Tottenham Hotspur have their work cut out if they aim to reach the Champions League final. They qualified for the round of 16 by finishing fourth in the Champions League ranking.
Only Arsenal, Bayern Munich, and Liverpool picked up more points than the beleaguered Premier League giants, who also ended the League Phase with three consecutive wins.
That impressive streak was capped off by a comprehensive 2-0 win against Eintracht Frankfurt in their final League Phase fixture.
However, much has changed since that victory. Tottenham have parted ways with Thomas Frank and replaced him with Igor Tudor.
But the Croatian manager has endured a harsh introduction to Premier League football.
The former Juventus manager lost his opening two games in charge against Arsenal and Fulham, sparking shocking speculation that the club could dismiss him if results don’t improve.
Tudor has been tasked with steering Tottenham away from a relegation battle, with the Europa League holders sitting just four points above the drop zone.
Despite their woeful Premier League form, Spurs have been a different proposition in Europe.
That makes them unpredictable in the Champions League, even though their path to the final represents a baptism of fire that could end at the first hurdle.
Tottenham’s route to the Champions League final
Tottenham are set to face Atletico Madrid in the round of 16.
The La Liga giants swatted aside Club Brugge 7-4 on aggregate in the Champions League play-off round after finishing 14th in the League Phase.
This will be the first time both sides are meeting in the Champions League, but Spurs will go in as underdogs, given their ongoing domestic predicament.
If Tottenham somehow get past the three-time Europa League winners, they will face either Newcastle United or Barcelona in the quarter-final.
Neither of those options will spark optimism among the club faithful, considering Tottenham have won just one of their last nine games against Newcastle across all competitions (D1, L7).
Victory in the quarter final opens Tottenham up to four potential semi-final opponents, including Bodo/Glimt, Sporting CP, Bayer Leverkusen and Arsenal.
If Tottenham reach the final, they would arrive in Budapest as massive underdogs as they could face one of Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, or Manchester City.
If Tottenham were to reach their second Champions League final, they would surely arrive in Budapest at the end of May as massive underdogs.
Tottenham’s potential path to the Champions League final:
- Last-16: Atletico Madrid
- Quarter-finals: Barcelona
- Semi-finals: Arsenal
- Final: Bayern Munich
How far can Tottenham realistically go?
Tottenham have proven that their domestic woes hardly affect their Champions League ambitions this season. But it may not count for much in the last 16 against Atletico.
Atletico are once again the third wheel in a two-way La Liga title race, so they can afford to put all their eggs into the Champions League basket.
If Tottenham are to go through, they’ll have to take notes from local rivals Arsenal, who thrashed the La Liga giants 4-0 earlier in the campaign.
Tottenham may have been impressive so far, but getting past Atletico could be a bridge too far.
Atletico have significantly more Champions League experience than Spurs, and Los Colchoneros will likely make it count over both legs of their last-16 contest.