Spurs face Leverkusen test

Lyon, Juventus promise a close encounter; Real take on Legia Warsaw

It is a mark of how far Tottenham Hotspur have come that they start as favourites to win what could be a pivotal Champions League Group E fixture away to Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday despite the absence of key defender Toby Alderweireld.

Spurs have yet to confirm that the Belgium centre-half has joined England striker Harry Kane as a non-starter but the manner in which Alderweireld left the pitch clutching his knee at West Bromwich Albion on Saturday suggests he won't feature.

"It will be difficult for him (Alderweireld) to go," said manager Mauricio Pochettino, who added that further tests were being conducted on Sunday. Kane has been out for almost a month with an ankle injury with no date set for his return.

Alderweireld has been in commanding form alongside compatriot Jan Vertonghen at the heart of a Spurs defence that is the Premier League's meanest this season. But the Belgian's influence goes beyond preventing the opposition scoring. His raking crossfield balls, three of which were delivered with pinpoint accuracy before his injury on Saturday, lay down the marker for the way Spurs play.

In Alderweireld's absence, Pochettino can either play Eric Dier or Kevin Wimmer alongside Vertonghen in defence. Wimmer, the Austria centre-half, has been on the periphery this season but was a capable replacement last term when called upon. Injuries apart, Tottenham travel to Germany awash with confidence as they prepare to play four games in 11 days.

Flurry of goalsGiven Legia Warsaw, the first Polish qualifiers to this stage in 20 years, have already conceded eight goals in their first two group games, anything other than a Real Madrid avalanche would be a surprise in the Group F fixture. Madrid warmed up for this match with a 6-1 thumping of Real Betis, who are probably a better side than Warsaw. Real coach Zinedine Zidane praised his side for playing with "intensity" on Saturday and a similar display would likely blow away a Legia side that was thumped 6-0 at home to Dortmund.

Tricky affairIn what could likely develop into a battle for second place behind Real, this match takes on crucial importance. Sporting Lisbon came close to a stunning upset on the opening weekend, leading 1-0 at Real until late. They lost but will have been buoyed by that performance and a win at home to Borussia Dortmund would foster the belief that they have the ability to get through this toughest of groups. 

Borussia, though, have been regular fixtures in the knock-out stages in recent years. They've been banging in the goals for fun this season, too, behind only Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga on that count. 

Leicester eye winLeicester City’s season is developing a Jekyll and Hyde quality to it -- struggling to defend their shock Premier League crown but flying high in Europe. Claudio Ranieri's men host FC Copenhagen top of Group G with a perfect six points, a far cry from their domestic form, their four defeats already one more than they suffered over the whole of last season. 

Their Danish guests are placed second, two points adrift, so a third straight win for the Foxes would bring a ticket to the knockout stage in their first ever Champions League campaign significantly closer. Leicester will have to bounce back from a 3-0 loss to Chelsea at the weekend. Ranieri rested last season's player of the year Riyad Mahrez, one of three key players, for Tuesday.

Sevilla confidentDinamo Zagreb took decisive action after 3-0 and 4-0 losses to Lyon and Juventus, with former Bulgaria coach Ivaylo Petev replacing Zlatko Kranjcar as manager. In three-time Europa Cup winners Sevilla they face no easy task, the Spaniards having drawn 0-0 with Juventus and beaten Lyon 1-0 to sit level on points at the top of Group H. 

Sevilla are also sitting pretty in La Liga, one point off the summit after a win at Leganes on Saturday, their first away league win since the final game day of the 2014/15 campaign.

Fixture: Group E: CSKA Moscow vs Monaco; Bayer Leverkusen vs Tottenham Hotspurs.

Group F: Sporting CP vs Dortmund; Real Madrid vs Legia Warsaw.Group G: Leicester City vs Kobenhavn; Club Brugge vs FC Porto.Group G: Dinamo Zagreb vs Sevilla; Lyon vs Juventus.Note: Matches start at 12:15 am IST on Wednesday.