All the permutations of how Spurs can qualify for Champions League knockouts
Tottenham Hotspur thought they had already secured their passage to the round of sixteen of the Champions League late on Wednesday evening when Harry Kane prodded the ball beyond Sporting’s Antonio Adan to give his side a dramatic 2-1 lead.
Spurs were made to wait several minutes following VAR’s intervention only for the goal to be chalked off VAR adjudged the striker to have been in an offside position from Emerson Royal’s header to see the match finish 1-1.
The point means that the north Londoners still lead Group D by a single point heading into the final match of the stage which will see Antonio Conte’s side travel to Marseille on Tuesday evening.
Marseille currently sit bottom of the group with six points, while Sporting and Eintracht Frankfurt who square off against each other in Lisbon have seven points apiece compared to Spurs’ eight.
Below, we have listed the different permutations which could unfold on what will be a nervy night for all involved:
If Spurs win, they will finish top of the group and earn a seeding for the round of 16 draw.
If Spurs draw, they finish second, if one of Sporting and Eintracht Frankfurt win their match. However, Spurs can finish top if both final Group D matches end in a draw.
If Spurs lose and Sporting and Frankfurt draw, Marseille would win the group with nine points and three teams would be locked on eight. In that event, it would be Sporting who advance in second place as a result of their win and a draw against Spurs. The north Londoners would be eliminated from the Champions League and instead take their place in the Europa League. If Spurs lose and one of Frankfurt or Sporting win, that winner would qualify top and Marseille would qualify second.
SpursWeb Opinion
Spurs simply need to avoid defeat to ensure fate is in their own hands, otherwise, they face the embarrassment of playing on a Thursday night in the Europa League. One thing is for sure, they simply cannot afford to start the match as slowly at Marseille as they did against Sporting.
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