Spurs’ hopes of home comforts hit by UEFA decision

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR’S bid to play the Champions League last-16 tie against Borussia Dortmund inside their new stadium has been hit by UEFA’s decision to schedule their game in the first week of February fixtures.

While clubs cannot request specific dates, Spurs had made it known that they would prefer to play their last-16 home tie in the second round of matches on February 19 and 20 to give them a better chance of hosting it in their new stadium.

But UEFA did not make any concessions for Tottenham’s preference and confirmed the home tie against Dortmund will take place on Wednesday, February 13, with the venue yet to be decided.

Spurs have been in discussions with UEFA since drawing with Barcelona to qualify for the knockout stages and Europe’s governing body last week revealed an announcement would be made before February.

Chairman Daniel Levy confirmed there will be a further stadium update in the week beginning January 7 and it is thought a decision on Tottenham’s Champions League venue for the Dortmund tie will be made around that time.

Despite hosting a fan familiarisation event on Sunday, Tottenham face a race to make sure they are in a position to offer UEFA the guarantees they would need to host the Dortmund game at their new stadium.

Spurs have already confirmed that the home game against Manchester United on January 13 will take place at Wembley, with even the most optimistic predictions currently highlighting the Newcastle game on February 2 as the earliest Tottenham could be in their new home.

Gloomier forecasters think that it could be March until Tottenham make their move, but it seems the announcement in mid-January will prove to be decisive.