Three reasons why Tottenham will beat Borussia Dortmund

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With the Champions League knocking on the door, we look at three reasons why Tottenham will get the best of Borussia Dortmund.

Fans arrive at the stadium prior to the UEFA Champions League match between Tottenham Hotspur FC and AS Monaco FC at Wembley Stadium

After a disappointing group stage exit from the Champions League last season, Tottenham will be looking to make amends in this season’s competition.

However, the London club were probably handed the worst draw among the English clubs. Spurs have drawn defending Champions Real Madrid, German giants Borussia Dortmund and APOEL to compete with for a place in the knockout stage of the competition.

As a thumb rule, winning your home games normally gets you over the white line, and it is imperative for Spurs to get off to a positive start against Dortmund if they aspire to get out of the group. Here are three reasons why Tottenham will beat Dortmund on Wednesday night:

Barcelona’s new player Ousmane Dembele controls a ball at the Camp Nou

#3 The Dembele factor

Although Dortmund have started in the Bundesliga with aplomb, it is difficult to not notice the absence of Ousmane Dembélé. The Frenchman who joined Barcelona was brilliant for the German side in the Champions League last season, scoring two and assisting a further six in the competition.

Although they have signed Maximilian Philipp and Christian Pulisic has started the season well, they lack the unpredictability of the departed Frenchman.

Mauricio Pochettino the Spurs manager

#2 Tottenham’s ability to press high and hit teams on the break

With Peter Bosz, the former Ajax coach who took the Amsterdam side to the Europa League final last season, Dortmund have a set style of play. They try to build from the back, and although they play with two defensive midfielders (Nuri Şahin and Gonzalo Castro in the first two games in the League), one of the two normally joins in the attack.

That plays right into the hands of Mauricio Pochettino, who enjoys setting up his team against similar sides, as was evident against the likes of Manchester City and Arsenal, where Tottenham picked up 8 points of a possible 12 in the League last year.

Giant Spurs banner during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Burnley at Wembley Stadium

#1 Strength in depth

With the success in the current transfer window, Tottenham possesses what they probably didn’t in the last campaign – strength in depth. Mauricio Pochettino has the luxury to make changes if a player is not playing to his usual standards on the day.

For example, if Tottenham are defending a lead Pochttino can choose to switch to a back three bringing on Davinson Sanchez. Alternatively, if they’re chasing the game he has the ready-made Plan B of using Fernando Llorente as a second striker and going a bit more direct than they tend to do with Harry Kane.

Sometimes, that’s the difference between a win and loss in Europe.