UEFA Champions League Group B match day 3 of 6 will be upon us tomorrow, with Tottenham Hotspur looking to get a result that would flip the script of their group stage efforts thus far. They currently sit third in the group, having acquired just one point and a -5 goal overall differential. Last time out in this competition it was historically bad! They lost 7-2 to Bayern Munich, in a match that was even uglier than that sounds.
They’ll host second place Red Star Belgrade, who have three points and a -1 goal differential. Last year’s UCL runners-up are in danger of not advancing beyond the group stages, but a win here would change the outlook entirely.
Let’s take a look at the Spurs team news for this one. Winger/midfielder Christian Eriksen missed the draw versus Watford on Saturday due to a dead leg, but he’s expected to be fit for this one. He trained on Monday, as did every senior player except goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.
The Frenchman and team captain is out indefinitely with an elbow injury, with no potential return until the new year. Summer signing Giovano Lo Celso is on his way back to full match fitness, but this match (and the weekend clash with Liverpool as well) is a bit too soon to see him back in action.
The same goes for another summer transfer window addition, Ryan Sessegnon, who has yet to make his Spurs debut because of a nasty hamstring injury. He’s on the mend, but we likely won’t see him back on the pitch until November 3 versus Everton.
Tottenham Hotspur vs Red Star Belgrade FYIs
Kickoff: Oct. 22, 8pm Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Tottenham Hotspur Starting XI Prediction: go to this link
Google’s result probability: Tottenham Hotspur win 74%, Draw 16%, Red Star Belgrade victory 10%
Prediction: Tottenham 1, Red Star Belgrade 0
Even with all the turmoil and poor form recently, Spurs have enough of a talent and depth advantage to get a result here.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly appears on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
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