Tottenham Hotspur's impressive season could suffer a setback on Thursday as they face elimination from the Europa League at the last-16 stage.
Mauricio Pochettino's side have the unenviable task of trying to overturn a 3-0 deficit against Borussia Dortmund at White Hart Lane.
Spurs have one evening to pull off a surprise comeback against the German outfit in order to reach the quarter-finals.
Tottenham Hotspur
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Pochettino has received plenty of praise for transforming Spurs into surprise Premier League title contenders this season, but he faced some criticism for his team selection in the first leg of his side's last-16 tie against Dortmund.
The Argentine did not opt for a full-strength side at Signal Iduna Park and he was punished for it as the Bundesliga club ran out comfortable 3-0 winners.
While Tottenham's threat may be growing on the domestic front, last Thursday's game, which was completely dominated by Dortmund, proved that they are a way off from setting the European stage alight.
Pochettino's team selection raised suggestions that he is solely focusing on the Premier League, where his team are currently second in the table, five points behind leaders Leicester City.
In these circumstances, managers have to sometimes prioritise, particularly if they have a big game within the same week, but Pochettino knew that his team's next match was against lowly Aston Villa, who are struggling at the bottom of the league table.
No disrespect to Villa, but Spurs arguably could have rested some players against the Midlands outfit and still got the points that they needed as opposed to leaving some of the big guns out of the starting XI against Dortmund in Germany.
Nevertheless, Tottenham bounced back from their Europa League display to seal a 2-0 victory over Villa, with star striker Harry Kane, who was on the bench against Dortmund, scoring twice.
Kane could be handed a starting spot this Thursday, and Erik Lamela could be joining him due to his decent form in the Europa League this season.
The Argentine has scored four goals in his last two starts in the European competition, but Spurs will have to do what only one club has done, and that is overcome a 3-0 loss from the first leg.
Valencia managed to stage an impressive comeback in the 2013-14 campaign, beating Basel 5-3 on aggregate after extra time in their quarter-final clash.
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Borussia Dortmund
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Thomas Tuchel's side are fully deserving of their 3-0 lead as they dominated the game from start to finish against Spurs.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang opened the scoring on the half-hour mark and Marco Reus scored twice within nine minutes to give Dortmund a strong advantage in their last-16 tie.
In Jurgen Klopp's final season in charge of the German club in the 2014-15 campaign, the team lingered close to relegation from the Bundesliga and eventually climbed their way to sixth in the table.
Since Tuchel took charge, the team have lost just five of their 41 games in all competitions this season and they currently sit second in the league table, five points behind leaders and reigning champions Bayern Munich.
In fact, Dortmund have not lost a game in any competition since December 19 having won 11 and drawn two, and they are overwhelming favourites to get the job done in North London this week.
The club have only once failed to progress in a European tie following a first-leg win and that was in the 1987-88 season when Club Brugge won 5-3 in extra time to send Dortmund out.
The current form of Tuchel's side, though, is likely to see them through at White Hart Lane as they head into the match on the back of a 2-0 win over Mainz in the Bundesliga.
While there has been positivity on the pitch, there has been some sad news off it as one of their supporters died in the stadium after suffering a suspected heart attack during the team's triumph over Mainz.
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Team News
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Pochettino has insisted that he intends to win the second leg and will try to silence accusations that he is willing to give up the Europa League by fielding a stronger side.
This means that Harry Kane is likely to return to the lineup, while Dele Alli is expected to be named in the starting XI after missing the first leg through suspension.
Eric Dier could join Mousa Dembele in the middle of the park, but Ben Davies could keep his place at full-back, leaving Danny Rose out of the lineup.
As for Dortmund, Tuchel is unlikely to make too many changes as his team had the winning formula in their last outing against Spurs.
Aubameyang and Reus are likely to be first on the teamsheet, while Sven Bender could overcome a muscle injury to start in defence alongside Mats Hummels.
Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:
Lloris; Trippier, Wimmer, Alderweireld, Davies; Dier, Dembele; Son, Alli, Lamela; Kane
Borussia Dortmund possible starting lineup:
Weidenfeller; Piszczek, Bender, Hummels, Schmelzer; Weigl; Durm, Castro, Mkhitaryan, Reus; Aubameyang
Head To Head
Before Tottenham and Dortmund met last week, the two sides had only played against one another in four friendly fixtures.
Friendlies do not provide the most accuracy as they are not competitive games, but Spurs managed to win three of them and the fourth was drawn.
In terms of German opposition, Tottenham have won nine, lost six and drawn two in UEFA competitions, while Dortmund have beaten English opponents 10 times, lost on six occasions and drawn four.
We say: Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 Borussia Dortmund (1-4 on aggregate)
Tottenham have recorded some impressive results this season, but coming from behind to overturn a 3-0 scoreline in Europe could be too much of an ask for them. Dortmund may feel that the tie is already won and it is up to Spurs to respond at White Hart Lane. There may not be as many goals in this fixture as the visiting side try to preserve their lead, but Tottenham would back themselves to score on home turf. It is unlikely to be enough, though, as Dortmund should see it through to reach the quarter-finals.
Danielle Joynson
