Borussia Dortmund vs Tottenham
Uefa Champions League 2018-19 | Round of 16, second leg
Venue: Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund
Date: Tuesday, March 5, 2019
Kick-off: 8pm GMT
Tottenham head to Germany on Tuesday night for the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie against Borussia Dortmund looking to protect a commanding 3-0 lead secured in London last month.
Heung-min Son, man of the match Jan Vertonghen and Fernando Llorente all netted for Spurs during a terrific second-half display at Wembley that simply blew away Lucien Favre's Bundesliga leaders.
Things have not gone smoothly at all since then for Mauricio Pochettino's side on the domestic front, however, with successive defeats to Burnley and Chelsea ending their title hopes and dragging them into the crowded battle for a top-four finish.
They drew 1-1 in the north London derby against Arsenal on Saturday after Harry Kane's contentious penalty cancelled out an early goal from Juventus-bound Aaron Ramsey.
Dortmund, meanwhile, completely collapsed on young Jadon Sancho's return to England and followed that up by failing to break down bottom club Nuremberg in the German top-flight, allowing Bayern Munich to further close the gap at the summit.
And although they later saw off Bayer Leverkusen, defeat to Augsburg on Friday evening - which saw former BVB striker Ji Dong-won net twice - combined with Bayern's 5-1 demolition of Borussia Monchengladbach means they remain top on goal difference only.
Borussia Dortmund vs Tottenham team news and predicted lineups
Dortmund captain Marco Reus missed the first-leg loss with a thigh problem, though will be fit for the return fixture after making his comeback with a 66-minute showing against Augsburg at SGL Arena.
Future Chelsea winger Christian Pulisic did not play in that Bundesliga defeat after suffering his own thigh injury at Wembley, but is back in first-team training and should also be available.
Marcel Schmelzer sustained a knock to his foot in training on Thursday and Lukasz Piszczek remains sidelined with a heel issue.
Dortmund XI: Burki, Hakimi, Akanji, Zagadou, Diallo, Witsel, Delaney, Sancho, Reus, Pulisic, Alcacer
As for Spurs, Vertonghen returned from a hip injury against Arsenal, though a similar problem kept Harry Winks in the treatment room.
Eric Dier was said to be building up his conditioning again after a bout of tonsillitis, while Dele Alli is now in the late stages of his recovery from a hamstring injury.
Tottenham XI: Lloris, Alderweireld, Sanchez, Vertonghen, Aurier, Davies, Sissoko, Wanyama, Eriksen, Son, Kane
Score prediction: Borussia Dortmund 2-1 Tottenham
Tottenham have been in shaky form since that memorable European night at Wembley, though should at least have taken some confidence from that late Hugo Lloris penalty save - and Vertonghen block - against Arsenal that saw them avoid a third successive defeat.
Dortmund are typically a force to be reckoned with in front of their famous Yellow Wall, but their young team has been criticised as 'immature' by club favourite Matthias Sammer during that recent malaise.
The hosts may have enough to win the game with Reus back, but surely a 3-0 deficit will be too much to overturn.
Borussia Dortmund vs Tottenham tickets
To check ticket availability click here to head to Dortmund's website.
Betting tips via Betfair | UK users only | Subject to change
Match odds (90 mins only)
- Dortmund to win: 19/20
- Draw: 29/10
- Tottenham to win: 29/10
To qualify (including extra-time and penalties)
- Dortmund: 9/1
- Tottenham: 1/50
Click here to find the latest match odds and place a bet.
TV channel and live stream, and online coverage
The match will be televised live on BT Sport 2 and BT Sport 4K UHD. BT Sport subscribers will be able to stream the match online via the video player and the BT Sport app.
You can follow all the action with Standard Sport's LIVE blog at Signal Iduna Park.
Head to Head history and results (h2h)
The two sides have met on five previous occasions, with Tottenham boasting three wins to Dortmund's two.
In addition to this season's last-16 first leg, they met in the Champions League group stage in 2017-18, with Spurs winning 3-1 at home and 2-1 away.
They also squared off in the Europa League round of 16 in March 2016. Dortmund easily won that tie 5-1 on aggregate after following a 3-0 victory in Dortmund with a 2-1 triumph at White Hart Lane.
