Re: AC Milan - Tottenham 1/8 CL

[KajoFC]

Opta: Five reasons Tottenham will finish the job against Milan

Nervous Tottenham fans can take comfort in statistics ahead of their Champions League second leg against AC Milan, argue our friends at Opta


Tottenham host AC Milan on Wednesday hoping to reach the quarter-finals in their first-ever appearance in the UEFA Champions League. Though they hold an advantage following a 1-0 win at San Siro, there is still concern that this accomplished Milan side could turn the tie around.

To calm any frayed nerves, Opta offers five reasons why Spurs fans should stay positive:

Milan's ageing defence
Spurs' defence has been shaky at times in Europe this season, but they are not the only ones. Of all the teams still in the Champions League only Milan have allowed more shots on target (43) than Tottenham themselves (39).

White Hot Lane
Spurs have only conceded more than once in a game in their last 33 Premier League or European matches at White Hart Lane, in a 4-2 win over Blackburn Rovers last November. Meanwhile Manchester United are the only team to have stopped Tottenham from scoring at White Hart Lane since August last year.

History is on their side
In the UEFA Champions League era, 14 teams have won the first leg of a two-legged tie 1-0, and only one of them has then been knocked out. Panathinaikos defeated Ajax in the Netherlands in 1995-96 but slumped to a 3-0 defeat at home in the return leg. Ajax went on to reach the Rome final, where they lost on penalties to Juventus.

Milanese travel sickness
Milan have failed to score in four of their last five Champions league games against English opposition and have only won one of 14 European matches away from home in England: the 1-0 victory over Manchester United in February 2005. This run also includes their only previous visit to White Hart Lane, a 2-1 reverse in the semi-final of the 1971/72 UEFA Cup.

Bale is back
Following his return against Wolves from a back injury, full-back Gareth Bale looks set to feature against Milan after missing the first leg. This season in the Champions League only Lionel Messi has made more successful dribbles (30) than the Welshman (28), while he has made at least 15 crosses (61) more than any other player.