Things can only get better, right?
In the Tottenham camp, that will be the thinking as they aim to secure their first Champions League win of the season when they host Serbian outfit Red Star Belgrade at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Tuesday night.
After throwing away a two-goal lead at Olympiacos in the opening round of the group stages, Spurs sank to new lows when they were humbled 7-2 at home by German champions Bayern Munich to get their European campaign off to a dreadful start.
Meanwhile, Red Star saw off the Greek side in their most recent group match to sit above Spurs on three points heading into what is a crucial game for both clubs.
Read 90min's preview of the clash below.
Where to Watch
| When Is Kick Off? | Tuesday 22 October |
| What Time Is Kick Off? | 20:00 (BST) |
| Where Is It Played? | Tottenham Hotspur Stadium |
| TV Channel/Live Stream? | BT Sport 2 |
| Referee? | Marco Guida |
Team News
Hugo Lloris remains a long-term absentee, while Son Heung-min will be back to full fitness, having appeared as a substitute against the Hornets after a
Predicted Lineups
| Tottenham | Gazzaniga; Aurier, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Rose; Winks, Sissoko, Ndombele, Alli; Son, Kane. |
| Red Star Belgrade | Borjan; Gobeljic, Milunovic, Degenek, Rodic; Jovancic, Canas, Garcia, Marin, van La Parra; Tomane. |
Head to Head Record
Tuesday will write a new page in both these sides' history books, with the clash to be the first ever meeting between the clubs in this competition.
They have met in Europe before, however,
Recent Form
FULL-TIME: @dele_official's late strike sees the points shared at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) October 19, 2019
⚪ #THFC 1-1 #Watford pic.twitter.com/ULKYHCgHv2
Well, where should we start?
It's been a torrid run of form that Spurs have endured since the turn of the year, which is made all the more remarkable when you consider the fact they reached the final of this very competition not five months ago.
Nevertheless, a disappointing home draw against Watford was preceded by a 3-0 hammering away at Brighton, which itself came after a humiliation against Bayern in the previous round of the Champions League. The 7-2 thumping means the pressure is on for this clash, as Spurs try to avert a run of form that has seen them win just one of their previous seven games in all competitions.
2 - Tottenham Hotspur have conceded inside the opening 10 minutes in two consecutive Premier League games for the first time since November 2014. Slow.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 19, 2019
That totally parallels the visitors, however. Red Star are in fine form, winning their last six matches in all competitions, including their 3-1 win over Olympiacos in the last round of Champions League fixtures.
They are also through to the second round of the Serbian Cup, having dispatched lowly Trepca 8-0, mostly in part to the in-form Veljko Simic, who netted four on the day.
Here's how the two sides have fared in their last five fixtures.
| Tottenham | Red Star Belgrade |
| Tottenham 1-1 Watford (19/10) | Red Star Belgrade 3-1 Rad (18/10) |
| Brighton 3-0 Tottenham (5/10) |
Trepca 0-8 Red Star Belgrade (10/10) |
| Tottenham 2-7 Bayern Munich (1/10) |
Napredak 0-1 Red Star Belgrade (24/9) |
| Tottenham 2-1 Southampton (28/9) |
Red Star Belgrade 3-1 Olympiacos (1/10) |
| Colchester 0-0 Tottenham (24/9) | Red Star Belgrade 3-1 Macva Sabac (28/9) |
Prediction
For all their troubles at present, it is still hard to see Tottenham end Tuesday night without three points.
The visitors are full of confidence heading into the encounter, but no matter how poor Spurs are at present the gulf in class should be too big for an upset. While there should be no credit taken away from their recent win over Olympiacos, the Greek side spurned a host of opportunities to score and were reduced to ten men with the game level.
An early goal for Spurs is vital here, to settle the palpable anxiety that is prevalent throughout the stadium. It should come though, and the game is the perfect opportunity to right the wrongs that have continuously popping up for some time.
But then again, we've been saying that for a number of weeks now and things are still broken...
Prediction: Tottenham 3-0 Red Star Belgrade
Source : 90min