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Evening Standard
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Tashan Deniran-Alleyne

Tottenham route to Champions League final: Spurs could be handed north London derby showdown

Tottenham are aiming to win back-to-back European titles - (Getty Images)

Tottenham will have their work cut out to reach the Champions League final

Spurs qualified automatically for the knockout stage by finishing fourth in the league phase behind only Arsenal, Bayern Munich and Liverpool after picking up 17 points from their eight matches.

However, much has changed since booking their spot in the last-16 with a 2-0 win against Eintracht Frankfurt in Germany last month, as Thomas Frank has been sacked and subsequently replaced by Igor Tudor on an interim basis.

Last season’s Europa League winners will be eyeing a unique feat of winning back-to-back European titles in campaign where they are battling relegation in the Premier League.

Tottenham will face Atletico Madrid in the last-16, in what is the most difficult of the two outcomes. Spurs could have been drawn against Galatasaray, which then would have led to a quarter-final tie against holders Paris Saint-Germain or Chelsea.

Atleti, who have faced English opposition already this season, overcame Club Brugge 7-4 on aggregate in the knockout phase and can afford to put all their eggs into the Champions League basket with success in LaLiga unlikely.

Should Spurs overcome Atletico, they will face either Newcastle or Barcelona in the quarter-finals. Tottenham would be underdogs against either side, but their form in Europe over the past two seasons suggest they could spring a surprise.

Victory in the quarter-final would almost certainly earn Tottenham an intriguing semi-final tie.

Bodo/Glimt, Sporting CP, Bayer Leverkusen and Arsenal are the four potential opponents, as the Gunners face Leverkusen and the two less fancied sides go head-to-head in the last-16.

There is the possibility therefore of a north London derby headlining a Champions League semi-final for the very first time and Spurs would be desperate for revenge after losing both games 4-1 this season.

If Tottenham were to reach their second Champions League final, they would surely arrive in Budapest at the end of May as massive underdogs.

PSG will hope to be at the Puskas Arena to defend their title, but Bayern Munich are arguably the favourites to progress from that side of the draw that also includes Real Madrid and Manchester City.

Tottenham’s potential path to Champions League final:

Last-16: Atletico Madrid

Quarter-finals: Barcelona

Semi-finals: Arsenal

Final: Bayern Munich

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