Preview: Tottenham Hotspur vs Borussia Dortmund - prediction, team news, lineups

With or without Thomas Frank at the helm, Tottenham Hotspur welcome Borussia Dortmund to North London for Tuesday's fascinating Champions League league-phase contest.

The matchday seven showdown pits 10th-placed BVB against 11th-placed Spurs, who only trail their German counterparts on goals scored but have little to shout about on the form front.

Match preview

Currently higher in the 36-team Champions League league-phase table than they are in the 20-club Premier League rankings, Europe's premier tournament has sometimes offered Tottenham a welcome escape from their domestic disasters in 2025-26.

The reigning Europa League champions strolled to their third win of the league phase on matchday six, taking down Slavia Prague 3-0 to remain within one point of the top eight places, which guarantee an automatic ticket to the last 16.

The crushing of the Czech side also represented Tottenham's third successive win and clean sheet in Champions League home games this season, but Frank's crop have not prevailed on their own turf since, and Saturday's result was perhaps the worst of the lot.

Indeed, Premier League crisis club West Ham United upset the Lilywhites with a 2-1 London derby triumph, condemning Tottenham to their third straight defeat in all competitions and leaving Frank's job hanging by the thinnest of threads.

Internal talks are thought to have been held over the Dane's future, but he remains Tottenham manager for the time being; whether the same can be said if Spurs fall short in midweek is another question entirely, though.

Frank's opposite number this week - Niko Kovac - has no similar fears over his job security at the Signal Iduna Park, even if the 2023-24 Champions League runners-up are also fighting an uphill battle to avoid the dreaded playoff stage.

BVB's most recent European affair was a forgettable one - they let two one-goal leads slip to draw 2-2 at home with Bodo/Glimt - and Kovac's side have already shipped 10 UCL goals on the road this term, four to Manchester City and Juventus and two to Copenhagen.

Dortmund both ended 2025 and began 2026 as they meant to continue, though, as Saturday's 3-2 Bundesliga win over St Pauli - courtesy of a last-minute Emre Can penalty - extended their unbeaten run to seven matches in all tournaments.

However, BVB remain a distant second to Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga table and were eliminated from the DFB-Pokal by Bayer Leverkusen last month, so the Champions League now represents their best opportunity of silverware for the remainder of 2025-26.

The visitors will not take comfort from their record of seven losses from their last eight games away to English teams in Europe, though, nor their four-match losing run against Tottenham, who most recently bested BVB 4-0 on aggregate in the 2018-19 last 16.

Tottenham Hotspur Champions League form:

Tottenham Hotspur form (all competitions):

Borussia Dortmund Champions League form:

Borussia Dortmund form (all competitions):

Team News

At a time when Frank needs every possible troop fit and available, a double defensive blow is not what the doctor ordered for the Dane, who is firstly missing Micky van de Ven due to a yellow-card suspension.

To make matters worse, the experienced Ben Davies was stretchered off with a nasty-looking leg injury against West Ham, although there is still no firm update on the Welshman's condition.

Nevertheless, he will surely take his seat on the sidelines with Dejan Kulusevski (knee), James Maddison (knee), Rodrigo Bentancur (thigh), Mohammed Kudus (thigh), Richarlison (thigh), Dominic Solanke (ineligible), and Radu Dragusin (ineligible), while Joao Palhinha is likely to miss out with a knock.

New signing Conor Gallagher is also not registered alongside the returning Yves Bissouma, and the clash will surely come too soon for Pape Sarr, who finishes his Africa Cup of Nations campaign on Sunday.

Dortmund are not so unfortunate on the fitness front, but Chelsea loanee Aaron Anselmino (hamstring) is still out, while Marcel Sabitzer (calf) and Ramy Bensebaini (illness) were also absent from the five-goal thriller with St Pauli.

Kovac faces an intriguing dilemma up front too, as Fabio Silva has forced his way into the XI over Serhou Guirassy in recent weeks, and the former Wolverhampton Wanderers man has likely done enough to hold his spot for Tuesday.

Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:

Vicario; Porro, Romero, Danso, Spence; Gray, Bergvall; Odobert, Simons, Tel; Kolo Muani

Borussia Dortmund possible starting lineup:

Kobel; Can, Anton, Schlotterbeck; Ryerson, Bellingham, Nmecha, Svensson; Adeyemi, Brandt; Silva

We say: Tottenham Hotspur 1-2 Borussia Dortmund

Spurs may have been flawless at home in Europe so far this season, but that should prove meaningless amid their current predicament, in terms squad availability, fan disconnect and pitifully poor performances.

Faced with a Dortmund side who have scored in all of their 14 away games this season, the writing might be on the wall for Frank, who could - or should, in the eyes of some Spurs fans - take charge of his last Tottenham match on Tuesday.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.