Regardless of whether Thomas Frank remains in charge, Tottenham Hotspur host Borussia Dortmund at North London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for a compelling Champions League group stage clash on Tuesday. This matchday seven encounter sees 10th-placed Dortmund travel to face 11th-placed Spurs, who trail the German side only on goals scored, but both teams are struggling for form.
Tottenham currently sit higher in the 36-team Champions League league-phase standings than in the 20-team Premier League, with Europe’s top competition offering a welcome distraction from their domestic woes in the 2025-26 campaign. The reigning Europa League champions secured their third league-phase win on matchday six, comfortably dispatching Slavia Prague 3-0 to stay within a point of the coveted top eight, which guarantees direct passage to the last 16.
That emphatic victory over the Czech side marked Tottenham’s third consecutive home win and clean sheet in this season’s Champions League, but Frank’s men have failed to win at home since then. Saturday’s result was perhaps the most damaging yet, as West Ham United stunned the Lilywhites with a 2-1 London derby victory, handing Tottenham their third straight defeat in all competitions and casting further doubt over Frank’s future.
Reports suggest internal discussions have taken place regarding the Dane’s position, but for now, he remains at the helm. Whether that will still be the case if Spurs falter in midweek remains to be seen.
On the opposite bench, Niko Kovac faces no such uncertainty at Borussia Dortmund, even though last season’s Champions League runners-up are also fighting to avoid the perilous playoff round. Dortmund’s last European outing ended in frustration, as they twice let a lead slip in a 2-2 home draw with Bodo/Glimt. Kovac’s side have conceded 10 goals on the road in this season’s competition—four each to Manchester City and Juventus, and two to Copenhagen.
Despite these struggles, Dortmund closed out 2025 and began 2026 on a positive note, edging St Pauli 3-2 in the Bundesliga on Saturday thanks to a last-gasp Emre Can penalty, extending their unbeaten run to seven matches in all competitions. However, BVB remain a distant second to Bayern Munich in the league and were knocked out of the DFB-Pokal by Bayer Leverkusen last month, making the Champions League their best hope for silverware this season.
Dortmund’s recent record in England offers little encouragement, with seven defeats in their last eight away games against English opposition in Europe. They have also lost their last four meetings with Tottenham, who memorably beat BVB 4-0 on aggregate in the 2018-19 last 16.
Tottenham vs Dortmund Team News
At a time when Frank needs every available player at his disposal, a double blow to his defense is the last thing the Dane would have wanted. First, Micky van de Ven is ruled out due to a suspension for accumulating yellow cards. To make matters worse, veteran defender Ben Davies was stretchered off with a concerning leg injury during the West Ham match, and there is still no definitive update on the Welshman's condition.
Nevertheless, he is expected to join Dejan Kulusevski (knee), James Maddison (knee), Rodrigo Bentancur (thigh), Mohammed Kudus (thigh), Richarlison (thigh), Dominic Solanke (ineligible), and Radu Dragusin (ineligible) on the sidelines, while Joao Palhinha is also likely to miss out with a knock.
New signing Conor Gallagher is not registered for the competition, nor is the returning Yves Bissouma, and the match will almost certainly come too soon for Pape Sarr, who only wrapped up his Africa Cup of Nations campaign on Sunday.
Dortmund, meanwhile, have fewer injury concerns. Chelsea loanee Aaron Anselmino (hamstring) remains unavailable, while Marcel Sabitzer (calf) and Ramy Bensebaini (illness) both missed the five-goal thriller against St Pauli. Up front, Kovac faces an interesting selection decision, as Fabio Silva has recently displaced Serhou Guirassy in the starting lineup, and the former Wolves striker appears likely to retain his place for Tuesday’s encounter.
Tottenham vs Dortmund Prediction
Dortmund to win to nil - 9/2 (Betfred)
Over 2.5 goals - 4/5 (Betfred)
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