Event of the Day: Borussia Dortmund versus Tottenham Hotspur
Our event of the day is the pivotal second leg in the UEFA Champions League round of 16 between Borussia Dortmund and Tottenham Hotspur at Signal Iduna Park. After a stunning display in the first leg, Spurs will be the overwhelming favourites to book their place in this year’s Quarterfinals as they take a 3-0 lead to Germany, leaving Dortmund with it all to do in tonight’s second leg. Should the English club manage to score just once tonight, it will leave the hosts needing to put five past Hugo Lloris due to the away goals rule, highlighting just how daunting a task Lucien Favre’s side is faced with. Though they remain top of the Bundesliga, Dortmund have seen their stranglehold over Germany’s top tier loosen in recent weeks. Having won just one of their last seven fixtures in all competitions, Favre’s side are suffering a recent run of poor form and will look to bounce back against Spurs tonight. The Dortmund faithful will be encouraged by the return of Marco Reus, who missed out on the first leg in north London through injury. Furthermore, they are yet to lose on their famous home turf in the Bundesliga this season and they’ll look to extend that run tonight to reach the Quarterfinals for the second time in three years. Having won at Signal Iduna Park during last year’s group phase, Spurs won’t be fearful of the potentially tricky trip to Germany. What will be more concerning to
Mauricio Pochettino is their recent form, which has seen them fail to win any of their last three Premier League outings. In spite of this, Tottenham will be buoyed by the return of Harry Kane, who has scored two in his last three appearances and has already notched four times in this season’s Champions League competition. Should the north London giants manage to hold onto their hefty three goal advantage, they will progress to the final eight in the tournament for just the second time in their illustrious history. It should be an exciting European encounter this evening.
Honourable mentions around the globe go to the NBA where there are two crucial fixtures on offer tonight. Firstly, the Golden State Warriors welcome the Boston Celtics to the Oracle Arena where the visitors will look to improve upon a recent run of poor form which has seen them win just three of their last ten outings. Meanwhile north of the border, the Toronto Raptors will play host to the Houston Rockets who are enjoying a five-game winning streak which they will look to extend at the Scotiabank Arena tonight. Elsewhere, in the cricket, the West Indies and England will do battle once more, this time in the T20 format, as the 1st T20 International takes place at the Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium. Back in the Champions League, Real Madrid will look to hold onto their slender advantage over Ajax as the iconic clubs do battle at the Bernabeu. There is a typically packed schedule in the NHLtonight as the Tampa Bay Lightning will look to reaffirm their place atop the Atlantic Division as they face the Winnipeg Jets whilst the Carolina Hurricanes will look to notch their sixth-straight win as they travel to Boston to face the Bruins. Back across the pond, Wigan Athletic will look to move six points clear of the relegation zone in the EFL Championship as they travel to face Derby County at Pride Park. Finally, theSheBelieves Cup continues today as Japan face England with both sides still unbeaten in this year’s competition.
Whatever you’re watching, enjoy!
Photos by Borussia Dortmund; Tottenham Hotspur