Tottenham vs Barcelona Champions League Preview

Tottenham Hotspur have their Champions League hopes on the line, as they travel to Camp Nou to face a FC Barcelona squad that have already won Group B.

Win and you advance, that is all that matters for Tottenham Hotspur right now. If Spurs lose, odds are they fall into the Europa League, with Intern Milan hosting PSV on the other side of the group. The lads know what they need to do, however, winning a must-win game is easier said than done when the opponent is FC Barcelona.

The reality for Tottenham is that the opponent IS Barcelona, and it IS in Spain. The good news is having already secured first place in the group it is possible that Barcelona field a less than full strength squad in this final match. But counting on Messi, Rakitic, or others sitting this one out, is more of a hope and dream than any kind of reality.

Further, as you look at the squad named for the match by Ernesto Valverde, there really isn’t a B team, it is just more of the A-team. The best Spurs can hope for is that Messi sits. With anyone else it is like trading like for like but with Messi, as we saw in Wembley is on a different planet with a soccer ball.

So, beyond the prayer that maybe Leo sits this one out, what can we look for in this match-up?

Tottenham and Barcelona Game History

When it comes to any real history between these two clubs, not much exists. Barcelona beat Tottenham 2-1 over two legs back in the 1981/82 Cup Winners Cup, and then the two clubs met on Match-day 2 of this year’s competition, where a sublime Lionel Messi and a major Hugo Lloris era stole the headlines. Beyond that, there was the shootout at the International Champions Cup earlier this year after the two sides played to a 2-2 draw. The reality is Spurs have never beaten Barca, but they haven’t had a ton of chances to do so either.

Tottenham and Barcelona Recent Form

Both Tottenham and Barcelona head into this match playing some fine football. Barcelona is 7-2-1 over their last 10 games in all competitions. After 3 wins, Barca hit a mini skid where they tied, lost, and tied over 3 games. First came the tie against Inter Milan on match-day 4 of the Champions League, which clearly hurt Spurs. Then they lost a 4-3 thriller to Real Betis in La Liga and followed that with a 1-1 draw against Atletico Madrid. Since that little three game blip, Barcelona is 4-0 outscoring their opponents 12-2 in the process.

Tottenham has been equally hot, going 8-0-2 in all competitions over the last 10 games. The losses to Manchester City 0-1 and Arsenal 4-2 are the only blemishes on Spurs ledger over that time. Although the Arsenal defeat was only a little over a week ago, the busy holiday schedule has allowed Spurs to win two games already since then with a 5-1 combined margin. With the taste of the derby defeat already washed away, the reality is that two squads playing winning football are going to meet.

What to Expect

Regardless of who plays for either squad, the basic flow of the game is easy enough to predict. Barcelona is going to control most of the possession, likely 55% or more. Barca held just over 61% of the possession in the first match.  A lot of short quick passes, movement, and maybe a moment or two of magic.

Tottenham on the other hand may be a bit more difficult to predict. I could see the squad trying to fight for the lion’s share of possession or being content to sit back and try to hit on the counter. The truth is, out of the two teams, Tottenham is the one that must win. This is why I’d expect every effort to come out and hold as much possession as possible and take the game to Barcelona.

The Chelsea game plan could be one employed here too. Dele Alli or even Harry Winks could man-mark Messi all over the field. Cut off the supply line and you cut of the attack. And whether it is Son or Lucas, play those balls into the flag and let them run. If they do this they will make Barca full backs, well, be full backs. Look to hit early every time we get the ball and take the game to them.

Tottenham’s mantra is simple, “To dare is to do” and to beat Barcelona in Spain, the squad must be daring and if they wish to advance, win is something they must do. Be the aggressor, win the game, because Barcelona won’t just lose it.

Predictions

Aaron Coe

Spurs 3-2

Yes, this is a homer prediction, but this is a Tottenham fan blog and what am I going to predict a draw in the biggest game of the year?

Tottenham come out sharp and jump on Barcelona like they did Chelsea a few games back. Dele Alli sneaks in a late run to strike early. A Kane double on either side of halftime, give Spurs the breathing room they need. That killer instinct that has been lacking shows up at the most important time and Harry Kane and company make a statement to all of Europe.

Zaph Hutson

Spurs 2-1

I would expect Barcelona to rest some big players. Suarez is out, Coutinho is questionable, and Messi might forgo playing in an unnecessary match. Also, when it comes to form, Spurs actually look better than Barcelona. One team will play their heart out, the other couldn’t care less. I’m rooting for the former.