Blow by blow: Tottenham Hotspur vs Barcelona
Tottenham will aim to bounce back from an opening Group B defeat when La Liga giants Barcelona arrive at Wembley on Wednesday.
Crowd pleaser: Tottenham’s Harry Kane. AFP/Ian KINGTON
Spurs’ Champions League challenge this season began with a disappointing 2-1 loss at Inter Milan last month as Mauricio Pochettino’s men threw away a 1-0 lead to go down 2-1 at the San Siro, conceding five goals in the final five minutes.
The Londoners have responded in recent weeks domestically, beating Brighton and Huddersfield away in the league and knocking out Watford on penalties in the EFL Cup, but this will be a step up against Barca.
Pochettino’s men famously overcame Real Madrid at Wembley in the competition last year and will hope for something similar against the Catalan giants, who have fond memories of the national stadium having won their fourth European Cup there in 2011.
Dele Alli is again absent for Spurs with his troublesome hamstring injury, while Jan Vertonghen and Moussa Dembele are doubtful but Harry Kane appears back on top form after his brace in the win over Town on Saturday.
Barca have not won since beating PSV Eindhoven 4-0 in their Euro opener last month, drawing with Girona and losing in a shock defeat to Leganes before being held by Athletic Bilbao over the weekend.
Lionel Messi was rested on Saturday, only coming on in the second half, but will be restored to Ernesto Valverde’s side, while Sergio Busquets is also set to be recalled.
