This midweek will see Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte return to the dugout, finally, and we’ll walk with a purpose indeed. Spurs enter the second leg of their knockout round tie with AC Milan facing a one goal deficit. They need to bring their “A game” in order to turn this tie around, but the recent woes/precarious position in the UCL extend beyond the North Londoners.
Chelsea are also down 1-0 from their first leg (Borussia Dormtund) and Liverpool are about to be excused from the competition, in all likelihood, as they’re down 5-2 to Real Madrid. Even overall tournament favorites Manchester City only managed a stalemate, instead of a victory, from their first leg. So overall, England is flailing in the UCL right now.
Tottenham Hotspur vs AC Milan UEFA Champions League Knockout Round FYIs
Aggregate: AC Milan leads 1-0
Kickoff: Wed. March 8, 8pm, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, UK
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
Team News for Both Sides: go here
Google Result Probability: Tottenham win 49% Extra Time 27% AC Milan win 24%
Will Conte turn the tide and reverse the trend? This lineup below, we believe, is the best hope for doing so.
Tottenham Hotspur Starting XI Prediction vs AC Milan (UCL Round of 16)
Forster; Romero, Lenglet, Davies; Emerson, Hojbjerg, Skipp, Perisic; Kulusevski, Kane, Son
Prediction: Tottenham 2, AC Milan 1
While numerous points of this season have seemed, rather Spursy, this seems to be a side that circles the wagons pretty well. We’re guessing they’re going to do the same here.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now. Follow the website on Twitter and Instagram.