Tottenham Hotspur host Ajax on Tuesday night in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final tie.
The two clubs have taken the scalps of tournament favourites in previous rounds and their tie should be a master class in attacking football.
Mauricio Pochettino’s Spurs go into the fixture on the back of poor form. Tottenham Hotspur have lost two of their last three Premier League matches.
Most recently, Tottenham Hotspur lost to West Ham, 1-0. It was their first loss at the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Ajax continued their winning streak with a victory over Dutch rivals Vitesse, 4-2. Erik Ten Hag’s team will not fear Tottenham Hotspur having eliminated Real Madrid and Juventus in the two previous rounds.
Pochettino’s confidence won’t be quite so high due to the injuries Tottenham Hotspur are facing. Spurs are without Harry Kane, Harry Winks, and Moussa Sissoko for the fixture. Erik Lamela and Serge Aurier are also set to miss the first leg.
Meanwhile, the star of Tottenham Hotspur’s two-legged quarterfinal series against Manchester City, Heung-min Son, is unavailable due to suspension. The South Korean will serve a one-match ban due to yellow card accumulation.
With so many players on the shelf, it appears Ajax have the upper-hand going into the first leg. However, Tottenham Hotspur showed even without star players they can knock off a tournament favourite.
Tottenham Hotspur eliminated Manchester City courtesy of away goals in the previous round. Pochettino’s managerial skills have shined in the Champions League and it could come down to his man management in the first leg.
However, it cannot be ignored Tottenham Hotspur do have a lack of high-quality depth available in the first leg. Pochettino will hope they can get through the first leg without further injuries.
Tottenham Hotspur and Ajax have shown an ability to score goals in the knockout stage of the competition. Spurs have tallied four goals in each of the last two rounds.
Ajax have scored eight goals in the last two rounds of the tournament. Most impressively has been Ajax’s ability to score goals away from home.
In the round of 16, Ajax went to the Santiago Bernabeu and put four goals past Real Madrid. They followed up their trip to Spain by scoring twice at the Allianz Arena in Turin to beat Juventus.
In both cases, Ajax had to go away and score after giving up a first leg deficit at home.
Tottenham Hotspur and Ajax are set to put on a thrilling first leg match in London. The two teams have shown the ability to score goals, and Tuesday night’s match will see them fly in. Onlookers should expect over 2.5 goals as the teams play an exciting draw in the first leg.