After a long break, Champions League matches are finally back. In the round of 16, the English team Tottenham Hotspur will face RB Leipzig from Germany. An especially interesting battle between these two teams is expected.
Tottenham Hotspur
This team could be considered part of the English football elite, but this season has not gone as expected. Tottenham currently occupies 5th place in the Premier League. And not too long ago, this position was even worse. Only thanks to three consecutive wins, the team managed to reduce the deficit to 4th place to just 1 point. These recent victories were achieved against Aston Villa, Norwich, and even Man City, with Tottenham scoring at least 2 goals in each of these matches.
Overall, when talking about Tottenham, their offense stands out first. The team has never been known for its exceptional defense, and this year they have already conceded 34 goals in 26 matches. The defense often makes childish mistakes and concedes easy goals.
Although their offensive leader Kane was sidelined during the season, the newly acquired Bergwijn has integrated well into the team. Another team star, Eriksen, was sold, but this perhaps even improved the atmosphere in the team. Son, Alli, Lucas – all of them are very talented in attack and can score multiple goals.
It is worth mentioning that the London club has won 10 of their last 14 UEFA CL home matches. The only draw was recorded in 2010 against AC Milan. It seems that in this match, Tottenham will fight only for victory at home and will desperately want to have an advantage before the return leg.
RB Leipzig
This team has risen to the elite of German football over the past few seasons. And this season is going particularly well. After 22 matches played, the team occupies second place in the league, just one point behind Bayern Munich. They also show good performance away from home. They have won 6 out of 11 away matches, scoring 25 goals in them.
RB Leipzig is also a team that is primarily associated with offense, not defense. In their attacking lineup, they have players like Werner, Schick, Mukiele, Sabitzer, Forsberg, Ampadu, Poulsen, etc. This is a very young and mobile attacking lineup, characterized by exceptional speed. It is no surprise that most opponents' defenses are unable to withstand Leipzig's attack.
This season, the team from Leipzig averages 3.7 goals per match. And only 5 out of 22 of their matches have ended with fewer than three goals. An interesting fact is that Leipzig often struggles to win UEFA CL matches away from home. This might happen in this duel as well, but at least one goal should be scored by this team.
Choice
So, in the UEFA CL, we have two teams known for their offense, not defense. Tottenham is averaging 3 goals per match this season, while RB Leipzig averages 3.7 goals. Tottenham should aim to gain an advantage before the away match and try to secure a win, but given their leaky defense, it would be quite surprising if they managed to keep a clean sheet. It seems that both teams should score, and one of them – perhaps even multiple times. Good luck and enjoy the football!
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