Tottenham have been warned by Jamie Redknapp that Borussia Dortmund will “smell blood” in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 encounter, with Spurs in a “slump” as “Christian Eriksen looks exhausted”.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side are due in Germany on Tuesday for the return date of a heavyweight continental clash.
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The Premier League outfit boast a commanding 3-0 lead from an initial meeting at Wembley, but they are not considered to be sailing through to the quarter-finals.
Domestic form has been a concern of late, with Spurs taking just one point from their last three outings in the Premier League.
Redknapp believes his former club are looking jaded and that Dortmund will feel that they can complete a remarkable turnaround if Tottenham continue to perform well below their best.
He told the Daily Mail on the back of Spurs’ 1-1 north London derby draw with Arsenal on Saturday: “Tottenham may have won the first leg 3-0 but their Champions League tie with Dortmund is far from over — especially if they concede early on Tuesday.
“We had a similar situation at Liverpool in 1997 when we went into a Cup-Winners’ Cup semi-final second leg at Anfield trailing PSG 3-0. Robbie Fowler scored after 12 minutes and from then on it was a different tie.
“PSG cracked under the pressure and, though we could only win 2-0 on the night, by the end they were clinging on.
“Dortmund will have seen Spurs’ recent slump. Christian Eriksen looks exhausted and, without Harry Winks against Arsenal, they were unable to control the midfield.
“Roared on by the Yellow Wall, Dortmund will be smelling blood. Spurs cannot simply try to see out this tie. Sit back and they will only invite a Dortmund onslaught.”
While Spurs have stumbled over recent weeks, the same can be said of Dortmund.
A side which appeared to be in complete control of the Bundesliga title race has endured an untimely wobble and allowed defending champions Bayern Munich to pull level with them on points.
Lucien Favre’s side were beaten 2-1 away at Augsburg in their most recent fixture and have taken just one win from their last six games across all competitions.