It's the cracker beside Liverpool vs Manchester United: Borussia Dortmund will face Tottenham Hotspur in round of 16 in the UEFA Europa League - a hard tie for the Schwarzgelben.

Match too tight to call

The match between these two is definitely too tight to call. Dortmund and Tottenham are currently in an outstanding form and are almost unbeatable. Dortmund's home run is especially fantastic and overflows the fans with a lot of optimism.

However, coach Thomas Tuchel sees "a challenge on highest niveau" and had a lot of lauding words for opposing number Mauricio Pochettino.

"We're impressed. Pochettino formed an unity, an aggressive team, which defend high - his team have scored the most in Premier League and conceded the fewest. His team has a lot of great individuals - we expect a fast, intense game and an opponent who can cope with us."

Photo: wynfoot.fr
Tuchel has been full of praise for his opponent in the build up to this tie. | Photo: wynfoot.fr

Tottenham are good in away matches, but Dortmund are also good at their home, Signal Iduna Park. In Spurs' last 15 away matches, they have only lost twice and drawn four times - managing nine wins. The team with Harry Kane, Christian Eriksen, Dele Alli and so on will be a tough challenge for Dortmund's defence. 

Spurs will be a real hurdle for the Schwargelben on the way to win the Europa League. Tuchel will definitely need a good plan to stop the aggressive and strong English. His team should act as they did against Bayern Munich on the last Bundesliga match day, where they clinched a point in a goalless draw with the league leaders.

Tuchel's talented players like Julian Weigl certainly have to shine again and show another great performance. The 20-year-old midfielder will run a lot in midfield to stop his opponent and could be key in Dortmund's play in this match. Also, the offensive line with Marco Reus, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Henrikh Mkhitaryan should make the best out of their restricted chances, with Tottenham's defence in peak form and unlikely to give away many.

Chance for silverware

To win the first leg and come through this round to reach the quarter-finals is definitely possible for Borussia Dortmund. Tuchel's team is one of the favourites to win the Europa League this season, but so are Tottenham Hotspur.

As a result, the match will be a cracker between two teams who play wonderful football and are very strong in attack and defence. Only odds and ends will decide who will reach the next round, and who will win the first leg of this tie.