Tottenham Hotspur are scheduled to lock horns with Borussia Dortmund in the second leg of the Champions League Round of 16 clash at the Signal Iduna Park on Tuesday.
Spurs had registered a commendable 3-0 win in the first leg and it goes without saying that they will be optimistic of bagging a place in the quarter-finals of the elite European competition.
However, there has been a slight dip in the domestic form of Mauricio Pochettino’s side as they have managed to collect just one point from their last three league outings.
Interestingly, Die Borussen suffered a shock 1-2 loss at the hands of Augsburg in their latest outing and are now level on points with their bitter rivals Bayern Munich at the top of the Bundesliga table.
Nonetheless, the German Bundesliga outfit are expected to give Spurs a tough fight and here are three key battles which could decide the final outcome of the game.
Jadon Sancho vs Jan Vertonghen
Spurs’ veteran defender Jan Vertonghen operated on the left of a three-man backline against Arsenal and Pochettino is expected to chalk him in the same position in the midweek Champions League fixture.
Vertonghen will be primarily tasked with the responsibility of keeping Jadon Sancho at bay at any cost. Sancho has been in an impeccable form for Lucian Favre’s side this season, and his offensive productivity on the right flank has been appealing to watch.
Dan-Axel Zagadou vs Harry Kane
The battle between the home side’s centre-back Dan-Axel Zagadou and Spurs’ striker Harry Kane will be fascinating to watch. More often than not, the former has been resilient at the back this season with his grit and perseverance and has laid the base for a strong Dortmund season.
However, Kane’s attacking prowess needs no introduction. He bagged another goal against Arsenal but will be keen to make the most of this opportunity to get a goal and deny Dortmund any chance of a comeback.
Axel Witsel vs Christian Eriksen
Christian Eriksen is the creator-in-chief of the north London giants. He is an astute passer of the ball and has the ability to create chances for his teammates. The Dane will look to control the flow of the game and make sure Dortmund don’t start dominating proceedings from an early stage.
Meanwhile, Axel Witsel has to prohibit Eriksen from orchestrating his side with his resilient defensive traits. The Belgian midfielder must refrain from giving Eriksen any room whatsoever, and he needs to dictate the tempo of the game if the German side harbour any hopes of making an unlikely comeback.