Born in the south east of Ireland, Simon put his life-long love of football to good use when he started a successful independent blog in 2010. That opened up an alternative route to a career in journalism, and having had work published across a number of sites and publications, Simon joined the staff at Spotlight Sports Group in 2018.
Bayern Munich’s Group B encounter with Tottenham Hotspur at the Allianz Arena might be a Champions League dead rubber, but that doesn’t diminish some of the superb value on offer in bet365’s player specials for Wednesday’s game.
Both Bayern and Spurs are assured of a place in next year’s knockout phase, and irrespective of the result from their game six clash in Germany, the clubs will finish in first and second place in their group.
Bayern annihilated Tottenham 7-2 in the clubs’ one-sided reverse fixture in October in London, though any talk of revenge or restoration of pride will likely be shelved as Spurs prepare to field an under-strength XI in Munich for the rematch.
Ahead of the action at the Allianz Arena, we’ve compiled a list of player specials that we think are well worth checking out for Wednesday’s games. Check them out below.
Read our comprehensive match preview for more exclusive Bayern Munich vs Tottenham Hotspur predictions and betting tips.
Robert Lewandowski over 4.5 shots
The incomparable Robert Lewandowski has been in scintillating form in the Champions League this season, netting an incredible 10 goals in his 5 starts in the tournament since August – a haul that puts him out as the competition’s leading marksman so far.
The Polish talisman also tops the Champions League charts for average attempts on goal per game this term, racking up 6.4 shots per 90 minutes of Group phase action overall.
The 31-year old hit two goals from six shots when Bayern put seven past a near full-strength Spurs in October, and the ruthless centre-forward should have little trouble racking up the attempts again when he lines up against a much-changed Tottenham outfit this week.
Toby Alderweireld over 1.5 tackles
In a Spurs’ side that is almost certain to contain several of the club’s younger players, Jose Mourinho will need a sprinkling of experience in his XI to help his youngsters along.
Belgian centre-half Toby Alderweireld could be one of the senior players chosen to marshal and support his younger teammates and if the 30-year old does start, he is sure to have a busy evening at the back.
Alderweireld has averaged just 1.0 and 1.2 tackles per Champions and Premier League appearance respectively for Spurs this term, though the 95-times capped Belgian international won’t have nearly as easy a ride against a much-stronger Bayern Munich outfit this week.
Thomas Muller over 0.5 assists
Having started the 2019/20 campaign on the periphery of the first team, legendary Bayern Munich raumdeuter Thomas Muller has been involved much more heavily of late.
The 30-year old schemer notched up six goal contributions in his last four starts for Bayern with Muller scoring once and setting up his teammates for five more goals inside a month of action.
Muller’s potent powers of invention have shot him to the top of the assists charts at Bayern, and the highly-decorated club stalwart can enter double figures for the season if he creates another goal against Spurs this week.
Eric Dier to get booked
Combative midfielder Eric Dier has moved back into the first team picture at Tottenham since the arrival of new manager and long-time admirer Jose Mourinho to the club.
Dier featured in four of Mourinho’s first five games in charge, competing 90 minutes on three occasions, and true to his reputation, the 25-year old was booked in his last outing for Spurs against Burnley at the weekend.
That caution brought Dier’s yellow card count for the season to four in just six starts for Tottenham, and we’re tipping the hard-hitting anchorman to get booked again on Wednesday.
Dier will be tasked with plugging holes, filling spaces and breaking up attacks in front of Spurs’ last line in Munich, and his penchant for a mistimed challenge could land him in trouble.
Benjamin Pavard over 70.5 passes
Versatile French defender Benjamin Pavard has been a hit at Bayern since making his summer switch from VfB Stuttgart, and the 23-year old’s technical talents in possession are highly valued by the club’s coaching staff.
Pavard ranks 4th at the club for average passes played per game in the Bundesliga this season (76.5), though that average jumps to a more impressive 81 passes per game in the Champions League – a figure that makes Pavard Bayern’s second most prolific ball distributor on the continent.
Coincidentally, the World Cup winner played exactly 81 passes when Bayern trounced Spurs in London in October, and we’re tipping him to pass his way north of our targeted passing figure when the teams renew acquaintances this week.
Remember- we’ll be covering all of the mid-week action in detail with exclusive betting tips on our Champions League predictions page.
