The current manager, Niko Kovac, has a point to prove in his second season and a strong showing in the Champions League will go a long way to silencing his critics. They have been the pace-setters in the Bundesliga and they will be confident of getting a positive result on Tuesday.
Interesting stats
Tanguy Ndombele has scored more league goals for Tottenham than he managed during his time for Angers and Lyon.
Bayern Munich are averaging over three goals per game in the Bundesliga.
Key men
Kane
The England captain has been given a slightly different role this season and many are pointing to his average position being deeper than he likes. However, he is a leader in this team and he continues to offer the most goal threat. At the weekend, he stepped up in a difficult occasion to score the winner against Southampton after Serge Aurier’s red card. It was crucial that Spurs got back to winning ways in the league and thanks to Kane, they did. The striker now has seven goals across all competitions and he is threatening to have one of his most prolific seasons yet. This is without standing out on a weekly basis. The homegrown striker is simply going about his goal-scoring duties quietly and effectively. It is on nights like this that the very best step up to the mark. This is an evening set for Kane to re-establish himself on the Champions League stage after missing much of the run-in during the last campaign.
Lewandowski
If Kane is one of Europe’s premier strikers, Robert Lewandowski is also in that bracket. He is perhaps even underrated due to never leaving Germany for either the Premier League or La Liga. The Polish international has been linked with a move away for many years, but he remains in the Bundesliga and his goal-scoring is showing no sign of letting up. This season, he has ten league goals in only six matches. It could be a record-breaking campaign at the age of 31. In the first Champions League match, he found the back of the net and he will be hoping to do the same in North London.
Team news
Son Heung-min should be passed fit following a slight knock at the weekend. Serge Aurier should start despite his Premier League sending off. Giovani Lo Celso and Ryan Sessegnon are both unavailable.
Ivan Perisic is a doubt for the trip to England. Leon Goretzka will miss out, but David Alaba is now back fit for the German champions.
Verdict
This is going to be one of the fixtures of the Champions League game-week, with Bayern Munich having the potential to go deep into the competition. Tottenham showed that they had the tenacity and fighting spirit to compete in Europe last season. Although they have yet to find their consistency this season, they have the quality to cause problems for any team in the world. The atmosphere should be great and it could be an occasion that finally launches Spurs’ season. A narrow home win is my prediction.
Tottenham 2-1 Bayern Munich
