Two teams known for their fluid style of football — Borussia Dortmund and Tottenham Hotspur — clash swords in the last 16 of the Europa League 2015-16, Thursday, at the Signal Iduna Park in Germany.
Apart from the clash between the Premier League giants Manchester United and Liverpool, German side Dortmund getting pitted against English league dark horses Spurs is seen as another important and exciting fixture in the Europa League this time.
Both sides are incidentally second in their respective domestic leagues this season and they also have plenty of chances to win the league title.
The other interesting thing is both the teams are five points behind their league leaders. While Tottenham Hotspur are five points behind leaders Leicester City in the Premier League after 29 games now, Borussia Dortmund are also five points behind leaders Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga after the completion of 25 games so far.
Not only the stats but also the styles of both the teams are strikingly similar and it only makes the Europa League clash all the more intriguing. "It will be interesting to see which team can impose its style on the other. We're expecting a fast-paced game and a very intense encounter," Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel told UEFA. "We are looking forward to this match because of the tradition both clubs have."
Tuchel doesn't have any major injury worry ahead of the game as all the players are fit for particpation barring defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos, who has a groin strain. Spurs, meanwhile, have a lot to worry about as the likes of Dele Alli (suspended), Danny Rose (calf), Eric Dier (rest), Jan Vertonghen and Clinton Njie (both knee) are unavailable for the game.
Ahead of their mouthwatering clash against the Ruhr giants, Spurs coach Mauricio Pochettino said that the amount of star players present in the Dortmund squad makes it a big challenge to play against them.
"I like the way they [Dortmund] play but it's a good challenge for us. We play against one of the best teams in Europe," Pochettino was quoted as saying by the BBC. "The strikers they have - [Pierre-Emerick] Aubameyang, [Henrikh] Mkhitaryan, [Ilkay] Gundogan in midfield, [Mats] Hummels [in defence] - they're internationals and big players.
"We have a very tough game against Borussia Dortmund and I think the Europa League and Premier League are both our priority now because we have two competitions left," the Argentine coach added.
Possible starting XI
Borussia Dortmund: Weidenfeller; Piszczek, S Bender, Hummels, Durm; Castro, Weigl, Gundogan, Mkhitaryan; Reus, Aubameyang.
Tottenham Hotspur: Lloris; Trippier, Wimmer, Alderweireld, Davies; Bentaleb, Mason; Carroll, Chadli, Son; Kane.
Where to watch live
Borussia Dortmund vs Tottenham Hotspur is scheduled to kick-off at the Signal Iduna Park at 7 p.m. CET (11:30 p.m. IST, 6 p.m. GMT, 1 p.m. ET), March 10.
Viewers in India can catch the game on Ten Action, while the streaming option of the game is also available on tensports.com.
UK viewers can catch the game on BT Sport 2, while the online live stream option is BT Sport Live. The BT Sport app will also show the match Live.
US viewers can catch the game on Fox Sports 2 USA and ESPN Deportes TV. The option of live streaming is also available on FoxSoccer2Go and Fox Sports Go. The radio commentary is available on ESPN Deportes.
People in Germany can tune into Sky Sport 1/HD and Sky Sport 2/HD. The live streaming is also available on Sky Go Deutschland. The radio commentary is available on Sport 1.
BVB Total and Spurs Match Live Centre will also show the game.
Live scores of the game can be found on the official twitter handles of Spurs and BVB.
