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Tottenham vs. Borussia Dortmund: 5 key match-ups

By Rucker Haringey

OPORTO, PORTUGAL - FEBRUARY 25: Dortmund's forward Aubameyang celebrates scoring Dortmund goal during the Champions League match between FC Porto and Borussia Dortmund for UEFA Europa League Round of 32: Second Leg at Estadio do Dragao on February, 2016 in Porto, Portugal. (Photo by Carlos Rodrigues/Getty Images)
OPORTO, PORTUGAL - FEBRUARY 25: Dortmund's forward Aubameyang celebrates scoring Dortmund goal during the Champions League match between FC Porto and Borussia Dortmund for UEFA Europa League Round of 32: Second Leg at Estadio do Dragao on February, 2016 in Porto, Portugal. (Photo by Carlos Rodrigues/Getty Images) /
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STUTTGART, GERMANY - FEBRUARY 09: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Borussia Dortmund celebrates as he scores their second goal during the DFB Cup Quarter Final match between VfB Stuttgart and Borussia Dortmund at Mercedes-Benz Arena on February 9, 2016 in Stuttgart, Germany. (Photo by Matthias Hangst/Bongarts/Getty Images)
STUTTGART, GERMANY – FEBRUARY 09: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Borussia Dortmund celebrates as he scores their second goal during the DFB Cup Quarter Final match between VfB Stuttgart and Borussia Dortmund at Mercedes-Benz Arena on February 9, 2016 in Stuttgart, Germany. (Photo by Matthias Hangst/Bongarts/Getty Images) /

Tottenham and Borussia Dortmund face-off in a fascinating Europa League tie. What match-ups will decide the winner?

As the Europa League draw concluded today, many fans began to discuss what represented the most interesting tie. For me (as a biased Tottenham fan), it’s clearly the competition between Borussia Dortmund and Tottenham Hotspur.

I think even unbiased fans would agree this is a very interesting match-up. Tottenham currently sits second in the Premier League while Dortmund resides in the second position in the Bundesliga table. Spurs are the more likely of the two to mount a title challenge given their proximity to league leader Leicester City, but Dortmund trailing Bayern Munich by eight points isn’t an indictment of their ability by any means.

Adding to the intrigue of the match-up, is the fact that both sides are currently experiencing terrific runs of form. Neither team will enter the contest with any concern over how their side has performed as of late. It will be a clash between two squads brimming with confidence based on recent results.

As always, the winner will be decided by the players on the pitch. That means that we should examine the individual match-ups closely when attempting to predict a winner. I’m not going to go as far as to make a prediction yet, but I am going to give you the five match-ups that will determine the winner. Read on to discover the battles that will allow one side to march on to the Europa League’s final eight.

Next: 5. Henrikh Mkhitaryan vs. Danny Rose/Ben Davies

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