Preview: Tottenham Hotspur vs Borussia Dortmund – prediction, team news, lineups

With or with out Thomas Frank on the helm, Tottenham Hotspur welcome Borussia Dortmund to North London for Tuesday’s fascinating Champions League league-phase contest.

The matchday seven showdown pits Tenth-placed BVB in opposition to Eleventh-placed Spurs, who solely path their German counterparts on targets scored however have little to shout about on the shape entrance.

Match preview

At present greater within the 36-team Champions League league-phase desk than they’re within the 20-club Premier League rankings, Europe’s premier event has typically supplied Tottenham a welcome escape from their home disasters in 2025-26.

The reigning Europa League champions strolled to their third win of the league part on matchday six, taking down Slavia Prague 3-0 to stay inside one level of the highest eight locations, which assure an computerized ticket to the final 16.

The crushing of the Czech facet additionally represented Tottenham’s third successive win and clear sheet in Champions League dwelling video games this season, however Frank’s crop haven’t prevailed on their very own turf since, and Saturday’s consequence was maybe the worst of the lot.

Certainly, Premier League disaster membership West Ham United upset the Lilywhites with a 2-1 London derby triumph, condemning Tottenham to their third straight defeat in all competitions and leaving Frank’s job hanging by the thinnest of threads.

Inside talks are thought to have been held over the Dane’s future, however he stays Tottenham supervisor in the intervening time; whether or not the identical may be stated if Spurs fall brief in midweek is one other query completely, although.

Frank’s reverse quantity this week – Niko Kovac – has no related fears over his job safety on the Sign Iduna Park, even when the 2023-24 Champions League runners-up are additionally preventing an uphill battle to keep away from the dreaded playoff stage.

BVB’s most up-to-date European affair was a forgettable one – they let two one-goal leads slip to attract 2-2 at dwelling with Bodo/Glimt – and Kovac’s facet have already shipped 10 UCL targets on the highway this time period, 4 to Manchester Metropolis and Juventus and two to Copenhagen.

Dortmund each ended 2025 and commenced 2026 as they meant to proceed, although, as Saturday’s 3-2 Bundesliga win over St Pauli – courtesy of a last-minute Emre Can penalty – prolonged their unbeaten run to seven matches in all tournaments.

Nevertheless, BVB stay a distant second to Bayern Munich within the Bundesliga desk and had been eradicated from the DFB-Pokal by Bayer Leverkusen final month, so the Champions League now represents their greatest alternative of silverware for the rest of 2025-26.

The guests won’t take consolation from their document of seven losses from their final eight video games away to English groups in Europe, although, nor their four-match shedding run in opposition to Tottenham, who most just lately bested BVB 4-0 on mixture within the 2018-19 final 16.

Tottenham Hotspur Champions League kind:

Tottenham Hotspur kind (all competitions):

Borussia Dortmund Champions League kind:

Borussia Dortmund kind (all competitions):

Group Information

© Imago

At a time when Frank wants each attainable troop match and obtainable, a double defensive blow isn’t what the physician ordered for the Dane, who’s firstly lacking Micky van de Ven on account of a yellow-card suspension.

To make issues worse, the skilled Ben Davies was stretchered off with a nasty-looking leg damage in opposition to West Ham, though there’s nonetheless no agency replace on the Welshman’s situation.

However, he will certainly take his seat on the sidelines with Dejan Kulusevski (knee), James Maddison (knee), Rodrigo Bentancur (thigh), Mohammed Kudus (thigh), Richarlison (thigh), Dominic Solanke (ineligible), and Radu Dragusin (ineligible), whereas Joao Palhinha is prone to miss out with a knock.

New signing Conor Gallagher can also be not registered alongside the returning Yves Bissouma, and the conflict will certainly come too quickly for Pape Sarr, who finishes his Africa Cup of Nations marketing campaign on Sunday.

Dortmund will not be so unlucky on the health entrance, however Chelsea loanee Aaron Anselmino (hamstring) continues to be out, whereas Marcel Sabitzer (calf) and Ramy Bensebaini (sickness) had been additionally absent from the five-goal thriller with St Pauli.

Kovac faces an intriguing dilemma up entrance too, as Fabio Silva has compelled his method into the XI over Serhou Guirassy in current weeks, and the previous Wolverhampton Wanderers man has probably achieved sufficient to carry his spot for Tuesday.

Tottenham Hotspur attainable beginning lineup:

Vicarious; Porro, Romero, Danso, Spence; Grey, Bergvall; Odobert, Simons, Tel; Kolo Muani

Borussia Dortmund attainable beginning lineup:

Kobel; Can, Anton, Schlotterbeck; Ryerson, Bellingham, Nmecha, Svensson; Adeyemi, Brandt; Silva

We are saying: Tottenham Hotspur 1-2 Borussia Dortmund

Spurs could have been flawless at dwelling in Europe thus far this season, however that ought to show meaningless amid their present predicament, in phrases squad availability, fan disconnect and pitifully poor performances.

Confronted with a Dortmund facet who’ve scored in all of their 14 away video games this season, the writing is likely to be on the wall for Frank, who may – or ought to, within the eyes of some Spurs followers – take cost of his final Tottenham match on Tuesday.

For knowledge evaluation of the most probably outcomes, scorelines and extra for this match please click on right here.