They've already been to Champions League Quarter Final (2011), and Spurs are now vying to cement their position within Europe's elite. Any victory tonight will be enough to see off last year's defeated finalists, in what would be perhaps their greatest European triumph for a generation.
Assessing their chances
In order to assess Tottenham's chances, we can revisit their last foray into the latter stages of the Champions' League. In 2011 they were comprehensively beaten by Real Madrid in the Quarter Final 4-0, however, the Spurs side likely to be fielded tonight will have a more balanced and established feel to it.
That night the likes of Crouch, Jenas, Gallas, Sandro were up against players like Ramos, Ronaldo, Alonso and Di Maria. Spurs have topped their group, which contained Real Madrid, this tells you all you need to know about the progress made since then. Now Spurs boast world class players all over the pitch, with the likes of Kane, Eriksen, Vertonghen and Lloris. These players took the game to Juventus at the Allianz Stadium, while also showing incredible heart to recover from a two-goal deficit, the first team to do so since Juventus moved to the stadium in 2011. The good omens continue with Kane scoring the most joint goals by an English player in a single CL season already, with seven.
What tactics will we see from both sides?
What was surprising about the first leg was the possession stats, with Spurs enjoying almost 70% of the ball. Mauricio Pochettino will want that to continue at Wembley as Juventus enjoy grinding teams down in Serie A, and are not used to playing without the ball. Due to this, and the fact that a 0-0 sends Spurs through, it is likely to be a 4-2-3-1 for Spurs, with Dembele and Dier sat in front of the back four.
By no means should Spurs go for a 0-0, so in their pursuit of that goal that could put the tie beyond Juventus, it wouldn't be a surprise if Lamela made way for Son Heung-min. Son has worked well in tandem with Kane, operating as an inside forward on the left flank, his ability to run in beyond Kane will cause problems for the Juventus rearguard.
Otherwise, it could be an unchanged side for Tottenham, perhaps with Trippier coming in for the suspended Aurier, which will probably help ease the nerves of Spurs fans, with Aurier no foreigner to a reckless moment. A key factor in this match is most definitely the depth of the Spurs squad, English teams have always been plagued with burnout in the Champions League. Spurs can almost field a completely different eleven if they need to, which they have done in recent fixtures. This not only protects star men like Kane but also boosts the performance of match day subs like Wanyama and Llorente, who both come into this game in good form.
Juventus will likely go for a 4-3-3/4-4-2 formation, depending on how attacking Allegri wants to be from the outset.
The Mandzukic-Higuain combination did not work in the first leg, and with the return of Dybala, it will most likely be an attacking trio of Costa, Higuain and Dybala. Bernadeschi will be a big miss for Juventus, as he has been a great attacking option for them. With Cuadrado and Mandzukic both out of the squad too, the starting eleven for Juventus will have increased pressure to get the job done. Italian football is currently in mourning over the tragic death of Davide Astori, and this will no doubt have an effect on the team tonight.
My prediction - 1-0 SPURS
Juventus have to score first to impact this game. Spurs are now too savvy an outfit to get off to a poor start. I expect them to keep it tight and then with the addition of fresh legs, they can score on the counter-attack, once the Juventus attack becomes more desperate in the latter stages of the game.
How do Spurs compare to other English CL hopes? Check out this article on Manchester City.
