Tottenham v Juventus: Serial winners to squeeze Spurs out

Tottenham v Juventus
Wednesday March 07, 19:45 GMT
Live on BT Sport 2

After passing Turin test, Spurs hope to excel again

Tottenham have been a club on an upward curve for a while with the astute coaching and squad-building of manager Mauricio Pochettino and the tenacious leadership of Daniel Levy, who has so far managed to keep the club's best players out of the clutches of a host of admirers.

Now, Spurs have to move up to the next level, and challenge for the biggest prizes the game has to offer. They have beaten Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund in the group stage, and in the first leg of this tie in Italy they delivered an incredibly mature performance. Having conceded two goals in the first nine minutes, they took control of midfield through Christian Eriksen and the outstanding Moussa Dembele. The irrepressible Harry Kane pulled a goal back (of course he did), and Eriksen equalised.

Serge Aurier is suspended for Spurs, so Kieran Trippier is likely to deputise at right-back. Pochettino's biggest selection headache could be who to field just behind Kane, with Heung-Min Son, Lucas Moura and Erik Lamela all pushing each other for one spot.

Juventus must show they have calibre of champions

Neutrals and Napoli fans have been getting excited about Juventus' grip on Italian football being loosened this season, but Saturday's games in Serie A underlined why Max Allegri's team are so consistently successful. Juve weren't at their best at Lazio, but a moment of magic right at the end from Paulo Dybala won the game, and brought the Turin giants to within a point of Napoli at the top. Napoli then failed to deal with the pressure of the situation, and despite taking the lead inside six minutes, they collapsed to a 4-2 home defeat against Roma.

Juve coach Allegri somewhat mischievously suggested that Spurs won't defend as well as Lazio did on Saturday, but he does have every reason to think his team can score and perform well at Wembley. Juve have scored at least once in their last 15 competitive matches, and they have won 14 of those games. In the Champions League, the Serie A champions have been to two finals in the last three seasons. Since the start of 2015 they have won at Borussia Dortmund, Manchester City, Sevilla and Monaco. This is a group of players that won't be intimidated by a visit to Wembley.

Dybala missed the first leg clash with Spurs because of injury, and was missed as Juventus failed to build on taking an early 2-0 lead. His return to Champions League is timely, because attacking fulcrum Gonzalo Higuain (who scored both goals in the first leg) is a doubt for the game. Juan Cuadrado, Fernando Bernadeschi and Mattia De Sciglio are all out.

Juve's experience could make the difference

So can Spurs finish the job and reach the quarter-finals? They took a while to settle at their adopted home of Wembley, but they have won their last seven games there in all competitions. They have beaten Real, Dortmund, Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool at Wembley this season, so they are capable of winning big games.

However, this is a Juve team that has proven time and time again that it can negotiate these tricky ties. The weekend win at Lazio was a great example of them being able to nick a result away from home, even if they haven't necessarily deserved to win.

I really do see this as being very close, so on that basis Juve's price of 3.60 to win the second leg seems very attractive. They have to go for the win at some stage, but they'll do everything they can to keep the game tight until some nervy closing stages. It's worth bearing in mind that Juve haven't conceded a goal away from home since December.

You can back Juventus Draw No Bet at 2.62, which means your stake is returned if the second leg is drawn, but if Juve win, you win.

Half-time stalemate on the cards

Four of Juventus' last seven away games have been goalless at the break, and we could have a similar scenario here if neither team wants to take early risks.

You can back the Draw option in the Half Time market at 2.10.

Usual suspects worth considering to find the net

Harry Kane has scored seven goals in six Champions League games, and has whacked in 24 Premier League goals this term as well. Therefore, he always has to be considered to score in 90 minutes, especially at odds of 2.04.

If Higuain does miss the game, then the attacking burden falls on Dybala's shoulders, and he is 3.10 to repeat his weekend heroics.

RECOMMENDED BETS

Back Juventus Draw No Bet at 2.62

Back Paulo Dybala to score at 3.10