The gutsy draw away to Newcastle indeed sparked some new life into Tottenham Hotspur, who convincingly took down Brentford over the weekend – at home! – and now get two more reasonable fixtures this week. A trip to face a bottom-five Forest could be a battle, but Tuesday’s Champions League bout against Slavia Prague should seemingly be fairly straightforward.
With just three matchweeks remaining in the League Phase, Spurs likely need at least six points to have a chance for a top-8 place and a bye in the Round of 24. The last two fixtures are against Dortmund and Frankfurt, meaning there is no margin for error against the Czech side this week who sits tied for 30th in the table. Success here would bring the unthinkable: back-to-back wins in North London.
Date: Tuesday, December 9
Time: 3:00 pm ET, 8:00 pm UK
Location: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
TV: Paramount+ (US), TNT Sports 1 (UK)
Table: Spurs (t-15th, 8 pts), Slavia Prague (t-30th, 3 pts)
There is some history this century between these clubs, having met in consecutive UEFA Cups. Tottenham won the First Round clash in 2006/07, with both legs going 1-0 in its favor, while the Round of 32 in 2007/08 saw Spurs go ahead 2-1 on the road before a 1-1 affair back at home to advance 3-2 on aggregate. Perhaps not super relevant, but Slavia Prague hosted Arsenal a month ago and lost 3-0.
How aggressive will Frank be? Make it four matches now that Thomas Frank has not started the Joao Palhinha-Rodrigo Bentancur pairing, a couple times going with two up top, and most recently deploying the attacking quartet of Richarlison, Randal Kolo Muani, Xavi Simons, and Mohammed Kudus, leading to the side’s most consistent offense in some time.
Tuesday would be another chance to just go for it. Slavia Prague has only allowed eight goals in the League Phase, which is better than average, but a 12.3 xGA figure is sixth-worst overall, so opponents are definitely getting looks on net. The threat going the other way should be non-existent (more on that in a second), so Frank must read the situation correctly.
Can Slavia Prague enact its strategy? Slavia Prague started the League Phase with a banger, drawing Glimt 2-2 with three combined goals scored in the final 20 minutes. Since then, the Czech side has failed to score in each of the past four contests, averaging just 0.5 xG per match. Most often, possession is conceded to the opponent as well.
Despite scoring zero times in those previous four matches, twice Slavia Prague drew 0-0, and that is the hope again in North London. Even with some better performances lately, Spurs are not exactly firing on all cylinders, and breaking down a low block remains a challenge. Goals do come when shots are taken, but the visitors are banking on frustrating the attack and earning another goalless point.
What are the priorities right now? Strangely, this is Tottenham’s final midweek contest for the calendar year, giving Frank the ability to continue mixing and matching based off…opponent? availability? vibes? Whatever the case, there is some breathing room ahead, but Spurs must first get through these important opportunities this week.
The never-ending quest for the top four is motivated by the desire to reach the Champions League, and sometimes it can be hard to remember to appreciate that competition while presently in it. Spurs are very likely to advance to the next round, but would be helped meaningfully by avoiding the Round of 24 as well. Dortmund is tough, but Slavia Prague and Frankfurt are contests that must result in three points each.
