Champions League: Ranking the round of 16 ties
By Ty Finch
2. Juventus vs. Tottenham
One of the biggest surprises in the group stage was Tottenham’s dominance of what seemed to be the toughest collection of clubs in the tournament. Spurs, Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund (and APOEL!) combined to form the “Group of Death.”
However, that was short lived as Dortmund failed to even pick up a win over lowly APOEL.
Even still, Tottenham didn’t lose a single match and thrashed Madrid 3-1 at Wembley in November. Their Champions League success hasn’t always transferred over to their league form, as they sit in fifth place in the table.
Most of the interest in this tie is due to their success against Madrid, and seeing if they can conquer another European regular in Juventus, who had an up and down group stage.
After a comprehensive 3-0 defeat away to Barcelona in their first match, Juve buckled down and only surrendered two goals in their next five. What was worrying to their supporters and staff was their lack of goals. With only seven total in six matches, their lack of chances created could factor in a big way against Tottenham.
Besides two great clubs facing each other in the knockout rounds, this tie gains bonus points for how the two set up. Juventus stuck with a fairly regimented 4-2-3-1 formation for the group stage, while Spurs are a lot more unpredictable. This battle will likely come down to the second leg and may hinge on away goals. The question is, can a strict system and disciplined formation top an ever-rotating tactician with multiple ways of setting up? We’ll get at least half of an answer on Feb. 13.