The Champions League continues on Tuesday night with the third round of group games taking place across the continent. In Group H, Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur meet at the Santiago Bernabeu with both of these sides having won both of their two opening games by the same scorelines; 3-0 and 3-1. Tottenham were expected to struggle in what looked like a very tough group on paper, but Mauricio Pochettino’s side have acquitted themselves extremely well so far. Tuesday represents their biggest test of the competition so far though and they could be in for a long night.
When: 7:45PM, Tuesday, October 17th, 2017
Where: Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain
Real Madrid
Real Madrid won their first game back after the international break 2-1 against Getafe thanks to an 85th minute goal from Cristiano Ronaldo. Real Madrid have been slightly underwhelming so far in La Liga and have already dropped points in three of their eight games. Cristiano Ronaldo missed the start of the season through suspension, but since then, the Portuguese ace has been in excellent form, finding the net three times in his last three games for the club.
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur picked up their first home victory of the season at Wembley Stadium on Saturday thanks to a narrow 1-0 win against Bournemouth. That victory leaves Pochettino’s Spurs side in third place in the Premier League and they are doing their best to keep pace with the two Manchester clubs who look to be running away in the title race. Harry Kane failed to find the net against Bournemouth, but the England striker will be desperate to showcase his talents in one of the most famous stadiums in world football on Tuesday night.
Talking Points
1. Tottenham Hotspur have never beaten Real Madrid in a competitive game, losing three and drawing one of their previous four meetings.
2. Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Kane are arguably two of the best strikers in world football at the moment and they will battle it out on Tuesday night.
3. Both of these sides have scored six and conceded once in their opening two games in the group, but something has to give in this one.
Prediction
Spurs have performed very well in the Champions League this season, but it is a tough ask to go away to the Santiago Bernabeu and get a result and I do think they will struggle on Tuesday night. Real Madrid have been a little up and down so far this season, but since the return of Cristiano Ronaldo they do seem to be finding ways to win tight games and the current World Footballer of the Year could have a big say in the outcome of this game.
Betting Tips (Ladbrokes)
Real Madrid come into this game as 2/5 favourites to pick up the win, whilst an away victory for Tottenham Hotspur is available at 6/1 and the draw is 15/4. I think a good bet in this one could be Real Madrid to win and BTTS (NO) as I don’t think Spurs will be able to find a way through the Real Madrid back line, even with Harry Kane in the form of his life.
Real Madrid and BTTS (NO) – 11/8 (Ladbrokes)