Tottenham vs Real Madrid - as it happened: Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen secure historic European victory

Re-live the action from Tottenham's thrilling 3-1 victory over Real Madrid at Wembley

(Getty)

Tottenham host Real Madrid at Wembley Stadium on Wednesday night hoping to welcome Harry Kane back into their starting XI.

This crucial clash with the European giants has been prefaced by two difficult games without their star striker. After the successive losses to West Ham in the League Cup and Manchester United in the Premier League, manager Mauricio Pochettino will be optimistic that the return of the talismanic forward will ensure he retains his record of never losing three in a row at Spurs.

The Argentine can also take heart from his side’s strong showing in the first-leg of this Group H double-header. Scrapping hard for a 1-1 draw at the Bernabeu two weeks ago, the north Londoners will now be looking to take the attack to their Spanish visitors at Wembley, knowing that a victory here would confirm their place in the knockout rounds, whilst a draw and another between Borussia Dortmund and APOEL would leave them needing only a single point from their two remaining games.

With this comparative lack of pressure, Spurs will be eager to have a go at Los Blancos on their (adopted) home turf, especially given Madrid’s indifferent start to the season. Losing 2-1 to league newbies Girona at the weekend, the reigning Liga champions now sit eight points adrift of Barcelona at the top of the table. They will also be forced to travel to London without both Raphael Varane and ex-Spurs forward Gareth Bale, who are both nursing muscular injuries.

Boosted by the very probable return of Kane, then, and with Dele Alli also returning from a three-match suspension, a rejuvenated Tottenham line-up will see tonight as the ideal opportunity to record a famous victory under the Wembley Arch.

Please allow a moment for the blog to load.

What time does it start?

Tottenham vs Real Madrid kicks off at 19:45 GMT.

Where can I watch it?

The match will be shown live on BT Sport 2 from 19:00. Highlights will be shown at 22:15 on BT Sport 2.

It’s a big game for…

Former Spurs midfielder Luka Modric will return to north London (Getty)

Luka Modric: Although the spotlight has been on world-record signing Gareth Bale returning (or not, as it has transpired), to north London, we should not forget the diminutive midfielder, who will be making his first return to Spurs since departing in 2012. The usually metronomic Croatian was out-of-sorts against Girona, misplacing over 30% of his passes, and will be hoping for a strong recovery tonight.

Best stat…

1: Spurs have never beaten Madrid in their five competitive clashes, losing three times and drawing twice.

Remember when…

Madrid hosted Spurs in the quarter-finals of the competition in 2011. Two particular highlights include Peter Crouch getting two yellow cards within 14 minutes and – at about 3.27 – Sergio Ramos very nearly providing the assist of the century.

Player to watch out for…

Harry Kane: The latest player to join the Spurs to Madrid procession? The 24 year-old striker, amidst flattering comments from the Real hierarchy, has certainly been linked with a record-breaking move to the Spanish capital. If he does return for tonight, though, his mind will only be on one thing. Kane having a good night is the most sure-fire way that Spurs can create history.

Previous three meetings…

Real Madrid 1 (Ronaldo) Tottenham 1 (Varane (OG)), Champions League, October 2017

Tottenham 0 Real Madrid 1 (Ronaldo), Champions League, April 2011

Real Madrid 4 (Adebayor x2, Di Maria, Ronaldo) Tottenham 0, Champions League, April 2011

Form guide…

Tottenham: WWDWLL

Real Madrid: WWDWWL

Odds…

Tottenham: 28/13

Real Madrid: 23/18

Draw: 28/11

(Odds provided by 888 Sport)

[1 November 2017 21:21 · Liam Corless]

[1 November 2017 21:22 · Liam Corless]

GOAL! Spurs 3-1 Real Madrid (Ronaldo)

81' - Cristiano Ronaldo pulls one back for Real Madrid as his close-range shot deflects off Eric Dier and past Hugo Lloris.

Can the reigning European champions mount an unlikely comeback from here?

[1 November 2017 21:23 · Liam Corless]

81' - Theo Hernandez replaces Luka Modric for Madrid.

[1 November 2017 21:26 · Liam Corless]

85' - Cristiano Ronaldo lets fly from distance but his well-struck shot is straight at Hugo Lloris and the Spurs keeper makes the save.

[1 November 2017 21:29 · Liam Corless]

87' - A small scuffle breaks out at Wembley and unsurprisingly Sergio Ramos is involved. He and Moussa Dembele square up after a coming-together but both men escape without a yellow card.

[1 November 2017 21:31 · Liam Corless]

89' - ... aaand Moussa Dembele goes into the book just moments later for a wild swipe at, you guessed it, Sergio Ramos!

[1 November 2017 21:32 · Liam Corless]

[1 November 2017 21:32 · Liam Corless]

90' - Three minutes of added time to go at Wembley.

Meanwhile, Sergio Ramos has just gone into the book for sarcastically applauding the referee. Vintage.

[1 November 2017 21:37 · Liam Corless]

Full-time - Spurs 3-1 Real Madrid

The final whistle goes and Spurs have smashed Real Madrid at Wembley! Two goals from Dele Alli and another from Christian Eriksen were all that were required against an under-par Los Merengues.

Meanwhile, Liverpool have got a third against Maribor at Anfield through Daniel Sturridge and City are 4-2 up in Naples after a goal in injury-time by Raheem Sterling. 

[1 November 2017 21:49 · Liam Corless]

Reaction from Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen

Dele Alli: "It was a fantastic performance. We knew if we stuck to our game plan and stayed solid at the back we'd get chances. It could've been more today but we're very happy with the result

"With the team we've got here, we don't just want to compete with teams like this. We want to be winning."

Christian Eriksen: "We played a professional game. We got what we wanted. We could've scored more with a bit more composure.

"This is something we can build on. We need to keep it going."

Quotes from BT Sport