Dortmund in the doldrums ahead of Tottenham clash after Bundesliga lead slips away

Tottenham's dip in form has raised some familiar doubts about their ability to last the pace — but their slump is nothing compared with Borussia Dortmund's recent decline.

Lucien Favre's side now lead the Bundesliga thanks only to goal difference after a wretched run of form allowed Bayern Munich to reel them in.

When Dortmund beat Hannover 5-1 on January 26, they moved nine points clear of Bayern at the summit. Since then, they have won only one of their last seven matches in all competitions, including the 3-0 defeat by Spurs at Wembley in the first leg last month.

Dortmund have achieved some memorable European results at the Westfalenstadion, including a 4-1 win over Real Madrid en route to the 2013 Champions League Final, when Jurgen Klopp was their manager.

Yet given the deficit, and their shaky form, it would rank high among their achievements if they can upset the odds on Tuesday night.

At least they can call upon some key players who missed the first leg through injury. Marco Reus and Julian Weigl return, while striker Paco Alcacer is available but may start on the bench.

Young England star Jadon Sancho, one of the brightest prospects in Europe, faded after a promising start in the first leg and more is needed from him on Tuesday if Dortmund are to reach the quarter-finals.

Reus was part of the side who lost 2-1 to Bayern in the 2013 final at Wembley and he is optimistic they can stun Spurs.

The 29-year-old Germany forward said: “We have played many games in this stadium where we’ve written history and we are in position to achieve the impossible.

“It is important to believe in ourselves, and give a great performance. We need to find the right balance between defence and attack.

"We need to reach our peak, and score the goals in the right moment. But we believe in ourselves. We’re not satisfied with results at the moment but we are generally in a good situation, especially in the Bundesliga.

“In the last few weeks we’ve lost unnecessary points because we made too many mistakes. It’s important to be positive and really work hard and watch all the games and learn from mistakes.

“It’s very important to stop the mistakes because we know we can always score in attack.”