Tottenham face Atletico Madrid at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League 1/8 final, needing a huge response after a 5-2 defeat in Madrid on 10 March. The tie is finely poised in terms of attacking potential: both sides have scored 17 goals in 8 league-phase matches, but Tottenham boast a far stronger goal difference (+10 vs Atletico’s +2) and a perfect home record in this Champions League campaign (4 wins from 4, 10 scored, 0 conceded).
Atletico arrive with momentum from that first-leg win and a prolific overall campaign: 29 goals in 11 Champions League games, compared with Tottenham’s 19 in 9. Julián Álvarez (7 goals, 3 assists in 10 appearances) and Alexander Sørloth (5 goals in 10) headline Diego Simeone’s threat, though the visitors are without key goalkeeper Jan Oblak, as well as P. Barrios and R. Mendoza.
Tottenham’s challenge is complicated by a brutal absentee list: Richarlison (suspension), J. Maddison, D. Kulusevski, M. Kudus, R. Bentancur, B. Davies, L. Bergvall, W. Odobert and Souza are all ruled out, while C. Gallagher, J. Palhinha, C. Romero and D. Udogie are doubts.
Given Atletico’s first-leg cushion and Spurs’ injuries, the visitors look better placed to progress, though Tottenham’s flawless home record keeps a dramatic turnaround in play.
