Tottenham Hotspur Vs Red Bull Leipzig
Wednesday 19 February 2020 – 20:00 Kick-Off
UEFA Champions League
Pick: Over 2.5 Goals/Both Teams to Score
Odds: 5/6
Bookmaker: Bet365
(All betting odds displayed were correct at time of writing: 16th February 2020 at 23:10)
Preview: Last season’s runners-up host knockout debutants, as Tottenham Hotspur welcome German club RB Leipzig to their Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for a first-leg last-sixteen tie in the Champions League.
UEFA Champions League Betting at 22Bet
Table of Contents
Tottenham Preview – Mourinho’s toughest challenge thus far?
Once upon a time the Champions League knockout rounds were when Jose Mourinho would truly come alive, thriving against any adversity and regularly defying unfavourable odds. The 57-year-old may need to work similar magic if Tottenham are to surpass their achievements of last season, when they were beaten finalists, with a team that is currently fifth in the Premier League rated only as 33/1 outsiders for glory on this occasion.
Enthusiasm should be curbed, however. It has been almost a decade since the Portuguese manager last reached the final of this competition, while he hasn’t guided a team past the last-sixteen stage for six years. Nor do Spurs, in their present state, look capable of mounting a meaningful run. They qualified easily enough with a record of W3 D1 L2, however, their only genuine competitor were Bayern Munich, with the Germans thrashing them 10-3 on aggregate over the two encounters.
A more positive omen will have been their comprehensive victory over another German side at this same stage twelve months earlier, beating Borussia Dortmund 3-0 in North London in the first leg en route to a 4-0 aggregative scoreline. However, that was with Harry Kane leading the line, Cristian Eriksen pulling the strings in midfield and a defence which was among the most solid on the continent. To his detriment, Mourinho must contend without all three here.
RB Leipzig Preview – Free-scoring Germans this season’s Dark Horse?
At their second attempt, having finished third in their group in 2017-18, RB Leipzig would make it to the latter stages of the tournament after topping one of the more competitive groups ahead of Lyon, Benfica and Zenit St Petersburg. The club have assembled a talented playing cast who are currently pushing Bayern Munich close in Germany’s Bundesliga under the tutelage of Julian Nagelsmann, proving that a lack of tournament experience can be compensated elsewhere.
It speaks volumes about how highly-rated this team are that their odds of winning the entire thing (35/1 with Unibet) are on par or even shorter in some instances than Atletico Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Chelsea and even their last-sixteen opponents – sides with previous when it comes to reaching finals in the past decade. They lost only once during this season’s group – 2-0 at home to Lyon – and went unbeaten on their travels, recording wins in Benfica and St Petersburg whilst drawing 2-2 at Lyon.
A noticeable trend was scoring precisely two goals in each away outing. In the league back in Germany, Leipzig are averaging over two goals per game on the road – only Bayern score more in said fixtures this season. So Die Rotten Bullen will pose a lot of problems for a Spurs defence which was porous throughout the group, with Timo Werner unquestionably their biggest threat having notched 25 goals in 31 appearances across all competitions.
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Tottenham Vs RB Leipzig Betting Advice
In the group phase, all six Tottenham matches featured a minimum of four goals. Their two meetings with Bayern Munich produced scorelines of 2-7 and 3-1, of which both were in defeat. RB Leipzig are only a point worse off than Bayern in the Bundesliga having scored only six fewer over the course of this season. The Germans also fared marginally better in arguably a more competitive section, not losing at all on the road (W2 D1).
Tottenham Vs RB Leipzig – Key Facts
- All six of Tottenham’s games during the group stage produced four or more goals, scoring 2, 4 and 5 goals in their three home matches.
- Aside from a 2-0 loss at home to Lyon, the remaining five games in the group stage for RB Leipzig saw them score exactly two goals – helping them avoid defeat away from home (W2 D1).
- This will be a first meeting in the competition for the clubs. However, Tottenham did overcome German opposition at this same stage last season, thrashing Borussia Dortmund 3-0 at home and 4-0 on aggregate.
RB Leipzig are unbeaten in their last four away games in the Champions League, winning three, and scored exactly two goals in all three away matches during the group. Tottenham are in improved form with three straight wins in the league, but are still conceding chances on an alarming basis. Moreover, the English side actually qualified for the last-sixteen with the poorest defensive record of all teams to have qualified (14 conceded in 6 games). Expect goals and from both teams.
Best Betting Odds for Tottenham Vs RB Leipzig
Tottenham – 29/20 Unibet
Draw – 5/2 Ladbrokes
RB Leipzig – 2/1 Sportingbet
