The holidays are finally behind us, which means soccer fans can open their real presents. The Champions League is back and the Round of 16 promises to be must-see TV. Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham hosts Bundesliga title contenders RB Leipzig on Wednesday in the first leg of their knockout round tie. While one club may be more recognizable to the Champions League scene, this matchup is about as even and unpredictable as it gets.
Tottenham Hotspur vs. RB Leipzig
- When: Wednesday, February 19
- Time: 3:00 p.m. ET
- TV: TNT, TUDN, UniMas
- Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free)
Spurs actually spent money in the January transfer window to improve their floundering squad. The additions of winger Steven Bergwijn and midfielder Gedson Fernandes has given Mourinho some interesting options when it comes to his best lineup. Tottenham’s recent form since those moves has improved, suggesting the morale has also risen. A return to the Champions League next season now looks within reach domestically, but its attention must be focused on a very good Leipzig team. It will be difficult for the Spurs without the services of the injured Son Heung-min or Harry Kane up top, but the talent is there to make another deep run in this competition.
The winter break was not kind to RB Leipzig. After becoming first-half champions in the Bundesliga, the team has come back with inconsistent form. RB Leipzig relinquished its lead atop the table to Bayern Munich and finds itself in a neck-and-neck battle. Life won’t get much easier in Europe when the team faces a Spurs team hungry to prove last season’s appearance in the final was no fluke. To make matters worse, Leipzig’s leading scorer Timo Werner has gone cold in front of goal. If the Germans have a chance to get past this round, the team needs him to rediscover his first half form.
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