UEFA Champions League Semi-Final 1st Leg Preview – Tottenham vs Ajax, Tuesday 30th April 2019

Depleted up front, can Tottenham undo Ajax in their Champions League semi-final 1st leg this Tuesday, at 8pm on BT Sport 1?

There are better ways to head into a European semi-final than off the back of a 1-0 loss to West Ham – the first at a new stadium, not less. But the thing is, that defeat is arguably less surprising than Spurs actually being in said semi-final.

Since February 23rd Tottenham have won just 5 times in all competitions, losing 7 games and drawing once. On the road they’ve been especially ropey; their last win away from home was at Borussia Dortmund at the start of March. Before that you have to go back to January 20th’s injury time win over a now-relegated Fulham. That puts a lot of pressure on Mauricio Pochettino and co. to get the job done on Tuesday night; something made all the more difficult by Ajax’s big game swagger outside Amsterdam.

On paper, the Dutch side – who, level on points with PSV, are facing an end of season run-in domestically even more nail-biting than the situation between Man City and Liverpool – should have been out of the competition a long time ago.

Yet they survived a group including Bayern Munich, drawing against the Germans twice; overcame a 2-1 loss at home to Real Madrid in style, hammering the defending champions 4-1 at the Bernabau; and denied Cristiano Ronaldo another Champions League success by beating Juventus 2-1 in Turin. This all from a side that entered the competition in the 2nd round of qualifying!

Crucially, Ajax also have Dusan Tadic at their disposal. The Serbian international has 34 goals this season, and goes into the semi-final 1st leg at a Super Mega PGM of 25-30. Spurs, meanwhile, are without the injured Harry Kane and the suspended Son Heung-Min, leaving Fernando Llorente as their best bet at 23-28.

Considering their recent form, the hosts really need to hammer home their advantage on Tuesday, with Spreadex offering a Tottenham/Ajax Goal Supremacy spread of 0.2-0.4, alongside a Total Goals spread of 2.45-2.65.