Tottenham v Olympiakos: Back Son to shine

Andy Schooler is backing an in-from Heung-min Son to continue his impressive goalscoring form when Spurs host Olympiakos in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Tottenham v Olympiakos
Tuesday, 20:00
Live on BT Sport 2

The theory goes that Jose Mourinho is a winner and he certainly got off with a winning start with Tottenham at the weekend.

West Ham were pretty woeful opponents and the new manager won't have been happy with the way his side got sloppy in the latter stages but the big takeaway for Spurs fans would have been that they looked like a team with real purpose again.

In many ways the former Chelsea and Manchester United boss went back to basics with his first team selection, playing a 4-2-3-1 formation which worked so well for so long under Mauricio Pochettino in days gone by.

Awesome foursome

The front four of Harry Kane, Heung-min Son, Dele Alli and Lucas Moura were given licence to do their thing, with the rest of the team charged with keeping West Ham at bay, something they did well for the vast majority of the game.

That attacking quartet looked particularly threatening on the break, although they are unlikely to be afforded so much space by their Greek visitors in this game.

With that in mind, Mourinho could well make Christian Eriksen one of his changes - the Dane was left on the bench on Saturday but could be asked to unlock an Olympiakos defence which kept Bayern Munich out for 69 minutes in their last Champions League game.

Moussa Sissoko and Danny Rose both picked up knocks in the latter stages at West Ham although neither started, while Tanguy Ndombele will be hoping to have recovered from a groin strain in time to perhaps oust Harry Winks or Eric Dier.

Win or out for Greeks

As touched upon, Olympiakos managed to frustrate Bayern in Munich three weeks ago, although they ended up losing 2-0 in a match which saw them give up 27 shots on their goal.

A similar defensive-minded effort can be expected at White Hart Lane as they look to avoid a seventh straight away defeat in the Champions League. They need to win if they are to stand any chance of progressing.

That losing run includes a 3-1 loss to Red Star Belgrade, a team Spurs managed to beat 5-0 and 4-0 over their two most recent games in this competition.

As a result, Olympiakos sit bottom of this group, their only point gained coming in the reverse fixture. That was a game Spurs should have won - they led 2-0 and had plenty of other chances - but it ended 2-2 with Daniel Podence and Mathieu Valbuena rewarded for impressive performances with goals.

Spurs look too strong

With the venue changed and Spurs' confidence seemingly renewed by their managerial switch, the Greeks look likely to struggle here.

Their away problems in this competition have already been highlighted, while domestically they've also been a tad disappointing on their travels. They remain unbeaten in the Greek league but they've won just two of five away from Piraeus, scoring only five goals.

They've been better defensively - they've kept seven clean sheets in 11 in their own league - but the class gap to this competition has been brutally shown with at least two goals conceded in every game so far. Overall, they've conceded 10 in four matches.

So while they may be able to frustrate, expect them to crack at some point, especially against a team containing the likes of Kane, Son and Alli, all of whom have picked up their form in recent weeks.

Son to shine again

Spurs look solid acca fodder at 1.31 to win the game - the draw is at 6.20 the away win out at 12.00 - but it is that man Son I want to focus on.

He's really caught the eye since his red card (later rescinded) at Everton, playing almost as if he is determined to make up for what happened to Andre Gomes following his challenge at Goodison.

The Korean now has seven goals in his last nine games and has scored in four of his last six. He netted twice in each of the wins over Red Star and has scored in all three of his Champions League starts this season. On home soil, Son has six in six starts this term.

Early Mourinho indications suggest he'll be entrusted with his original Spurs role, wide on the left, but Son is a player who loves to cut inside and his previous Tottenham seasons have seen him score plenty of goals from that position.

Last season, admittedly when playing in various positions, Son was a man to follow when he hit form. He scored in 12 of 16 games at one point in 2018/19 and recent games have hinted that he could be about to do something similar. He certainly worried Red Star and having only been a substitute in the reverse fixture, he may still be able to being a certain element of surprise to his opponents.

Son is 2.06 to score at any time, while don't rule out another brace which can be backed at 7.00. Any such double would be his fourth this season.

The main worry for backing Son is how tough Olympiakos prove to be defensively, although the goals line has over 2.5 at just 1.54 so clearly the overwhelming view is that goals are on the cards.

Over 2.5 has occurred in all four of Spurs' CL games so far and three of Olympiakos' four and, in short, I'm happy to back an in-form player to score against a team who should ultimately be outclassed.

Opta fact

Olympiakos have managed just two shots on target in their two away UEFA Champions League games this season and didn't manage a single effort on target in their 2-0 defeat at Bayern Munich on MD4.