Shaken Real eye last 16 berth, Spurs sweat on Harry Kane
Spaniards, fresh after Liga defeat at Girona, have never lost to their opponents
LONDON: A victory for either side would guarantee a spot in the last 16, although Tottenham are winless against Real in five previous meetings.
Mauricio Pochettino is hopeful Harry Kane will be fit for the visit of the European champions to Wembley after missing Saturday’s 1-0 loss at Manchester United.
Real Madrid, level at the top of the section with Spurs on seven points after three matches, are coming off a shock 2-1 defeat at Girona in their first appearance in Catalonia since the violenceplagued October 1 referendum that plunged Spain into political crisis.
The result left Zinedine Zidane’s team eight points adrift of La Liga leaders Barcelona -- a deficit they have never overcome to win the Spanish title.
Meanwhile, Harry Kane took part in Tottenham training on Tuesday as he bids to prove his fitness. Kane missed Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at Manchester United with a hamstring injury but showed no visible sign of discomfort during a light session.
The striker was able to complete some short sprints and basic passing drills while at one point he made a hand gesture appearing to suggest he felt fine.
His return at Wembley on Wednesday would be a huge boost for Tottenham, given Kane has scored five goals in three European games so far.
Erik Lamela also trained on Tuesday, with the winger yet to make an appearance since recovering from a hip problem. Lamela has not played since October last year. Tottenham are level on seven points with Real Madrid in Group H after the sides shared a 1-1 draw at the Bernabeu earlier this month.
LIVERPOOL BUOYANT
LIVERPOOL: Jurgen Klopp’s side sit top of the group after their record-breaking 7-0 thrashing of Maribor in Slovenia two weeks ago. Five different players scored as Liverpool chalked up the biggest away win for an English team in the history of the competition. The five-time European champions could seal a last-16 place with Anfield victories against Maribor and Spartak Moscow in their next two outings, having not reached the knockout phase since 2008-09. Liverpool grabbed a muchneeded 3-0 win over Huddersfield Town in Premier League on Saturday to bounce back from a 4-1 defeat by Tottenham.
MAN CITY A DRAW AWAY
NAPLES: Maurizio Sarri’s Italian league leaders extended their superb unbeaten start to the domestic campaign with a 3-1 win over Sassuolo -- the ninth time in 11 Serie A matches they netted three or more goals.