The hidden benefit of Tottenham’s Champions League success as top four advantage emerges
Tottenham’s win over Frankfurt on Wednesday night secured the Lilywhites’ passage through to the last 16 of the Champions League.
Goals from Randal Kolo Muani and Dominic Solanke ensured Spurs had a positive end to the league phase and remain in the competition.
In fact, with results elsewhere, that win was enough to land Tottenham a fourth-placed finish, with only Liverpool, Bayern Munich, and Arsenal above them.
It means Spurs don’t need to worry about the play-offs to be in the draw for the knockout stages of the Champions League. And, they can expect a handy advantage for the next two rounds, too.
Tottenham to be rewarded for finishing in Champions League top four
The way the draw for the round of 16 and the quarter finals works means that teams in the top four of the league phase get a slightly more favourable ride.
More specifically, Tottenham and the three teams above them will be playing their home legs second in both the R16 and quarters.
That’s not a guaranteed advantage, of course, but most people would agree that playing on home turf knowing exactly what is needed is often the better way to do things.
It will all depend on who Spurs are drawn against and they’ll still need to be in a strong position going into those home legs. But, it’s a little bit of help that any team would gladly take.
Home form could be a worry for Spurs in latter stages
Playing at home would usually be an advantage for any side, but Spurs fans may well be worrying about that particular aspect of the knockout games.
To put it bluntly, Spurs have been terrible at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this season — at least in the Premier League.
Thomas Frank has the worst Premier League points-per-game of any Tottenham manager in 25 years, and it’s safe to say the fans have not been happy when watching their team in N17.
Interestingly, though, the Lilywhites are unbeaten at home in the Champions League. A 1-0 win against Villarreal, 4-0 win over Copenhagen, 3-0 win over Slavia Prague, and the 2-0 win over Dortmund last week set Spurs up for success, and they didn’t even concede a goal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the league phase.
If they can keep that up, Spurs will have a great chance of progress to the latter stages of the competition.
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