Champions League, Tottenham vs Juventus: Spurs fancied to make quarter-finals

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Bengaluru, March 7: Two away goals give Tottenham Hotspur the early advantage over Juventus in their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 second leg at the Wembley Stadium on Wednesday (March 7).

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Argentine Gonzalo Higuain struck twice for the Serie A champions in the first 10 minutes before Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen struck back for the visitors at the Juventus Stadium in Turin in the first leg last month.

The result definitely has an impact on the second leg with Spurs having an advantage due to the two away goals. A low scoring draw - even a boring 0-0 - is enough for Spurs to head into the quarterfinals. If they manage to get there, it will be only the second time they have gotten that far. The last time they did was in 2010-2011 under Harry Redknapp.

Higuain has recovered for Juventus

Without doubt, Tottenham will look to their main man, Harry Kane, at Wembley. He has been in the form of his life with 37 goals in 39 appearances this season. He was instrumental in their comeback against Juventus on February 14 and he will be the focal point of their attack. Juventus' defenders will have their hands full when they play against him.

However, Kane is not the biggest worry for the Old Lady. Their problem lies with the fact that their star striker Higuain is yet to reach his best after recuperating from an injury. Although he was close to missing the game, Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri has suggested that he's ready to unleash the Argentine attacker on Wednesday. The other striker, Mario Mandzukic, has shown himself to be more than a target man at Juventus. The versatile Croatian plays well to incorporate others into Juventus' attack, which is important as they have other players to worry Tottenham.

Paulo Dybala is the most underrated creative player in Europe and he can turn the match on its head from nothing. He will have a major influence on the game on Wednesday along with Federico Bernardeschi, Alex Sandro and Douglas Costa. Dybala too is expected to return from injury for the match.

Juventus are confident of beating Tottenham this time as they will have Blaise Matuidi to shield their defence, something which they didn't have last time. It is the same role that Mousa Dembele plays for Tottenham and it is safe to say his influence played a big role in the comeback at Turin.

Tottenham will also rely heavily on Eriksen, Dele Alli and Heung Min Son to provide creativity against Juventus. Their only weakness is their full backs. Both Serge Aurier and Ben Davies gave away penalties in that position and Juventus will look to exploit their inexperience.

City to coast past Basel

As for the other match of the day, Manchester City are expected to stroll past Swiss side FC Basel at the Etihad Stadium. Pep Guardiola's side already lead 4-0 but the job is only half-done. Anything other than a win for City will be surprising given the form they are in.

Where to watch and TV Timings:

Tottenham Hotspur vs Juventus and Manchester City vs Basel

Live on Sony Ten Network

At 1.15 am (Thursday, March 8)