A whole lot has changed since back in October when Tottenham Hotspur got obliterated 7-2 at the hands of Bayern Munich in a UEFA Champions League group stage contest. Both teams have since sacked their managers, and qualified for the knockout round.
Tottenham brought in living legend Jose Mourinho to replace Mauricio Pochettino while Niko Kovac was relieved of duties in the Bayern dugout; Hans-Dieter Flick is in charge on a temporary basis. With both teams already through to the round of 16, you can expect a lot of regulars to get rested in this one. Mourinho has already confirmed that, stating Harry Kane will sit this one out. Given that Harry Winks and Tanguy Ndombele are both doubts due to ankle issues, one should not expect either midfielder to be risked here.
Meanwhile Hugo Lloris (elbow), Michel Vorm (calf), Ben Davies (ankle) and Erik Lamela (thigh) are all out for certain. You will see some reserves and/or maybe even a couple kids feature in this one. Turning to the hosts, Michael Cuisance is set to miss out after having sustained an injury during training.
Central defender Jermome Boateng (stubbed toe), whom Mourinho wanted to bring to Manchester United while he was in charge there, was taken off injured in the weekend defeat to Borussia Monchengladbach, but he’s expected to be available for this one.
Bayern Munich at Tottenham Hotspur UCL Group Stage FYIs
Tottenham Hotspur Starting XI Prediction: go to this link
Kickoff: Dec. 11, 8pm Allianz Arena
TV coverage (UK): BT Sport 2, BT Sport BT Sport 2 HD & BT App
Google’s result probability: 70% Bayern Munich win, 17% draw, 13% Tottenham Hotspur victory
Form Guide: Bayern Munich- WWWWW Tottenham Hotspur- WWWLD
Prediction: Bayern Munich 2, Tottenham Hotspur 1
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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