Tottenham vs. CSKA Moscow: Team News, Preview, Live Stream, TV Info for UCL

Tottenham Hotspur cannot afford to lose their Champions League match against CSKA Moscow on Wednesday or they will miss out on the consolation of Europa League football.

Neither team can qualify from Group E for the next stage of the competition; the Russian club prop up the table, while Spurs were dumped out after a 2-1 defeat to AS Monaco in November.

The corresponding fixture in September saw a 1-0 win for Spurs thanks to Heung-Min Son's second-half strike.

Keep reading for a full preview, but first, here is the TV and live-stream details, as well as team news ahead of the match.

Date: Wednesday, December 7

Time: 7:45 p.m. GMT/2:45 p.m. ET

TV: BT Sport 2 (UK)

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

Team news

Per the official Spurs website, centre-back Toby Alderweireld is close to a first-team return following a knee injury he suffered against West Bromwich Albion in October, but he is unlikely to be rushed back into the action from the start against CSKA.

With a big match against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday, Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino looks likely to shuffle his pack. This means there should be another chance for youngsters Harry Winks and Josh Onomah in midfield, while Son could start in attack ahead of Harry Kane.

Predicted Tottenham Lineup: Hugo Lloris, Kieran Trippier, Danny Rose, Jan Vertonghen, Kevin Wimmer, Eric Dier, Harry Winks, Moussa Sissoko, Dele Alli, Josh Onomah, Heung-Min Son

Predicted CSKA Lineup: Igor Akinfeev, Mario Fernandes, Aleksei Berezutski, Vasili Berezutski, Georgi Schennikov, Bibars Natcho, Aleksandr Golovin, Zoran Tosic, Fedor Chalov, Georgi Milanov, Lacina Traore

Preview

Despite the match effectively being a dead rubber, Tottenham still must not lose or they will miss out on a place in the Europa League—the consolation prize awarded to teams who finish third in their group.

Spurs have lost both their previous Champions League matches at Wembley Stadium—their temporary home for European football—to Monaco and Bayer Leverkusen.

Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images

Their dismal Wembley performances are a major problem that Pochettino will be looking to solve, particularly as the club could be playing there full-time next season while their new stadium continues to be built.

David Hytner of the Guardian wrote that Wembley was proving a real issue for the club: "For all of its appeal the national stadium has felt unfamiliar to the players and, in short, simply not like home. A case could also be made for Wembley having diluted Tottenham’s advantage. Unlike White Hart Lane, it has never felt particularly hostile to opposing Champions League teams."

Although Spurs have played in front of crowds of more than 85,000 in both their Champions League matches so far, on the pitch they have struggled to impose their high-tempo, energetic style on their European opponents.

Those spectators are too far away from the pitch compared to what the team is used to at White Hart Lane, and it has looked like the players have lacked the confidence they show in the Premier League.

Tony Marshall/Getty Images

In terms of personnel, the strength in depth has been absent for Pochettino this season. They have missed the midfield bite of Erik Lamela, while £30 million signing Moussa Sissoko has been a disappointment, which was alluded to by the Spurs boss himself.

Per Lyall Thomas of Sky Sports, Pochettino said of the former Newcastle United man: "Football is not about money. You show on the training ground that you are better than another team-mate and you deserve to be involved. Of course [Sissoko] needs to work hard and show in the future that he deserves to be involved in the team."

CSKA do not possess the attacking fluidity of Monaco, and Spurs should feel emboldened enough to end their Wembley hoodoo—particularly off the back of a thumping 5-0 win over Swansea City in the Premier League on Saturday.

Despite falling at the Champions League first hurdle, this last group game could yet prove a turning point for Tottenham. If they win, it's probable they will play their Europa League encounters at Wembley, so a much-improved display could provide a crucial catalyst for the season ahead.