Tottenham Hoping To Reverse Form, Advance To The Champions League Final

Last week, after their disappointing 1-0 loss at home to Champions League upstarts Ajax, things looked pretty bleak. Despite being in the prestigious and enviable position of hosting a CL semifinal, they looked lost and tired, unable to put any kind of attack together until the second half, at which point they were already down to a side that just looked far more prepared and energized. By the end of the match, the same side that beat giants Juventus and Real Madrid seemed destined to add another notch to their belt on their way to the Final.

But then a weird thing happened. There was the other semi-final. And by the end of that match, suddenly, coming back from 1-nil didn’t seem all that insurmountable. 3-0? Against Barcelona? Good luck, Liverpool! All Tottenham needed was one measly goal, against, who again? Ajax? Who even plays for Ajax?

Cloud lifted. 

Confidence restored.

See you in Madrid, Lionel!

Alright, not so fast. The truth is a little more stark. How so?

• Still no Harry Kane. Sorry. (Although Son Heung-min will return after missing the first leg via suspension.)
• Spurs have won only once in their last six in all competitions, and lost 9 of their last 10 on the road.
• With a chance to seal their place in the top 4 and a slot in next year’s CL, they had two sent off in a 1-0 loss. To Bournemouth.
• Oh, and they’re heading into a win or go home game against a team that seems fearless and loose, at a stadium that will be packed with fans that truly can’t believe they’re on the cusp of being in a Champions League Final. 

As witnessed in the first leg, and in the previous series wins against Real and Juve, Ajax are for real. They’re undefeated in 18 of their last 19 matches. They just won the KNVB Cup, Netherland’s version of the FA Cup, on Sunday, while still keeping most of their top players from working too much. And last week, they came out fast in the first leg, dominating the first half, while staying strong in the back when Spurs finally started pressing in the second half.

What can we expect, and what can we wager on? Some ideas:

• In terms of the series, oddsmakers believe Ajax will hold and move on to the Finals. They have the hosts favored at -305 to Tottenham’s +245.
• For Wednesday’s game, the line is a little less sure. Ajax is slightly favored at +114 to Spurs +240, with a tie coming in at +260.
• Remember, there was a time when Spurs could score. (They scored 65 goals in 37 PL matches this year, and Kane scored only 17 of them.) So when score predictions that have Tottenham at +1600 to win 2-0, it is very tempting. Personally, we’re always tempted to place a wager on the possibility of a 5-5 tie at +100000.
• Picking the right goal scorer always pays well. For Tottenham, Son Heung-min (+195), Dele Alli (+350) and the newly elevated Moussa Sissoko (+800)seem good bets to find the back of the net, while for the home team, Dusan Tadic (+163), David Neres (+250) and Frenkie de Jong (+575) will look to seal things and send the Dutch side to Madrid in June.

Look for a tense (Tottenham) but always entertaining (Ajax) game on Wednesday! And good luck!