Credit: Imago

James Barker

Sun 8 March 2026 10:30, UK

Tottenham Hotspur are hoping that the Champions League can be a welcome distraction from their dismal Premier League campaign.

Tottenham are winless in their last 11 Premier League games, and their 3-1 defeat at home to Crystal Palace on Thursday made it five-straight losses on the bounce in the top flight.

As such, many Lilywhites supporters are already calling for Igor Tudor to be replaced just three games into his interim head coach role, as his side are now just one point above the relegation zone.

However, their relegation battle will be put on pause on Tuesday night, as Tottenham face Atletico Madrid in the Champions League for the first leg of their round-of-16 tie.

Tottenham have poor 21st-century record against Spanish teams

It goes without saying, but Spurs face an incredibly difficult challenge if they wish to overcome Atletico over two legs.

Tottenham beat Frankfurt to seal a top eight finish in the league phase of the Champions League, with five wins, two draws and one defeat in that section of the competition.

As such, there are some clear parallels to last season under Ange Postecoglou, as despite his team’s struggles in the Premier League, they were of course able to lift the Europa League trophy.

Tudor will be hoping he can write a similar story in N17 this season, but if the recent history books are anything to go by, then he and his side are going to need somewhat of a miracle against Madrid.

That’s because in the 10 games Spurs have contested with Spanish opposition since the 2000-01 season, in all competitions, the Lilywhites have won just twice.

Four of those have came against Real Madrid, where Spurs have won once, drawn one and lost twice, while Villarreal are the only other side they’ve beaten from their one meeting.

Barcelona and Sevilla have both played Tottenham twice, with Spurs winning none of those games, while Getafe have also been on the agenda, in which they beat Tottenham 2-1 in a UEFA Cup (Europa League) group game in 2007-08.

What kind of form are Atletico Madrid in ahead of Tottenham?

Sitting third in LaLiga, both 13 points behind leaders Barcelona and 11 clear of Real Betis in fifth, Atletico’s main priority between now and the end of the season will surely be their Champions League campaign.

Diego Simeone’s side are in good form coming into the Tottenham game too, having won four of their last five in all competitions.

Typical of a Simeone team, Atletico are very strong defensively, conceding just 25 times in LaLiga this season, with Barcelona conceding 26 for context.

So, both clubs’ recent form and Spurs’ record against Spanish clubs in recent times all point towards an Atletico two-legged triumph, which in some ways, could play into Tottenham’s hands.