Spurs hope to replicate European form in EPL
Tottenham Hotspur will hope their success in topping their Champions League group will fire up a faltering English Premier League campaign.
The 3-0 victory over Apoel Nicosia on Wednesday ensured Mauricio Pochettino's side ended the group stage three points clear of Real Madrid.
By contrast, their efforts to improve on their domestic title challenges of the last two seasons have stalled badly and Spurs welcome Stoke City to Wembley today searching for their first win in five Premier League games.
They head into the weekend round of fixtures in sixth place, 18 points adrift of leaders Manchester City with their main focus now on closing the four-point gap to fourth place.
Dele Alli's struggle to replicate his form of last season has been just one of the factors in Spurs' inconsistent campaign.
The England midfielder said: "We're a very confident side and are disappointed when we don't win games. It's important that as a team we stay together and keep building."
Davinson Sanchez's red card in last Saturday's 1-1 draw with Watford leaves Spurs short of defensive options against Stoke, as Toby Alderweireld is still unavailable because of injury.
Stoke themselves will be without their Spanish talisman Jese Rodriguez, who has returned home due to personal reasons, said Stoke manager Mark Hughes. - WIRE SERVICES
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