Tottenham vs RB Leipzig: Preview, team news & betting tips

Tottenham will look to take control of their Champions League last-16 tie with a first leg win over RB Leipzig on Wednesday night.

Spurs booked their placed in the knockout stages of the competition for the third consecutive year after finishing behind Bayern Munich in Group B but they’ll now face another tough test against German opposition.

Jose Mourinho has made steady progress since replacing Mauricio Pochettino as Tottenham manager late last year and the north Londoners moved up to fifth in the Premier League table with a 3-2 win at Aston Villa on Sunday.

However, it’s European matters at hand on Wednesday and Tottenham will be desperate to go one better this season after suffering heartache against Liverpool in last year’s final in Madrid. Spurs are 25/1 at https://www.lecasinoenligne.io/ to win this year but it’s going to be extremely difficult to replicate last seasons feat to even reach the final never mind lift the trophy.

Leipzig shouldn’t be underestimated as they will prove to be a difficult test for Mourinho’s side having topped their qualification group and they are going toe-to-toe with Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga title race.

Team News

Tottenham will continue to be without the services of star striker Harry Kane as he’s still recovering from hamstring surgery while Moussa Sissoko is also on the sidelines with a knee injury.

Erik Lamela missed the win at Aston Villa with a groin injury while Juan Foyth is also suffering from a similar complaint and they could miss the first leg on Wednesday night.

As for Leipzig, they have a number of injury concerns to deal with ahead of their trip to North London. Midfielder Tyler Adams has been ruled out while Kevin Kampl is also out with a foot problem.

Ibrahima Konaté remains on the injury list along with skipper Willi Orban while star defender Dayot Upamecano is suspended for the first leg so Leipzig are without a recognised centre-back for the game.

Betting tips

This is a tough tie to call and the online sports betting usa industry is torn over who they think will progress to the quarter-finals. Tottenham are even money to qualify while Leipzig are the narrow 4/5 favoruites to make it through to the last eight so this tie is expected to be extremely close.

Being at home, Spurs are 7/5 to win the first leg at White Hart Lane and Mourinho has great pedigree in Europe so that looks like a good bet – especially considering Leipzig’s problems at the back. However, the German’s cannot be discounted and they are priced at 9/5 to win on Wednesday night while the draw is available at odds of 12/5.

I expect a competitive game between two top sides but have a feeling Tottenham will edge it 2-1. That result can be backed at odds of 8/1 at most bookmakers.