Leverkusen v Tottenham: line-ups, where to watch, form guide
Monday, October 17, 2016
Article summary
"Tottenham play great football and there's a great atmosphere at the club," said Leverkusen boss Roger Schmidt, who is hoping Heung-Min Son will not enjoy his BayArena return.
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- Bayer boss Roger Schmidt backs Tottenham to challenge for English title
- Leverkusen are ten matches unbeaten at home, dating back to March
- Spurs' in-form forward Heung-Min Son up against his former club
- Tottenham have scored in each of their last 21 fixtures
- Spurs have three points from two Group E games, Leverkusen two
Possible line-ups
Leverkusen: Leno; Henrichs, Tah, Toprak, Wendell; Aránguiz, Kampl; Brandt, Volland, Çalhanoğlu; Hernández.
Out: Yurchenko (calf), Bellarabi (groin), Pohjanpalo (broken foot)
Doubtful: Bender (illness)
Tottenham: Lloris; Walker, Dier, Vertonghen, Rose; Wanyama; Dembélé, Eriksen, Alli, Lamela; Son.
Out: Alderweireld (knee), Kane (ankle)
Where to watch
Fans can find their local UEFA Champions League broadcast partner(s) here
Roger Schmidt, Leverkusen coach
Tottenham play great football and there's a great atmosphere at the club. You can see they've improved all aspects of their game. You have to expect them to challenge for the Premier League title again this season.
I was privileged to coach Heung-Min Son at Leverkusen for a season. After a tricky first campaign at Tottenham he's now showing his true potential and I hope that continues – with the possible exception of tomorrow night.
Mauricio Pochettino, Tottenham manager
It's very important we get the three points if we want to get into the next round. We want to win tomorrow and produce a repeat performance at Wembley in two weeks' time. I admire Roger Schmidt and the way Leverkusen play. Both teams play with high intensity and always try to attack. It will be an exciting game.
We're still waiting on the result of [Toby Aldeweireld's] scan, but it doesn't look too serious. Now we just have to wait and see. The power of the team is that anyone can play. Everyone is fighting for a place in the starting XI.
Weekend results
Bremen 2-1 Leverkusen (Junuzović 13, Ousman Manneh 59; Çalhanoğlu 27)
Leverkusen have lost three of their four Bundesliga away games this season and are tenth in the German top flight.
West Brom 1-1 Tottenham (Chadli 82; Alli 89)
Tottenham's five-match domestic winning streak came to an end, though the north London side remain the only undefeated team in the Premier League courtesy of Dele Alli's late effort.
Form guide (all competitions, most recent first)
Leverkusen: LWDWDL
Tottenham: DWWWWW
Reporter's view: Matthew Howarth (@UEFAcomMattH)
Kamil Glik's 94th-minute equaliser for Monaco three weeks ago will still be fresh in the minds of the Leverkusen players, who will be desperate to prove a point after an inconsistent start to Group E.
Schmidt's men are up against a Tottenham outfit buoyed by Alli's last-gasp leveller at West Brom on Saturday, which extended the London club's unbeaten league run to eight games. Another draw on Tuesday would be a better result for Spurs, but I doubt either team will settle for a stalemate at the BayArena.
Did you know?
When did Leverkusen last lose a European home fixture? Find out more in our extensive match background.