Bayer Leverkusen vs. Tottenham Hotspur: Team News, Preview, Live Stream, TV Info

Tottenham Hotspur will try to avoid a second defeat from three matches in Group E of this season's UEFA Champions League when they meet Bundesliga outfit Bayer Leverkusen at the BayArena on Tuesday.

Spurs were winners on the tournament's second matchday, after Heung-Min Son netted the only goal to beat CSKA Moscow in Russia. The 1-0 win helped the north London club recover from being humbled by AS Monaco at Wembley to start the tournament.

Spurs may welcome another away trip, as there's definitely something lost by the decision to play home fixtures at Wembley rather than usual home ground White Hart Lane.

Still, it won't be the location that decides this game. Beating Leverkusen will require Tottenham's miserly defence being at its best to deny the hosts' attacking quality, including ex-Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez.

Before a preview, here's the viewing information:

Date: Tuesday, October 18

Time: 7:45 p.m. (BST) / 2:45 p.m. (ET)

TV: BT Sport 2 / Fox Sports 1

Live Stream: BT Sport Website (UK), Fox Soccer 2Go (U.S.), ESPN Player (U.S.)

Preview

Son should again be the key man up top for Spurs, with star centre-forward Harry Kane still recovering from an ankle problem. Kane's absence hasn't been felt, thanks to Son's rapid rise.

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One of the inadvertent benefits has been Tottenham gradually getting less reliant on Kane's movement and goals. It's a reliance that pundit Danny Murphy, writing for the London Evening Standard, believes could cost Spurs in the Premier League.

Yet it's a different story in Europe, where a player with Son's perceptive movement and inspirational flair can decide tight games in an instant. Those qualities have dovetailed well with Spurs' existing discipline and structure at the back.

A superb back five led by centre-back Jan Vertonghen and goalkeeper Hugo Lloris is stingy enough to subdue most of Europe's premier attacking contingents. But Spurs are set to be missing perhaps the key player from the unit, with Toby Alderweireld suffering a knee injury, per Laurie Whitwell of the Mail on Sunday.

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The Belgian central defender is a rugged tackler, commanding in the air and composed on the deck. His mix of tenacity and quality in possession will be missed, especially with Hernandez lurking with intent.

The former United goal-getter is still as quick and intuitive in the box as ever. He's lost none of the ruthlessness in front of goal that marked him down as a deadly finisher.

A depleted Tottenham back line will struggle to cope with his pace and threatening runs. It doesn't help that Hernandez is far from the only danger man Spurs should be worried about.

Fellow striker Kevin Volland and cultured No. 10 Hakan Calhanoglu can cause any team problems in the final third. Leverkusen are also strong in midfield, where skilled workhorse Charles Aranguiz and precocious, creative wide man Julian Brandt can win the possession battle.

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Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino is likely to count on midfielder Eric Dier as a makeshift centre-back. But it's sure to be a testing evening for the England international. If Dier drops back, there'll be extra onus on Victor Wanyama to protect the defence at the base of midfield.

Leverkusen are formidable on home soil, especially for a Spurs team missing more than one key figure from along its spine.