Tottenham Hotspur host FC Barcelona tomorrow night in what can truly be deemed a real UEFA Champions League group stage crunch clash. If it’s not a must win, then it’s certainly a can’t lose match. Spurs host the Catalan club face a bit of an injury crisis.
Star midfielder Dele Alli {hamstring} is out for awhile, while Christian Eriksen {abdominal}, Jan Vertonghen {hamstring}, Mousa Dembele {knock} and Hugo Lloris {thigh} are all doubts as well. Tottenham finished out what had been a rough September on a high note, winning three in a row across all competitions, after dropped three straight.
As for Barca, they are not clicking on all cylinders right now, so maybe Spurs are catching them at perhaps a better time than typical. Of course, there is never a good time to take on Barcelona, and this Blaugranes group will be hungry for a win after not achieving a victory in their last three.
Ernesto Valverde has a very healthy side right now, but they do have some issues in the back line to sort out. Sergi Roberto will miss this one due to a muscular injury.
Kick-off: 8pm (BST), Wednesday Oct 3
Odds via Betway: Tottenham 12/5, Draw 14/5, FC Barcelona 11/10
THFC Starting XI Prediction: go to this link
Prediction: FC Barcelona 3, Tottenham 1
Feel free to post your own Barca and/or Spurs starting XI predictions, as well as your best guess as to what the final score will be.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, is currently a regular contributor to SB Nation, WGN CLTV and Chicago Now.
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