Tottenham have climbed to the top of Group D in the Champions League after a win over Eintracht Frankfurt in north London on Wednesday night. Despite a scary start, Spurs ended up 3-2 victors over the Bundesliga outfit, who ended the game with 10 men.
The Lilywhites were cruising to victory over the Germans after Son Heung-min's brace and Harry Kane's penalty saw them recover from Daichi Kamada's opener to give Antonio Conte's side a 3-1 half-time lead.
Frankfurt were reduced to 10 men with just 15 minutes to go after Tuta was sent off for two yellow card offences in three minutes for separate fouls on Son. Though it seemed Spurs were in cruise control, Frankfurt forced a nervy ending when Faride Alidou headed home from a corner in the 87th minute.
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Kane missed a second penalty of the evening in the 92nd minute to wrap things up, but Tottenham hung on for a valuable three points in N17. The victory means that they now top Group D on seven points, but with Marseille and Sporting Lisbon both just one point behind, and Frankfurt only three points behind for that matter, it's very much all to play for going into the last two matchdays.
With their quality, Spurs should qualify for the Round of 16, but there's still a chance that they could slip into the Europa League - or even not qualify at all - if they're not careful.
With that in mind, let's take a look at what could happen moving forward.
What happens if Spurs qualify as group winners?
Conte's task for the next two matchdays is simple: win both games against Sporting and Marseille and Spurs will automatically qualify as group winners for the Round of 16 regardless of other results. They can still finish as group winners without winning both games, but that will depend on how the other three teams get on.
The draw for the Round of 16 works like this. Two seeding pots will be formed: one consisting of the eight group winners (seeded teams) and the other of the eight runners-up (unseeded teams). No team can play a club from their group or any side from their own association. Any other restrictions will be announced ahead of the draw ceremony.
If they do finish top, Spurs will head into pot one and face a team in pot two who aren't in their group or their association (English teams). As things stand, the likes of Porto, Inter Milan, RB Salzburg, RB Leipzig, Borussia Dortmund and Benfica are all probable opponents.
What happens if Spurs qualify as runners up?
If Tottenham do slip to second in the group, which could happen if they were to lose one of their games or draw both encounters, they will enter pot two involving the eight runners-up. The same rules apply to that, meaning they cannot play a side from their group or their own association. The only difference is they will play the winners of another group.
As things stand, they could face the likes of Club Brugge, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid or PSG.
What happens if Spurs finish third?
As all three teams can still overtake Tottenham's current points tally of seven, there's a possibility that they could finish third in Group D. The third-placed sides in each group transfer to the UEFA Europa League knockout round playoffs, where they will face the UEFA Europa League group runners-up for places in the last 16. Although that's not the aim, it does mean they won't have to play in the Europa League's Round of 32 as some consolation.
What happens if Spurs finish bottom?
With each team picking up at least one win so far, Group D is the tightest of all eight groups this season, and the table could be turned on its head again on matchday five next week. Spurs face Sporting at home, having lost to them in Lisbon, whilst Frankfurt host Marseille needing to repeat their earlier victory in Stade Velodrome to retain any hope of finishing in the top two.
If Tottenham do lose both games, there's the slightest chance that they could finish bottom despite already having seven points. That means they will be eliminated from all competitions, and their European run will be over.
How can Spurs qualify?
A win against Sporting in their next group game will see them safely through to the round of 16 and, depending on the result in the other game, could see them through as group winners. Spurs need three points from the last two matches to qualify.
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