Borussia Dortmund vs Tottenham Odds & Pick: UCL Round of 16 Leg 2

• A place in the last eight of the Champions League awaits either Tottenham or BVB when they clash on Tuesday, March 5th
• Tottenham lead the tie 3-0
• Harry Kane returns to the Tottenham team

Three weeks is a long time in any sport or even any walk of life. Three weeks in the UEFA Champions League is an eternity.

When Tottenham beat Borussia Dortmund (BVB) 3-0 at Wembley on February 13, in the first leg of their round of 16 tie, the Londoners were flying. In addition to easing themselves to a comfortable win that looked almost certain to secure their passage through to the last eight of the Champions League, they had also hauled themselves into contention in the Premier League title race. Since then, things have turned a little sour.

Borussia Dortmund vs Tottenham Odds

*Odds taken 03/04/19

Borussia Dortmund is favored to win the game, but because it’s a two-legged tie, they need to win by 4-0 or more to go through. If, for example, Tottenham get an away goal, BVB will need to win 5-1 to go through to the last eight.

FULL-TIME! @SpursOfficial 3-0 @BVB.

Follow analysis from Wembley here: https://t.co/QOtS2YEYVE pic.twitter.com/DDK2dA1xel

— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) February 13, 2019

Tottenham’s Worrying Form

Spurs now head to Dortmund off the back of an indifferent run of form which has seen them take just one Premier League point from a possible nine. As a result, manager Mauricio Pochettino has conceded that his side’s title chances are now over and – but for a last-minute penalty miss by Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in Saturday’s north London derby – it could easily have been three consecutive defeats for the Lilywhites at a time when they needed to find some form.

Tottenham 1-1 Arsenal: Aubameyang fluffs late penalty to hand Spurs controversial draw pic.twitter.com/U8bqa1B5oM

— Guardian sport (@guardian_sport) March 2, 2019

So, what three weeks ago looked a fairly straightforward task for Tottenham, now looks that little bit trickier, even though they head to Germany with a fit-again Harry Kane. Even the most optimistic Spurs fan will confess to fearing the worst if their team concedes an early goal, especially with their defense looking a little uncertain of late.

The Yellow Wall of Sound

The famous Dortmund “Yellow Wall” will ensure it’s an uncomfortable evening for Spurs, regardless of any early goals. It’s important to note however that BVB themselves have only won once since that defeat at Wembley and have seen their lead at the top of the Bundesliga eroded, with Bayern Munich now only trailing them on goal difference.

The sportsbooks still lean heavily on Spurs going through but, while it’s a rarity, 3-0 scorelines have been overturned in the Champions League before. For BVB, their major problem is a lack of an away goal, and even an out-of-form Spurs will fancy themselves to grab a goal at some point during the match. If that goal arrives early it will effectively be game over.

The sportsbooks still lean heavily on Spurs going through but, while it’s a rarity, 3-0 scorelines have been overturned in the Champions League before.

BVB will, however, take heart from the fact they dominated the first half at Wembley, and if they can start the game at the Westfalenstadion in similar fashion, they will undoubtedly give themselves a shot.

Cautious Tottenham?

On the flip side, Pochettino – whose natural tendency is to set his side up to attack – will for once ask his full-backs to resist the urge to get forward early on. Instead, he’ll demand they play with caution in order to deny BVB the chance to get in behind his defense and get crosses into the box.

We can see it being a tight, technical game but one that will be edged by the Germans. At -105, this is still a worthwhile bet as Spurs are on a poor run of form, but we still expect the Londoners to progress in the competition. If you had to push us, we’d go 2-0 BVB.

Pick: Borussia Dortmund (-105)