Tottenham Hotspur will welcome Eintracht Frankfurt and their masses of supporters to North London on Wednesday for an important matchday four encounter in the UEFA Champions League.
Both clubs sit on four points in Group D with Spurs only currently above their German opponents on goal difference, occupying the second qualifying spot for the last 16.
Match preview
© Reuters
In what was visibly a very challenging week for Tottenham, as seen by the expressions of Antonio Conte, Harry Kane and Hugo Lloris when mentioning the passing of their fitness coach Gian Piero Ventrone last week, they battled on to secure an impressive victory away to Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday to climb to third in the Premier League.
Some recent results, most notably the damaging defeat they suffered in the North London derby against Arsenal and their late collapse away to Sporting Lisbon, have overshadowed what was a very solid start to the season, in which they have not been beaten in any of their other 10 matches in all competitions.
They must ensure they take all three points from this encounter though, otherwise they will heap huge pressure on themselves to take maximum points from their final two matches as qualification may fall out of their own hands.
Two late Richarlison goals against a 10-man Marseille are the only goals Spurs have managed in Europe so far, and their toothless displays in Frankfurt and Lisbon must be improved upon here if they want the three points required.
In what has been a very messy season so far for Frankfurt, they added another crazy result to their record at the weekend, going down 3-0 to Bochum in the Bundesliga.
© Reuters
That was both Bochum's first win and first clean sheet of the season, as they went into the match four points adrift at the bottom of the table, but comfortably saw off Eintracht in a second-half display which will have left Frankfurt boss Oliver Glasner furious at his side's capitulation.
Their inconsistency is encapsulated with results like this coming just weeks after beating league leaders Union Berlin in their last domestic home game, and hammering fellow Champions League entrants RB Leipzig 4-0 a month ago.
Their Champions League journey has had its ups and downs already too, with a dour 0-0 draw in the reverse fixture against Spurs being a huge contrast from their opening two fixtures.
A 3-0 humbling at home to Sporting Lisbon was a real baptism of fire for a side making their first appearance at this level since being finalists in 1960, but that was followed up by the delirium of winning 1-0 away to Marseille, one of the most hostile places to go on the continent.
Despite the inconsistency though, all is still very stable in terms of placings for the club both domestically and in Europe, as a win here could see them go top of the group if results go their way.
Team News
© Reuters
Conte believes the late blow Kane received to his ankle against Brighton is not serious, despite the England captain being subbed off following the incident late on at the Amex.
Dejan Kulusevski remains on the sidelines though with a thigh injury picked up while away with Sweden at the end of September, so the front three of Kane, Richarlison and Son Heung-min may remain intact following the reverse fixture last week.
Emerson Royal will be available for selection as his three-match suspension will only account for domestic fixtures, so Conte may opt to bring the Brazilian back in to replace Matt Doherty at right wing-back.
Ivan Perisic dropped to the bench at the weekend, but the Croat will most likely return on the opposite flank, despite Ryan Sessegnon's impressive performance at Brighton, as Perisic's experience at this level could be crucial in a high-pressure fixture for the side.
Randal Kolo Muani missed Frankfurt's defeat at Bochum after being sent off against Union Berlin, but did feature in the tie against Spurs in between those games, so the French attacker may return to the starting XI here.
Both Lucas Alario and Rafael Borre started in attack as Glasner opted for a more attacking approach against weaker opposition in the form of Bochum, but as that backfired, he will most probably go back to a one-up-front formation here.
Daichi Kamada was the midfielder sacrificed for the tactical switch, but that decision may also have been influenced by Glasner wanting to protect the Japanese international in preparation for this match.
Sebastian Rode and Ansgar Knauff also dropped out of the side on the weekend, but Eintracht were able to welcome back Mario Gotze as the World Cup winner missed the reverse fixture with injury.
Makoto Hasebe was left out entirely as the 38-year-old may struggle to play twice in a week, but after an excellent display against Spurs last week, he should come back in to play as the central defender in a back three.
Almamy Toure will remain out with a muscular injury, alongside Buta and Jerome Onguene, who both have not featured at all this season.
Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:
Lloris; Romero, Dier, Lenglet; Emerson, Hojbjerg, Bentancur, Perisic; Richarlison, Kane, Son
Eintracht Frankfurt possible starting lineup:
Trapp; Tuta, Hasebe, Ndicka; Jakic, Rode, Sow, Knauff; Kamada, Lindstrom, Kolo Muani
We say: Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 Eintracht Frankfurt
Frankfurt may have lost heavily at the weekend, but Glasner rested more than a few key starters with one eye on this game, and with those expected to come back in, they surely will put in a more spirited effort.
With defeat being unacceptable and a draw hardly ideal, Spurs must find something to take all three points, and they may just have the individual quality to snatch a result in a group which has produced very few goals so far.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
