Tottenham Hotspur will be looking to overturn RB Leipzig’s first-leg lead when the two teams meet at the Red Bull Arena on Tuesday night for a crucial Champions League Round of 16 clash.
Timo Werner’s penalty is currently the difference between to two sides, so Jose Mourinho’s men have work to do in order to reach the quarter-finals.
It’s fair to say that Leipzig were the better side in the first leg. The German outfit enjoyed the majority of the possession and created numerous goalscoring opportunities a fortnight ago.
Tottenham were under pressure for large spells of the first leg, so the English club can count themselves lucky to spell be in with a chance of qualifying for the last eight.
RB are unbeaten since the first leg, thrashing Schalke 5-0 before drawing with Bayer Leverkusen and Wolfsburg. Leipzig are currently third in the Bundesliga – five points behind first-place Bayern Munich.
✨#RBLSPURS #MondayMotivation #UCL pic.twitter.com/NqPe2qKst4— RB Leipzig (@DieRotenBullen) March 9, 2020
✨#RBLSPURS #MondayMotivation #UCL pic.twitter.com/NqPe2qKst4
During his first season in charge, manager Julian Nagelsmann has transformed Leipzig into a ruthless attacking side. RB have blown teams away on numerous occasions this term, and Nagelsmann’s men are firmly in the Bundesliga title race with just nine games left in 2019/20.
Timo Werner is the club’s current top scorer with 27 goals in all competitions this season – including four in seven Champions League appearances.
However, it’s not just Werner that has been in red-hot form in front of goal. Marcel Sabitzer has contributed 13 goals from midfield, while Emil Forsberg, Patrik Schick, and Christopher Nkunku have all chipped in throughout the campaign.
Meanwhile, Spurs have failed to win any of their four games since the first leg. Back-to-back Premier League defeats to Chelsea and Wolves were followed by a penalty shootout loss to Norwich in the FA Cup. In their last outing, Spurs drew 1-1 with Burnely.
Tottenham’s defensive record has been nothing short of dismal since Jose Mourinho replaced Mauricio Pochettino back in November. The Portuguese boss appears to have lost his spark, and Spurs’ backline has suffered as a result.
The English side have only kept four clean sheets in 29 league games term, and things don’t seem to be getting any better. Tottenham have conceded over 1.5 goals in four of their previous seven outings and have failed to keep a clean sheet during that period.
Leipzig will be without the injured defensive trio of Ibrahima Konate, Willi Orban, and Ethan Ampadu on Tuesday.
As for Tottenham, Harry Kane, Moussa Sissoko, Son Heung-min, and Ben Davies are all ruled out through injury.
Leipzig enjoyed a remarkable run earlier in the campaign – scoring over 2.5 goals in nine consecutive Bundesliga games. If the German club are anywhere near their best on Tuesday, then Spurs’ vulnerable defense will be exposed.
Forebet predicts that RB Leipzig will reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League for the very first time with a comfortable win over Tottenham. Over 1.5 goals and a clean sheet is on the cards for the home side.