Tuesday 11th December 2000hrs Barcelona v Tottenham Football – Europe – Champions League Barcelona have already secured their place in the next stage and will qualify as group winners but their opponent’s fate is very much to be decided. Spurs currently hold second place courtesy of a better head to head record over Inter but they face the much more difficult of the two final games with this trip to the Nou Camp. It’s bound to be a night full of drama both here and in Milan. Continue reading for a preview as Barcelona take on Tottenham, with a best betting tip selection.
It’s a case of job done for Barca with a game to spare. Ernesto Valverde’s men may have been somewhat concerned by their placement in this group as it contained a couple of teams who could well have given them some problems. As it is, their only dropped point so far came in a 1-1 draw away to Inter Milan, otherwise they have negotiated this section with relative ease. Their five matches thus far have seen them score 13 goals concede four – it may not be as scintillating as previous campaigns but there has been a suggestion in the past that Barcelona teams have peaked too early in the Champions League. Valverde will be stressing the importance of keeping plenty in reserve for the latter part of the season and we may be seeing some indication of that domestically, too. They have returned to the top of La Liga in recent weeks and turned in one of their best performances of the campaign with a 4-0 derby win away to Espanyol on Saturday. There is a belief that because their position as group winners is already confirmed – and with a tough game away to high-flying Levante to come at the weekend – that there is some squad rotation for the visit of Spurs but we know the strength in depth within this squad.
For a team who picked up just one point from their first three matches in this group, Spurs have done everything you could expect from then on by wining their next two matches. Mauricio Pochettino’s men have came back from a goal down to beat PSV and then scored very late on to get the better of Inter, both matches at home. It’s not been vintage Tottenham by any stretch but needs must at this stage of the competition and the criticism levelled at Spurs in the first couple of matches was it was all style and no substance. Their performances away to Inter and PSV were excellent in the main but they managed just one point from those two games. It appears to be a concerted effort by the coach to turn his teams fortunes around by sacrificing some of that style and grind the wins out they needed to, to ensure the trip to Barcelona means something, and it certainly does. It’s a very simple equation for Tottenham – win on Tuesday and they will be playing Champions League knockout football, anything else and they will likely be playing in the Europa League.
Barcelona v Tottenham Betting Tip
If truth be told, the meeting between these two at Wembley was a clash between a seasoned European outfit with a truly world class player making the difference against an emerging team attempting to trouble the elite clubs full of very good, but still not top level players. Barca, led by the magician that is Lionel Messi, were far too good for their hosts and if this game was to be played under similar circumstances then you would face that gap to be just as big, if not bigger. We know it’s not the same circumstances, though. Yes Barcelona may be at home but this game is essentially a dead rubber for them and there is already confirmed news that Luis Suarez will not play any part. He may be joined by others but we can assume that their level of intensity is not going to be the same if they required something. Spurs rested key players, including Harry Kane, for their win over Leicester at the weekend and it reinforces the thought that they really fancy this and believe they can get the win they need.
We may well be giving Inter too much credit by expecting them to beat PSV in the San Siro at the same time of this, but it’s certainly the view that Spurs have to take and they will just be focussing on getting the win they need here. Nine of Spurs’ last 11 games in the Champions League have seen both teams scoring and that’s the way to go on Tuesday once again.
Selection: Both teams to score 4/7 @ Coral
