Tottenham Hotspur
Group A Position: 1st
Group A Form: D (2-2 Werder Bremen – A)
The four-or-so-thousand travelling Tottenham fans seen their side collect their first ever Champions League point on Match Day 1, although it could and perhaps should have been more after manager Harry Redknapp had seen his side go 2-0 up within the first 20 minutes of their game in Germany with Werder Bremen before throwing their deserved advantage away to draw 2-2. Now it’s the turn of White Hart Lane to get its first official taste of Champions League football, with Spurs playing host to Dutch champions FC Twente in the English capital on Wednesday night in a game the home side simply have to win if they really do consider themselves a prominent player in a fiercely competitive Group A.
Of the four English contingents competing in this year’s tournament, Tottenham drew the shortest straw although the fact they were seeded in group 3 because of their lack of European pedigree didn’t help their cause. They began impressively however, sprinting out of the blocks to take a 2-0 lead in their game with Werder Bremen through an own goal from a Bremen defender and a bullet header from striker Peter Crouch. However, Tottenham’s Achilles heel over the last twelve months has been their inability to kill teams off and their negative trait really did come back to haunt them a fortnight ago, although Redknapp was content with the point nonetheless while the performance, one of a real high standard, left everyone aware of the threat Spurs will pose this season and that they are certainly no European newbie.
Nevertheless, just how costly will their failure to retain their 2-0 lead in Bremen cost them later on in proceedings, especially in a tough group containing the reigning Euro champs, a recent European finalist and a Dutch champion. And it is the latter whom Spurs really ought to be beating, home and away probably, if they’re to make the cut for the last-sixteen. You would feel three wins at home and a point away, to which Spurs already have their first away point, would be enough for Tottenham Hotspur to progress from the group, however, beating the likes of Inter Milan, Werder Bremen and FC Twente at home is a feat easier said than done, but with tougher games to come, more notably their trip to the San Siro in three weeks time, the pressure is well and truly on Harry Redknapp and his players obtaining the winning result they so dearly crave in London on Wednesday.
Tottenham’s cause hasn’t been helped by their lacklustre and inconsistent start to the 2009/2010 Premier League season, with Spurs suffering their second league defeat of the campaign on Saturday away to a team who were bottom of the league at the time in West Ham United, while it was their second defeat in as many days following their exit from the Carling Cup at the hands of bitter local rivals Arsenal. Will Spurs be a wounded animal or can they still be found in London licking their wounds following an agonising week of football.
FC Twente
Group A Position: 1st
Group A Form: D (2-2 Inter Milan – H)
Like their opponents, FC Twente are also making their first appearance in the UEFA Champions League this season and also made a bright start to life in Europe’s Premier Club competition, holding the reigning champions Inter Milan to a 2-2 draw back in Enschede, Holland although if Twente wish to proceed further they will need to pick up vital points away from home, especially as they’ve already made their first slip up at home, if you can really call a draw at home to Inter Milan a slip up.
Much has been made of the club’s rag to riches story, with the Enschede club on the verge of going completely out of business and disappearing from the face of the earth at the start of the decade, but ‘The Tukkers’ pride themselves on their tenacious and never say die attitudes. The club has since risen, in infrastructure has improved immensely, while their loyal supporters were finally rewarded with the real deal last season, former England manager Steven McClaren guiding the club to their first Eredivise title finishing one point in front of a late rushing Ajax.
McClaren later switched his allegiances to German football in the Bundesliga with VFL Wolfsburg, while a number of the first team also parted company with the club, but the team itself isn’t any less weaker and still boasts a number of individuals who will be a handful for Tottenham on Wednesday night. Bryan Ruiz has proved one of the hottest properties in the Eredvisie after scoring 24 goals in 34 games for Twente last term, and while he only has one so far for the season the Costa Rican international will be of great danger to the Spurs defence, while Theo Janssen, scorer of the club’s first ever Champions League goal against Inter Milan a fortnight ago with a stunning free-kick, scored twice at the weekend in a 2-2 draw with league favourites Ajax.
FC Twente arrive in London with better form than their Group A rivals, having not lost a competitive game thus far, but their record away from home in the UEFA Europa League is of concern. Under the management of Steve McClaren, Twente registered just one win away from home in Europe last season against weaker opposition than Tottenham Hotspur, while their previous two visits to England have also brought about alarming results. Two seasons ago they were beaten by Arsenal in a Champions League third round qualifying game, losing 6-0 on aggregate but 3-0 at The Emirates – A stone’s throw away from White Hart Lane, while later in the year they were defeated by Manchester City 3-2 at the City of Manchester stadium.
Match Prediction: Tottenham Hotspur to WIN – 1.73 VCBet
Harry Redknapp has already bemoaned the difficulty of balancing the needs and wants or playing in Europe and the Premier League, even paying tribute to the likes of Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson for their miracle acts over the years with remaining competive both domestically and on the European scene, but there’s little room for sentiment when you’re trying to bypass this year’s version of the ‘Group of Death’ and this is a fixture Spurs really have to win if they’re to continue harbouring aspirations of reaching the latter stages, although that doesn’t deflect from what is a very tough fixture against a side which may be weaker away from home in Europe but nevertheless merit a great deal of respect.
Even so, I just feel Tottenham will have too craft and guile out on the wings for Twente to handle. The pace of Gareth Bale and Aaron Lennon combined with the heading prowess of Peter Crouch should prove a lethal combination against a team which will tend to sit back and try to absorb some Spurs pressure. Rafael Van Der Vaart has already shown he has some deft touches, the ability to proudce those moments of real quality to suggest he’s capable of producing something special on the night. There’s Champions League quality within Tottenham’s ranks which isn’t quite apparent in Twente’s, so the hosts get our vote of confidence to secure their first ever Champions League win.
Soccer-Betting Value Bet: Tottenham Hotspur -1.5 (AH) – 2.85 Bet365
Match Odds:
Tottenham Hotspur – 1.73 VCBet
Draw – 3.75 Boylesports
FC Twente – 5.50 PaddyPower
