Dortmund entertain Tottenham in mouth-watering Europa League Round of 16 clash

Berlin, Germany: Any other year, this match-up between the teams lying second in the English and German leagues would be the highlight of the round. Dortmund is one of two teams to have reached the Round of 16 of the Europa League from the third qualifying round. The other is Athletic Bilbao. No German team has won at White Hart Lane. [caption id=“attachment_2668476” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Dortmund players train ahead of Tottenham clash. AFP[/caption] Tottenham must weigh up whether to go all out to win the Europa League, or rest key players for its bid to win the English league for the first time since 1961. Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino has said he is scaling back the intensity of his training sessions to keep his players as fresh as possible, having revealed that star midfielder Dele Alli is playing through ankle and knee injuries. “We are managing Alli, but not only him,” Pochettino said.   Borussia are second only to Bayern Munich in Germany, while Tottenham are vying with Leicester City, Arsenal and Manchester City for the Premier Leaguetitle in England. “The tempo in England has gone up again this season. It will be fast, it will be intensive,” added Tuchel ahead of the sold-out clash. “We are looking forward to this match because of the tradition both clubs have.” Dortmund have turned their stadium into something of a fortress this season in both the Bundesliga and Europe with 15 wins, two draws and a single defeat. Their attacking trio of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Marco Reus have scored 67 goals between them this season in all competitions. They will be up against the English league’s toughest defence, which has leaked only 24 goals this season. Dortmund’s veteran goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller is tasked with containing the Spurs attack and ensuring the likes of Erik Lamela or Harry Kane do not grab a key away goal ahead of the return leg at White Hart Lane a week later on March 17. With inputs from Agencies