Tottenham v Bayer Leverkusen – Wembley at 19:45 live on BT Sport 2
My first Asian Handicap preview of the week see’s Spurs host Leverkusen at Wembley in the Champions League. The reverse fixture between these two sides, 2 week’s ago at the BayArena, was a thrilling 0-0 and I think this will be equally as close.
Tottenham
Spurs seem to be in a bit of a slump, winless in 5, having scored just 3 times in that period. They have suffered only one defeat in that spell, a loss to Liverpool in the EFL Cup, but having started the season strongly, performances have been below par.
They are not firing on all cylinders, lacking their usual pace and high pressing. The absence of Harry Kane looks to have affected them a lot, which was expected. Son Heung-min has done a job, along with Janssen, but they are missing the England international’s quality.
Kane is back in training, but unlikely to be included in the squad. Still, things aren’t too bad for the North Londoners. They are 5th in the Premier League, just 3 points off the pace. In the Champions League, they are second in group E on 4 points, a point behind leaders Monaco.
It’s been a tough opening 3 fixtures, losing at Wembley to Monaco, before a win in Moscow against CSKA, then a hard fought draw in Germany. The group is wide open and a loss on Wednesday would see them have to get a result from both their remaining fixtures.
Tottenham come into the match as 2.01 favourites but on recent form, this is too short and I would advise steering clear.
Bayer Leverkusen
It hasn’t been the best of starts to the season for Roger Schmidt’s side. After 9 games they sit in 10th place in the Bundesliga, earning just 13 points from a possible 27. They are already 10 points behind leaders Bayern Munich and out of the Cup.
Leverkusen’s priority will now be to climb the Bundesliga, aiming for a top four finish and this season’s Champions League.
In the UCL, they remain unbeaten after 3 fixtures, drawing each one. They could have have won all three matches though. They led CSKA 2-0 after 20 minutes before throwing it away. They also led Monaco until very late on and had the better of Spurs, not Hugo Lloris though! Another draw here wouldn’t be the worst of results but it would leave very little room for error.
Bayer avoided their third straight league defeat at the weekend, which will give them confidence, coming from behind away to Wolfsburg to win 2-1. They are an attacking threat, as they showed in the reverse fixture, but may find it hard to break Spurs down again.
Asian Handicap & Total Goals
I think this match could be very similar to what we saw in Germany. Tottenham had more of the ball (57%), but created few chances, just one on target. Leverkusen created a number of chances but couldn’t get the breakthrough.
Spurs were slightly fortunate, but I expect a stronger display than in Germany.
The visitors haven’t enjoyed much success in away fixtures in the Champions League, winning just 2 of their last 24 road matches. They have also lost 7 of their last 8 in England.
Tottenham aren’t in form though and, technically they are not at home. They struggled against Monaco at Wembley and could do so again on Wednesday.
I’m recommending Bayer Leverkusen +0.5 at 1.94 on the Asian Handicap market. They are more than capable of getting another draw.
Under 2.5 also offers some value at 2.05. Five of Tottenham’s last 7 and 5 of Leverkusen’s last 9 have not seen more than two goals.
Asian Handicap Recommendation: Bayer Leverkusen +0.5 at 1.94
Prices correct at time of writing.
Join Eastbridge Soccer Betting Broker for the best prices and highest liquidity on the UEFA Champions League.
