Tottenham face a herculean task to go past Atletico Madrid into the Champions League quarter-finals.
Tottenham Hotspur will look to pull off one of the most remarkable comebacks in UEFA Champions League history as they host Atletico Madrid on Wednesday evening, with Igor Tudor’s side trailing by three goals after last week’s disaster in Madrid.
Atletico Madrid ran riot at the Wanda Metropolitano, with Julian Alvarez and Antoine Griezmann running the show. The home side capitalised on glaring errors from Spurs goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky and defender Micky van de Ven and won the first leg 5-2.
The heavy defeat in the Spanish capital has left Spurs with a mountain to climb. When Atletico Madrid visit N17, Igor Tudor’s men will need to play out of their skins if they want to win by three or more goals to qualify for the quarter-finals of the Champions League. And the 1-1 draw with Liverpool at Anfield in the Premier League with a depleted squad should certainly give our fans some hope heading into the European showdown.
Igor Tudor makes admission on Tottenham’s prospects of qualifying for the Champions League quarter-finals
Barely anyone gave Tudor’s Tottenham any chance of getting a result at Anfield on Sunday. The Croatian tactician had as many as 13 players missing, yet the available players showed great determination, resilience and fighting spirit to earn a valuable draw against Liverpool.
This should have given the entire squad a lift heading into the second leg of the Champions League last-16 tie against Atletico. When asked about Tottenham’s prospects of advancing to the last eight of the competition, Tudor responded in his press conference:
“Yeah, difficult but not impossible. We need to stay in the game as much as possible, one good result. The game can be long. So, focus on our strengths, our things. We can have tomorrow everything to play again, still to play. So, believe that we can do it. That’s the important thing from the start.”
Tottenham boosted by return of key players
Tottenham have been boosted by the return of Cristian Romero, who missed the Liverpool fixture due to concussion protocols following a clash of heads with teammate Joao Palhinha at Atletico last week. The availability of Romero solidifies Spurs’ defence, providing Tudor with the flexibility to go with a back three or stick to a flat back four.
Lucas Bergvall has surprised the fans by making an earlier return than the schedule. He was spotted in the open training session on Tuesday afternoon after missing two months of action following an ankle surgery. Tudor has confirmed the Swedish star will be on the bench, along with Destiny Udogie, who has recovered from a hamstring injury as well.
The return of Romero, Bergvall and Udogie eases Tottenham’s injury problems and gives Tudor options to select his strongest XI against Diego Simeone’s side. If the Lilywhites score first on the night, the belief within the group and the stadium will grow tenfold.