Champions League: Real Madrid v Tottenham Live Preview & Betting Predictions

Tuesday 18th October. 7:45PM. BT Sport

As the Champions League group phase approaches its midway point, a number of mouth-watering fixtures are set to take place across the 48 hours of matchday three – and they don’t come any bigger that Tottenham’s trip to the holders.

Both sides have played some fantastic football in spite of a few hiccups during the early weeks of 2017-18, and this will be a major opportunity for each of them to underline a signal of intent. For the hosts, it’s a chance to establish themselves as Europe’s biggest heavyweight. For the visitors, a win in Spain would confirm their place within the conversation of contenders to go deep into this year’s competition.

You wouldn’t want to miss it for the world.

Bale Missing Against Former Club

Zinedine Zidane may have a wealth of riches at his disposal, but the Frenchman does face a few headaches due to several absences. The most notable, however, has to be former Spurs man Gareth Bale, who is still out with a hamstring issue.

The Blancos will have a number of the recently missing players back, though, which will enable them to name a very strong team. Cristiano Ronaldo boasts four goals in two Champions League games so far while the likes of Isco and Karim Benzema are sure to cause problems for the visitors.

Former Spurs man Luka Modric may be the man to control the midfield in what is likely to be 4-3-1-2 formation. Having recovered from their early season blip, the Bernabeu giants will be eager to keep their 100% Champions League record running as they bid to top this highly competitive Group H.

The defending champions are still the team to beat in this competition, but the visitors certainly won’t go down without a fight.

Spurs Have Sights Set On Last 16

Back-to-back wins over Dortmund and APOEL have given Mauricio Pochettino’s men a great chance of progressing out of this perceived group of death and even a point in Madrid would keep them well on course for a place in the Champions League knockouts. While they’ll be under no illusions about the difficulty of this task, the Premier League side’s chances should not be dismissed.

Spurs have struggled for consistency at Wembley, but their away form has been particularly pleasing in 2017-18. Moreover, their best performance of the season came in that home win over Dortmund in this competition while star man Harry Kane is the Champions League’s top scorer with a huge return of five goals in two games.

Tottenham are without a few players themselves but will be pleased to see the likes of Serge Aurier back in action. Meanwhile, weekend match-winner Christian Eriksen will be eager to prove himself against one of the continent’s elite.

A draw would more than suffice for the visitors. But if they can cause a shock with three points, top spot, as well as a place in the last 16, could well be up for grabs.

Real Madrid v Tottenham Hotspur Betting

Unsurprisingly, it’s Real Madrid who enter this clash as firm favourites at 4/9 with Coral while Tottenham can be backed at 13/2. Alternatively, the draw is available at 4/1. It’s also worth nothing that Coral are offering their famous in-play promotion to selected customers – so check your emails to see if you qualify.

Tottenham are a very strong opponent but it’s difficult to overlook Real’s record in this competition. A win here will almost certainly keep them on course to top this group for an easier round of 16 draw. We expect Zidane’s men to live up to expectations.

An early goal should settle their nerves. We’re backing them to open the scoring before the half hour mark before seeing out a valuable victory.

Whatever happens, Spurs may need to accept that they’ll be on the back foot for far longer periods than they’re used to. In turn, this could allow the attacking Blancos to register more than the fair share of corners.

Without wanting to rule out Spurs corners, we’re avoiding the handicap markets. Nonetheless, we do think Real Madrid will register seven or more for a double-your-money selection.