Tottenham Hotspur play host to Juventus in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on Wednesday night, aiming to protect a slender advantage from last month's entertaining reverse fixture.
Spurs recovered from a couple of early goals behind to draw 2-2 in Turin, ensuring that they are the favourites to progress through on home soil by virtue of their two away goals.
Tottenham Hotspur
© Offside
Tottenham may not have anywhere near the same experience as Juventus on the continent, having reached this stage of the competition just twice, but they have sent out a serious message this season that they are not just here to make up the numbers.
After finishing above Borussia Dortmund and back-to-back champions Real Madrid in a tough group, Spurs then passed a difficult test in Italy a few weeks ago when overturning that two-goal deficit through goals from Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen.
While the scoreline itself was impressive, ending Juve's 11-match winning run in the process, the manner of Tottenham's display - barely letting their opponents have a touch of the ball between attacks - was the most pleasing aspect for Mauricio Pochettino.
Having collected the most points of any side in the group stage, as well as producing a stellar all-round display against one of the competition's big boys in the first leg of the knockout round, Pochettino's men must now ensure that they push on and progress through to the quarter-finals.
Too often in the recent past the Lilywhites have had to contend with 'what if' scenarios, reaching semi-finals of domestic competitions and finishing runners-up in the Premier League, and now there is just a little pressure on the players in white to prove that they are capable of ending the club's decade-long trophy hoodoo.
The FA Cup may remain their best hope of doing so, with Swansea City standing between Spurs and the semi-finals, but there is no reason why Tottenham - on the basis of their current 17-game unbeaten run in all competitions - cannot at least advance to a joint-best last-eight finish in the Champions League.
Three wins from three at home in the group stage, including those impressive triumphs over Dortmund and Madrid, only goes to highlight what is possible. In fact, for all the talk of a Wembley hoodoo, Tottenham have now gone 15 without defeat here, winning each of the last seven.
Most important of all, the Lilywhites have kept out the opposition in eight of their last 12 at their temporary home - repeat that on Wednesday night and their momentum will continue rolling into the final stretch of the campaign.
Recent form in Champions League: WDWWWD
Recent form (all competitions): WDDWWW
Juventus
© Offside
Even accounting for the four-goal first-leg draw, Juventus head to the English capital in a positive mood after clawing back control at the top of their domestic league this week.
A rare blip for Napoli opened the door for the Bianconeri to pounce, although it required a last-gasp goal from Paulo Dybala - slowly returning to full fitness - to earn all three points at Lazio and take them within a point of the summit in the process.
With back-to-back home league matches to come over the next week, including a game in hand against Atalanta BC, Juve are on course to extend their dominance of Italian football - six successive Serie A titles, four successive Coppas Italia - by a further year.
Unlike in the recent past, though, serious competition from Napoli means that Massimiliano Allegri cannot afford to rest key men, as he attempts to go one better than 2015 and 2017 when losing in the final to Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively.
Still, with the quality Juventus possess right throughout their ranks, and both Dybala and Blaise Matuidi expected to start on Wednesday evening, the Old Lady will not be ruling out a domestic and European treble just yet.
Allegri's charges also boast a fairly decent record at this stage of the competition, winning five of their previous eight last-16 affairs, most recently easing to a 3-0 aggregate victory over Porto en route to reaching the final in Cardiff last June.
Rather ominously, Juve are on a seven-match unbeaten run against Premier League opposition, winning three in a row prior to the draw with Spurs in Turin three weeks ago.
A low-scoring draw will not be enough for the one-time winners on this occasion, however, and the onus is very much on the visitors to grab a goal if they are to prolong their European adventure into the spring.
Recent form in Champions League: WWDDWD
Recent form (all competitions): WWDWWW
Team News
© SilverHub
Tottenham will be without Serge Aurier for the second leg due to an automatic one-match ban, so Kieran Trippier will deputise at right-back.
Toby Alderweireld is expected to miss out again for the hosts, having failed to truly recover from a hamstring strain suffered against Madrid on November 1, meaning a likely pairing of Jan Vertonghen and Davinson Sanchez at the back.
Pochettino has a big call to make on the right-hand side of his three-man attacking midfield, meanwhile, as Son Heung-min has been in terrific form of late, netting two more against Huddersfield Town last time out, but faces competition from Serge Aurier and Lucas Moura.
The big fitness doubt for Juve is star striker Gonzalo Higuain, who is struggling with an ankle injury sustained in the recent derby meeting with Torino - the same match that saw Federico Bernardeschi pull up with a knee complaint.
Juan Cuadrado and Mattia De Sciglio will join Bernardeschi in sitting out this trip to London, but Dybala appears to be ready to start and Matuidi's return to fitness is also a major boost, with Spurs bossing the midfield in the reverse meeting.
Even without Higuain, however, Allegri could still go with a talented front three comprised of Douglas Costa, Dybala and Mario Mandzukic.
Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:
Lloris; Trippier, Sanchez, Vertonghen, Davies; Dier, Dembele; Son, Alli, Eriksen; Kane
Juventus possible starting lineup:
Buffon; Lichsteiner, Benatia, Chiellini, Sandro; Khedira, Pjanic, Matuidi; Costa, Dybala, Mandzukic
Head To Head
The reverse meeting was the first time these two teams have faced off in European competition, with Higuain's early double being cancelled out by Kane and Eriksen.
Spurs are unbeaten in seven home matches against Italian opposition and have now lost just four of 16 overall.
While Juve have a good recent record against English clubs, their return from two-legged ties is far less impressive, losing each of their last five knockout-stage encounters.
We say: Tottenham Hotspur 0-0 Juventus
Both teams boast solid defensive records this season, with Juve conceding in just two of their last 20 matches and Spurs recording shutouts in eight of their last 12 on home soil. A goalless draw under the Wembley lights on Wednesday and it will be the Lilywhites who are preparing for at least a couple more European fixtures.
Daniel Lewis
