Tottenham vs Borussia Dortmund preview: Where the Champions League showdown at Wembley will be won and lost

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Tottenham Hotspur and Borussia Dortmund return to the Champions League arena on Wednesday night in one of a number of eye-catching group stage fixtures.

With defending champions Real Madrid also in the group, this fixture at Wembley could prove crucial in deciding the outcome of the group.

We take a look at the key factors where the match could be won and lost.

Borussia Dortmund's stars listen to coach Peter Bosz as they train on the Wembley pitch

Harry Kane leads the way as Tottenham head out for their training session on Tuesday

DORTMUND FACE INJURY CRISIS

Dortmund arrive in London as a depleted force, with nine first-team squad members out through injury.

They were already missing Julian Weigl (ankle), Andre Schurrle (thigh), Sebastian Rode (knock), Marco Reus (knee), Erik Durm (hip) and Raphael Guerreiro (foot).

Things were then exacerbated during their goalless Bundesliga draw at Freiburg on Saturday when captain Marcel Schmelzer was taken off on a stretcher with ruptured ankle ligaments and Marc Bartra suffered a groin problem.

And another blow came on Tuesday when Neven Subotic became ill and wasn't able to train under the Wembley floodlights on Tuesday evening.

'Our long-term injuries are well-known and we have some short-term ones as well,' Dortmund manager Peter Bosz said ruefully.

Bosz will be forced into reshuffling his pack and the thought of facing a weakened Dortmund team will certainly hearten Spurs.

Marcel Schmelzer ruptured ankle ligaments during Dortmund's weekend game with Freiburg

Dortmund coach Peter Bosz will have to shuffle his pack after an injury crisis this week

SPURS SHOULD EXPLOIT THE LEFT-SIDE OF THE DORTMUND DEFENCE

With Schmelzer, Bartra, Durm and Guerreiro sidelined, Dortmund's back four will have a slightly makeshift appearance.

While Lukasz Piszczek has been first-choice at right-back this season and Sokratis will assume the captain's armband at centre-back, the left side of the defence is where Spurs should look to attack.

Omer Toprak would not be considered the first-choice centre-back, while 18-year-old Dan-Axel Zagadou, primarily a central defender but who will fill in at left-back here, is unproven at this level.

So it will be interesting to see how Zagadou, a former PSG youth team player, will handle Serge Aurier, someone he'll know well from the French club, coming at him.

Aurier is expected to make his debut in favour of Kieran Trippier on the right, bringing his superior experience of Champions League football.

Although Mauricio Pochettino is expected to play a 3-4-2-1 formation, there should be an onus on Harry Kane, Christian Eriksen and Son Heung-min to put pressure on Toprak and Zagadou.

Omar Toprak (middle) looks on as Bosz delivered a team talk at Wembley on Tuesday night

Teenage defender Dan-Axel Zagadou poses in the pilot's seat ahead of Dortmund's flight over

WILL SPURS MISS ALLI?

Dele Alli will miss half the group stage as he serves a three-match suspension for his horrendous tackle on Gent's Brecht Dejagere in the Europa League last season.

The England star will also miss the upcoming visits to APOEL Nicosia and Real Madrid, depriving Spurs of their foremost creative force.

In a match that could well be quite open given both team's manner of playing, the absence of Alli to exploit open space will be a big miss for Spurs.

Mind you, Eriksen has started the season impressively, with a goal and three assists in four Premier League matches, and should be ready to share the burden and dictate things going forward.

As Kane said on Tuesday: 'Dele is a miss, but that is football. It is done now and we have to concentrate on performing to the best of our ability.'

Dele Alli is suspended following this terrible tackle against Gent in the Europa League

Alli in action for Tottenham during their 3-0 win over Everton at Goodison Park on Saturday

BEWARE DORTMUND'S ATTACKING THREAT

The likes of Reus and Schurrle may be absent this time, but Dortmund will still pack a punch when they come forward.

They have been one of the most free-flowing and attractive teams to watch in Europe for many years now and importing a manager like Bosz from Ajax was never going to change that philosophy.

They'll line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Nuri Sahin offering ballast at the base of the midfield and Gonzalo Castro and Mario Gotze more advanced. Their contest with Mousa Dembele and Eric Dier will be crucial.

Ahead of them will be the incredibly talented American teenager Christian Pulisic, who has started the campaign in great form, and the secondary striker Maximilian Philipp, who is seeking his first goal this season.

Leading the line will be Dortmund's most potent threat - the goal machine Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. He already has six goals to his credit in five matches this season, having scored a remarkable 40 last term.

This included seven in nine matches in last season's Champions League, where Aubameyang feels right at home.

The large Wembley pitch will suit Dortmund and their quick, counter-attacking style and goals certainly haven't been a problem this season, despite drawing a blank in their latest outing at the weekend.

Christian Pulisic (left) has started the season impressively for Borussia Dortmund

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has started the season in prolific form once again

RIGHT TIME OF THE YEAR FOR KANE

Now that August has passed, Harry Kane has started scoring again and that's fantastic news for Spurs.

Having failed to find the net in August once again, Kane scored twice for England in their World Cup qualifier in Malta on September 1 and grabbed another two in Saturday's 3-0 win at Everton.

With Alli absent, Kane will be expected to deliver and, in fairness, his record in an admittedly limited Champions League career is a good one.

At the tail end of last season's group stage, having missed half of it through injury, Kane scored in the matches against Monaco and CSKA Moscow.

Harry Kane has started scoring again now August is over, including two goals at Everton

WHAT ABOUT THE WEMBLEY HOODOO?

Pochettino tried to downplay a question about Tottenham's worrying Wembley wobbles on the eve of the match.

'I laugh a little bit because maybe it exists, the hoodoo, no? said the Spurs manager.

It certainly did last season, when they lost at home to Bayer Leverkusen and Monaco in the Champions League, and could only draw with Gent in the Europa League.

A 3-1 win over CSKA Moscow in the Champions League came only after they'd been eliminated from the competition.

This season, with Wembley their home during the White Hart Lane renovations, Spurs have so far lost to Chelsea and drawn with Burnley, having been second away from a win.

There's probably nothing in it, but people will continue to talk about the Wembley hoodoo until they win a meaningful game there.

A downcast Dele Alli following Tottenham's defeat to Bayer Leverkusen at Wembley last season