Preview: Bayern Munich vs. Tottenham Hotspur - prediction, team news, lineups

Bayern Munich and Tottenham Hotspur square off at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday night with both clubs having already secured their place in the Champions League knockout stages.

With Bayern having guaranteed top spot in Group B, Hans Flick and Jose Mourinho are expected to name much-changed starting lineups for the game in Germany.

Bayern Munich

When Flick extended his winning streak to four matches with a 6-0 demolition of Red Star Belgrade on matchday five, the caretaker boss would have fancied his chances of remaining in the Bayern hotseat until at least the end of the season.

However, back-to-back defeats in the Bundesliga to Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Monchengladbach is likely to have led to the Bayern hierarchy reassessing their plans going forward.

While each setback came by a 2-1 scoreline, the consequence of missing out on points in two successive games is Bayern sitting in seventh position in the Bundesliga standings.

At this stage of the campaign, a seven-point deficit to leaders Monchengladbach is relatively small, and Bayern may be prepared to sit tight until the winter break before making a further decision regarding the main spot in the dugout.

Nevertheless, there will inevitably be concerns over the Bavarians losing their reputation as the top team in Germany at a time when none of their rivals is putting distance between themselves and the rest of the pack.

Robert Lewandowski's free-scoring run has come to a halt at the wrong time, with the Poland international failing to net in each of the last two games.

However, with none of his teammates adding more than four goals in the Bundesliga, the club's leading marksman may feel that it is time that contributions start to come from other areas of the pitch.

The game on Wednesday night is an opportunity for some of the players in question to prove that they are ready to step up to the mark, and a strong performance against their English opponents may earn a spot in the team for the meeting with Werder Bremen at the weekend.

Recent form: WWWWW
Recent form (all competitions): WWWWLL

Tottenham Hotspur

Spurs began this year's European campaign by picking up just one point from fixtures against Olympiacos and Bayern, which subsequently played a significant part in a lack of faith being shown in Mauricio Pochettino.

However, while much has been made of Spurs generally performing below-par this season, the North London side have now suffered just three defeats in 12 matches since losing 7-2 to Bayern in front of their own supporters.

Two of those setbacks came by 2-1 scorelines at Liverpool and Manchester United respectively, suggesting that some context has been lost regarding the current state of affairs at the club.

While Chelsea losing three of their last four games has led to Spurs moving back into contention for a place in the Premier League's top four, a return of 11 points from half a dozen outings is equally as responsible for more optimism emerging from the stands.

Since Mourinho was given a place in the dugout, 16 goals have been scored in all competitions, including five which came against Burnley on Saturday afternoon.

However, the biggest plus point for the Portuguese was the clean sheet which was kept versus the Clarets, a shutout which followed four games in which they had shipped a total of eight goals.

Mourinho has already acknowledged that he plans to rest several of his key men for the trip to Germany, something which may prove beneficial given the threat which Bayern offer in attack.

Nevertheless, ahead of important Premier League clashes with Wolverhampton Wanderers and Chelsea, whoever comes into the team will be expected to maintain the momentum which is continuing to build under Mourinho's guidance.

Recent form: DLWWW
Recent form (all competitions): DWWWLW

Team News

Harry Kane will not feature on Wednesday night, meaning that Troy Parrott is in contention to make his first European start for Spurs.

Mourinho has indicated that the likes of Kyle Walker-Peters, Oliver Skipp and Ryan Sessegnon will all be handed outings at the Allianz Arena.

Toby Alderweireld, Dele Alli and Son Heung-min could be among the players who do not feature on Wednesday night.

Despite being withdrawn against Monchengladbach, Jerome Boateng and Corentin Tolisso are expected to be available for Bayern.

Having remained as unused substitutes for that game, Benjamin Pavard, Philippe Coutinho and Serge Gnabry should all come into the team.

Ahead of serving a domestic suspension at the weekend, Javi Martinez is also likely to start for the home side.

Bayern Munich possible starting lineup:
Ulreich; Pavard, Boateng, Martinez, Davies; Kimmich, Tolisso, Coutinho; Coman, Perisic, Gnabry

Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:
Whiteman; Walker-Peters, Foyth, Vertonghen, Rose; Skipp, Dier, Eriksen; Moura, Sessegnon, Parrott

Head To Head

This week's fixture will represent just the sixth time that these two clubs have met in a competitive match, with Bayern registering three wins in comparison to just one victory for Spurs.

However, the encounter in North London in September was the first clash since a two-legged tie in the UEFA Cup during the 1983-84 campaign.

We say: Bayern Munich 3-1 Tottenham Hotspur

Despite the expected change of personnel, we still feel that Bayern will run out comfortable winners on Wednesday night. While the fringe players at Spurs will be eager to impress, competing at the Allianz Arena when short of match fitness is a daunting task.

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