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Lackluster Tottenham suffer first-leg defeat in Milan

Joe Prince-Wright
·3 min read
2

Tottenham were once again devoid of ideas and quality as they suffered a 1-0 defeat to AC Milan in leg one of their UEFA Champions League last-16 tie at San Siro Stadium on Tuesday.

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Antonio Conte’s side could must just 0.52 xG on the night, with just two of their 12 shots valued at 0.10 or higher. All of that to say, Tottenham is a tough team to watch right now.

Brahim Diaz scored the game’s only goal in the 7th minute, capping off a forgettable moment for most of Tottenham’s defenders, as well as the goalkeeper. Theo Hernandez got the best of Cristian Romero as Malick Thiaw launched a long ball high in the air and down the left. Leao ran on, collected the ball and fired a shot straight at Fraser Forster’s chest.

Forster couldn’t get his hands on the ball and it ricocheted back into open play, just as Ivan Perisic slipped and face-planted inside his own six-yard box. Somehow, Forster got a strong hand on Diaz’s first follow-up, but by that point he was laid flat on his back with the ball bounding high above him and Diaz following up again with real intent.

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What’s next?

Spurs will host the second leg in north London on Wednesday, March 8, needing to overturn their one-goal deficit to reach the quarterfinals.

How to watch AC Milan vs Tottenham live, stream link, kick off time

Date/Time: Tuesday, February 14 at 3pm ET
Online: Live updates via NBCSports.com
How to watch: TUDN, Paramount+

Key storylines

Spurs are the ultimate Jekyll and Hyde team so good luck predicting how they will play in this game. They could probably win the Champions League if it all pieces together but right now Harry Kane has a bad back form carrying this team and some of the injuries, especially to Hugo Lloris and Rodrigo Bentancur, are huge. That said, this seems like a good time for Spurs to play Milan. The Italian giants have been all over the place and the pressure is on Pioli to turn things around. If Spurs can defend how they did against Manchester City then they always have a chance to win games with Kane, Heung-min Son and Dejan Kulusevski around.

Tottenham team news, lineup options

OUT: Hugo Lloris (knee), Yves Bissouma (ankle), Rodrigo Bentancur (knee)

The big injury news ahead of this game was a huge blow for Spurs as Uruguayan midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur has been ruled out for the rest of the season due to a ruptured ACL in his left knee. Bentancur scored the opener at Leicester but went down injured and Tottenham’s worst fears have been confirmed. Alongside Harry Kane, Bentancur has been so important for Spurs this season.

Fraser Forster will continue in goal with captain Hugo Lloris still out, while Emerson Royal could start ahead of Pedro Porro after his horror debut at Leicester and Davinson Sanchez could start too. Pape Matar Sarr could also start with Spurs light on central midfield options.

Lackluster Tottenham suffer first-leg defeat in Milan originally appeared on NBCSports.com