Barcelona vs Tottenham Hotspur Predictions

On one hand, Tottenham’s task to make the last 16 is incredibly straightforward. The Premier League side don’t need to worry about winning margins or away goals, they just need three points and they’re all set. However, they need to claim three points away to Spanish champions Barcelona. The Catalans are already through in top spot, but will they ease off and allow Spurs to join them in the next round? Inter Milan are aiming to leapfrog Spurs on the final day, so the visitors come into this one under pressure.

Barcelona eased to a weekend win over Espanyol, beating their local rivals 4-0.  They’re on a four-game winning run, something they won’t want to lose in a clash with Spurs. The hosts have eased through to the next round, in part down to a comfortable 4-2 win in the last meeting between these two. That occasion saw Barca – in particular Lionel Messi – raise their game on the Wembley turf. The question here is can Spurs do the same, or will the club with the historically poor mentality shrink in the Nou Camp?

Spurs are in trouble due to their form at home. They’ve picked up six points from a possible nine at Wembley, but their two away trips have produced a point. They looked on course for the last 16 in their opening game, as they took a 1-0 lead in Milan. However, Inter raced back into that clash and Spurs saw their season turn there. Now Inter host PSV in their final game, one the Italians are expected to win. If Spurs fail to match that, then it’s the Europa League for them in 2019.

The visitors will hope that their opponents are going to ease off a little in this clash. However, Barca are no strangers to qualifying early. They’ve won their final game in the group in four of the last five Champions League campaigns, and their single draw came away from home. Those four victories were all home games, including clashes with PSG, Borussia Monchengladbach and Sporting Lisbon.

Since the start of 1976-77, Barcelona have lost just one of their 30 European home matches against English clubs; this coming against Liverpool in February 2007 (1-2). On top of that, recent years have seen this ground become a European fortress. Barcelona are unbeaten in their last 28 home Champions League games (W26 D2). They’ve scored 87 goals in that run while conceding just 13 and never more than once in a match. Only defensive experts Juventus and Atletico Madrid were able to avoid defeat here, while the Catalans have won eight on the spin at home in Europe. That has us backing Barca for the win, putting Spurs in danger.