Tottenham Hotspur vs Bayer Leverkusen. UEFA Champions League Group E.
Wembley StadiumAttendance85,512.
Wednesday 2 November 2016 19:47, UK
Tottenham could put one foot in the knockout stages of the Champions League by beating Bayer Leverkusen at Wembley on Wednesday.
Spurs earned a plucky 0-0 draw in Leverkusen in the previous fixture, meaning two wins from their remaining three games will guarantee them a spot in the last-16.
Mauricio Pochettino's men have taken five points from their opening three matches, while the Germans have drawn every game in the group.
Following Tottenham's 1-1 draw with Leicester City on Saturday, the Londoners are now five games without a win but will take heart from the fact Leverkusen have only won two of their last 24 Champions League away games.
Team news
Tottenham striker Harry Kane has not recovered from injury in time to face Leverkusen.
Kane could return against Arsenal on Sunday but the Group E match at Wembley will come too soon for the forward, who has been out for just over six weeks with an ankle ligament injury.
Toby Alderweireld is also regaining fitness after injuring his leg last month while Erik Lamela felt a problem with his hip in training on Tuesday and is a doubt.
Opta stats
Tottenham have failed to win any of their last three home games in the Champions League (D1 L2) after winning their previous three.
Bayer Leverkusen have won only one of their last 11 Champions League group games (4-1 v BATE Borisov, September 2015), drawing seven times and losing three. They've drawn the last five.
Tottenham have failed to score more than one goal in their last seven Champions League games. In this season's group stages, only two of Tottenham's 43 shots have found the back of the net.
Spurs failed to have a shot in the second half of the reverse fixture, while Leverkusen attempted 13 during the same period.
Javier Hernandez has scored seven goals in his last 10 Champions League starts.
Charlie Nicholas' prediction
Well what's going on with Tottenham? You could dismiss the Kane theory because Vincent Janssen has scored a few goals but, while scoring from the spot still deserves credit, he doesn't get in the same areas as Kane.
When's the last time you saw these diagonal balls for Dele Alli to run on to round the back of Janssen? It seems to be affecting the way Spurs are playing, while Alderweireld's contribution at the back has also be important.
Another draw isn't much help for them. You want to be going into the last two games in a qualification position because they've got a tough trip to Monaco next.
They can't be worrying about the north London derby right now because this is a huge game.
Charlie predicts: 1-1 and Javier Hernandez to score first (30/1 with Sky Bet)
Betting
Tottenham are the even-money favourite with Sky Bet for the victory on Wednesday night, with Leverkusen 13/5 while another draw between the pair is also a 13/5 chance.
Spurs are currently 6/5 favourites to win Group E and just 1/3 to qualify, with their visitors third in the market. Harry Kane heads the betting at 9/2 followed by Leverkusen old boy Heung-Min Son (5/1), while Javier Hernandez is rated Leverkusen's main threat at 11/2.
