Michael Owen predicts Tottenham Hotspur’s Champions League chances

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Michael Owen has backed Tottenham Hotspur to progress to the Champions League last-16 stage this season.

Former Liverpool and Manchester United striker Michael Owen has told BT Sport that Tottenham Hotspur will progress to the last 16 of the Champions League this season.

Tottenham will play in the group stage of the Champions League this season for the second year in a row.

During the 2016-17 campaign, Spurs failed to advance from the group stage and into the knockout rounds.

The Premier League club have been drawn against Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund and Apoel in Group H.

Spanish powerhouse Madrid have won the Champions League title for the past two seasons and will be favourites to win Europe’s premier club competition this campaign.

Bundesliga outfit Dortmund have a lot of experience in playing in the Champions League and reached the final of the competition when Jurgen Klopp – now the manager of Liverpool – was in charge.

Apoel are the underdogs in Group H, but the Cypriot First Division club reached the quarter-finals back during the 2011-12 season.

Former Liverpool and Newcastle striker Owen has predicted Spurs to progress to the last-16 stage of the Champions League this season.

“I don’t think Dortmund are necessarily as strong as they have been in recent seasons,” Owen told BT Sport about Tottenham’s chances. “They have obviously got the one tie that everybody probably wants to avoid.

“But listen, if you are the best two teams in the group, then it doesn’t matter if there is another good one because in all likelihood they will beat the other teams as well and you both go through. Spurs will probably go through as second.”

Meanwhile, Stoke City striker Peter Crouch has taken to social networking site Twitter to comment on Tottenham’s upcoming match against Madrid in the Champions League group stage this season.

Crouch has referred to his dismissal when Tottenham last faced Madrid. It was in the knockout stages back in 2011 when the striker was playing for the North London outfit.

The 36-year-old was sent off for two bookable offences at the Santiago Bernabeu, as Spurs lost the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final tie 4-0.