Group B: Barcelona, Tottenham, PSV Eindhoven, Inter MilanTottenham’s Champions League group features many similarities with the teams they were put up against last time around. This group contains an elite European giant in Barcelona and a very capable outfit in Inter Milan, who will look to establish themselves as a major threat in European competition once more.
Although PSV Eindhoven won the Eredivisie last season, finishing four points above former European champions Ajax, Tottenham should relish the opportunity of taking all six points from the Dutch side.
Spurs’ first placed finish in a group containing Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund should put them in good stead ahead of their fixtures against Barcelona and Inter Milan in particular.
Although Mauricio Pochettino’s side convincingly beat Madrid 3-1 at Wembley, their 1-1 remains one of English football’s best performances away from Europe in recent years. Pochettino bravely went with an old-school 4-4-2 away from home, with Harry Kane and Fernando Llorente leading the line for Spurs, as they looked to press Madrid high-up the park.
Barcelona will most likely prove Tottenham’s toughest test, with a formidable front-line consisting of the great Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, and Ousmane Dembele. The reinforcements of Phillipe Coutinho and Arturo Vidal add further strength to an already impressive line-up, with Vidal’s steel and physicality adding a different dimension to Ernesto Valverde’s side.
Inter Milan possess one of the continent’s most prolific strikers in Mauro Icardi who scored 29 goals in 34 Serie A appearances, with World Cup finalists Ivan Perisic and Marcelo Brozovic more than capable of hurting a side.
The Italian side only scaped into this season’s Champions League, finishing level on points with fifth-placed Lazio, as they benefitted from a superior head-to-head record.
Tottenham may discover problems in the knock-out stages should they get there, due to a lack of squad depth and no new signings.