Another big clash is expected in the second round of the Champions League, although the host Tottenham is welcoming it after their defeat by Inter in the first round, while at the same time Barcelona has managed to celebrated at home over PSV. The Spurs are lately in a better shape than the Catalans, with whom they will meet for the first time in official competitions.
We have already stated in the introduction that the Spurs have lost with 2-1 in the first round of the Champions League against Inter Milan, which was also their third defeat in a row, because they were previously defeated by Watford and Liverpool in the championship. However, coach Pochettino's players have recorded victories in their first three championship appearances, while they in the last two rounds celebrated against Brighton and Huddersfield, so they are now fourth in the table and have four points less than the leading Manchester City and Liverpool.
Meanwhile, they also qualified in the fourth round of the Cup over Watford, which means that they are in a very good mood welcoming this very important match with Barcelona in the Champions League. However, coach Pochettino still has great problems with absences, primarily in the position of goalkeeper, where he cannot count on the injured Lloris and Vorm, so Gazzaniga was their replacement for three matches in a row, while on the list of injured players are still centre-back Vertonghen, midfielders Alli and Dembel and striker Janssen.
Probable lineups Tottenham: Gazzaniga – Trippier, Alderweireld, Sanchez, Davies – Dier, Wanyama – Lucas, Eriksen, Son – Kane
After they opened the season with six wins, four of which were made in the championship and one in the Spanish Super Cup and the Champions League, the Catalans have won only two points in the last three appearances, which immediately triggered the alarm in their ranks. Namely, in these matches they have lost as guests to Leganes and at home from Girona and Athletic Bilbao, and thanks to blunders of other rivals, they are still holding the first place in LaLiga with the same number of points as the second Real Madrid.
But we all believe that all the fans of this team wonder what is going on with Barcelona in such a short period, especially since they seemed unstoppable at the beginning of the season, so they even in the first round of the Champions League at home celebrated with 4-0 over the Belgian Anderlecht. However, they are now expecting a much tougher match against the extremely unpleasant Tottenham, for which they only cannot count on the suspended striker Observe and the injured defender Sergi Roberto.
Probable lineups FC Barcelona: t er Stegen – Semedo, Pique, Lenglet, Alba – Rakitić, Busquets, Coutinho – Messi, Suarez, Dembele
Of course it is always difficult to play against Barcelona, but their current form suggests that they might even be happy with one point on Wembley, while on the other side, after their defeat by Inter, the Spurs simply have the imperative of a good result.
Pick: 1X Double Chance
Tottenham 1.96 - 96/100 @1XBet