Spurs will look to build on the weekend’s resolute 1-0 win at Brighton in tonight’s Champions League encounter against Eintracht Frankfurt at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, kick-off 8 PM BST.
It’s funny what one result can do. This time last week, it was a case of back-to-back matches without a win and no goals from open play; fast forward a week, and the Brighton win changes this negative narrative to one of successive clean sheets and evasion of defeat from two ostensibly tough away fixtures.
Either way, things are looking up on and off the pitch, not least in the injury department. Harry Kane’s knock against Brighton turned out to be nothing serious, and Lucas Moura, Dejan Kukusevski, and Japhet Tanganga have all been back in training this week.
Although this match comes too soon for Kulusevski, Moura and Tanganga are expected to slot back into the matchday squad tonight, along with Emerson Royal, whose domestic suspension does not carry over into Europe.
It will also be interesting to see if Conte sticks to the 3-5-2 set-up that impressed in various stages throughout the Brighton match, whether that’s with an eye on keeping one of Richarlison/Son/Kane fresh for the weekend or to stifle Frankfurt further with an extra body in midfield.
Although watching Frankfurt last week didn’t overly impress me – a sentiment that was backed up by their submissive performance in a 3-0 Bundesliga defeat to VFL Bochum at the weekend – they still had their chances to score in the reverse fixture last week, and if we’re not on it tonight, we’ll be punished, as is always the case in Europe.
With Group D still wide open – Sporting leading on 6 points, Spurs and Frankfurt on 4 points, Marseille on 3 points – we’ve got to make our home advantage count and really hit the accelerator tonight.
Tonight’s game marks the first home match since Gian Piero Ventrone’s passing last week, and powerful tributes are expected before the match. Here’s hoping the players can pay tribute to him through their performance on the pitch, and yield a victory to go with it COYS!
Five nil to the Lilywhites.
13 x 2 like bill nicholson had us do once upon a time.
I liked that nostalgia thread. like a dream from my youth.
but let’s not let those lot get 2 goals.
Let flow come to the pitch.
Five-Nil to the Lilywhites!
I’m not joking!
But, I am copying Geof….
TK, I think flow is out, injured…
lol
flow was injured by the back passes and the lack of creative midfielding.
I to believe there will be a 4 goal+ difference in our favour tonight…so 4-0 but could be 5-1. COYS
A big win tonight in our new stadium, the Google White Hart Lane Stadium.
If you google WHL you get a glorious history and since “google” is a verb, you might as well google “White Hart Lane.”
So if Google sponsors the stadium, and we all call it WHL, then the new stadium should be called:
Googe White Hart Lane.
I could live with that name.
A big win to add to the history that can be googled about the place that forever will be White Hart Lane.
Lloris; Romero, Dier, Lenglet; Emerson, Bentancur, Hojbjerg, Sessegnon; Richarlison, Kane, Son
Subs: Forster, Spence, Doherty, Sanchez, Davies, Perisic, Skipp, White, Sarr, Bissouma, Bryan Gil, Lucas.
Back to the same 3 4 3 that was so weak against the same team.
I guess Mr. Conte will have to be telling once again that he’s not stupid. I do hope I’m really a knobhead and that this really is the best line up. But the team seems so much more secure with the extra man in the midfield. but then I’m not telling you I’m not stupid. Indeed, I’ve told everyone here for a long time that I’m a total knobhead.
would like an extra man in the midfield, though.
fingers are crossed for a big match from Richarlison.
That was terrible. horrible awful. WTF? amateurish rotten.
This is absolutely pathetic!
A team that looks completely unprepared.
Don’t deserve to be even. but Son was really nice. saving our asses.
Let’s hope the lads finally are awake.
how the eff can we be ahead after playing so poorly for so much of the match so far? but thanks the gods we are
its friggen hard to believe we’re up by two goals!
What can be said… Pathetic has become brilliant!
what a half! our teams looked lost for much of the opening of the match. terrible defending looked like amateurs. and here we are at the half with a solid lead. it’s a wacky old game this football. wacky as all wack.
we were so poor for the opening 20 minutes of so that we lulled them into letting us beat them back badly. I don’t remember many matches like this one. weird as all weird can be. football played by black adder married to Mr. Bean and sleeping with Baldrick’s offspring.