Spurs
After a wobble that seriously threatened Spurs' prospects of genuine progress this season, the north London giants are trying to rebuild their campaign, piece by painstaking piece. A 3-0 win at Fulham in the FA Cup saw the Lilywhites overcome potentially tricky opponents, and a treble for Harry Kane will have repaired his slightly dented confidence after a run of one goal in five outings.
Now there is further work to do. Despite picking a strong team for the trip to Belgium last week, manager Mauricio Pochettino could only watch in horror as his side delivered a listless display, the kind of flat performance the Argentinian abhors. Spurs at their best are a team that cuts and thrusts, that overwhelms opponents with pace and energy. None of that vigour was on show last week, as Jeremy Perbet's goal gave Gent a 1-0 victory, and a foothold in this tie.
Spurs now have to atone for that defeat, and they must also now break the "Wembley curse" that appears to have gripped them so tightly at times.
The problem Tottenham had in the Champions League was that Monaco and Bayer Leverkusen were so excited to be playing at the home of English football, and it gave those teams a huge boost. It's also worth remembering that Tottenham have very little Champions League experience, and were undone by two teams who are devastating in attack when they click. At least the 3-1 win over CSKA Moscow on Matchday Six proved that Pochettino's men can actually win games at their adopted home. A sell-out crowd may help Tottenham's cause.
Influential left-back Danny Rose isn't fully fit, so may not be risked, and Erik Lamela is still sidelined.
Gent
It's been an amazing few seasons for Hein Vanhaezebrouck's Gent. They were crowned Belgian champions in 2015, they reached the Champions League's last 16 last season, and are now eyeing a place in the last 16 of the Europa League. The Buffaloes' coach didn't even pick his strongest side last week, with main striker Kalifa Coulibaly named as a substitute.
Vanhaezebrouck insists his players don't fear anyone, and he says they deserved more from their group games against Braga and Shakhtar Donetsk. The facts tell a different story. Gent conceded ten goals over two games against Shakhtar, and they drew twice with Braga, and had to twice come from behind as they were held at home.
Away from their home comforts, this is a big step up for Gent. In the Champions League last term they lost at Zenit, Valencia and Wolfsburg, and only a last-gasp goal at Konyaspor gave them victory in Turkey this season.
With no fresh injury concerns, I suspect that Vanhaezebrouck may pick a stronger line-up, although he may keep faith with the side that won last week.
Match Odds
Gent have only won three of their last 12 games in all competitions, and I don't expect Spurs to be as insipid as they were last week. Pochettino will pick a strong side, as he is determined to try and win a trophy to underline his team's overall progress. Given that Gent were taken to the cleaners by Shakhtar in Ukraine, and lost three of their four away games in the Champions League last term, I think they may crumble at Wembley.
On that basis, I'm happy to take the Spurs odds of 1.33, and boost them to evens with the Asian Handicap. We win if Spurs win by two clear goals, a result that would take the hosts into the last 16.
To Score
After his hat-trick at the weekend, Harry Kane is prohibitively short at 1.61, but I do like the look of backing Dele Alli at 2.14. Despite his tender years, Alli strikes me as a big-occasion player. He scored home and away against Manchester City, and found the net twice against Chelsea. He also scored in Spurs' last European home game, as they overcame CSKA Moscow.
Recommended Bets
Back Spurs -1.5 on the Asian Handicap at 2.00
Back Dele Alli to score at 2.14
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