Good evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for tonight's Champions League Group E clash between Tottenham Hotspur and CSKA Moscow! This will be both sides' final game in this season's competition, with neither able to qualify for the last 16, but it is still all to play for in terms of European football in 2017 with third place - and therefore a spot in the last 32 of the Europa League - up for grabs. A win or draw will be enough for Spurs, while CSKA need to win. Before we get into all that, though, let's take a look at the team news from Wembley...

TOTTENHAM STARTING XI: Lloris; Walker, Dier, Vertonghen, Rose; Winks, Wanyama; Eriksen, Dele, Son; Kane

TOTTENHAM SUBS: Vorm, Alderweireld, Wimmer, Dembele, Sissoko, Nkoudou, Onomah

CSKA MOSCOW STARTING XI: Akinfeev; Nababkin, A Berezutskiy, V Berezutskiy, Shchennikov; Natcho, Golovin, Tosic, Milanov, Dzagoev; Traore

What can we make of those two teams, then? Well, starting with the hosts it is notable that Mauricio Pochettino has named a strong side for this match, which is a clear indicator that he wants to be in the Europa League after Christmas. Perhaps the inclusion that will grab most eyes is that of Toby Alderweireld on the bench, though. The Belgian has been sidelined for 10 games over a period of almost two months due to a knee injury, but he is back in the squad tonight.

On the pitch, there is just one change made by Pochettino from the side that thrashed Swansea at the weekend, with Harry Winks being handed a rare start in the middle of the park. The youngster has been given more and more game time as the season has progressed, and he is in from the start this evening to partner Wanyama in that defensive midfield pairing. That means no space for Mousa Dembele, who drops to the bench.

Further forward, Harry Kane leads the line having celebrated his new contract with two goals at the weekend, making it seven in his last six outings since returning from injury. Kane is not the only player in good goalscoring form, though, with Eriksen finally having broken his duck for the season with a stunning strike against Chelsea before backing that up with two more against Swansea on Saturday. Son, meanwhile, scored the winner in the reverse fixture between these two sides and Alli is always a threat arriving late in the box, so there should be plenty of goals in that attacking quartet for Spurs tonight.

There are no changes at the back either as Walker, Dier, Vertonghen and Rose continue in the defensive four. It is perhaps an especially big game for Dier tonight, who could find himself caught between two positions when Alderweireld returns to the side. You would think that the Belgian would be ahead of Dier in the pecking order to partner Vertonghen, leaving Dier to fight it out with Wanyama and Dembele for a place in defensive midfield - three very good players vying for just two positions. It will be interesting to see which route Pochettino goes down when the time comes.

Incidentally, Vertonghen has also recently signed a new contract at the club, becoming the latest in a long line of players to commit their future to Spurs since the beginning of the season. Perhaps their most important player, however, is captain Hugo Lloris, who has made some truly stunning saves in both the Champions League and the Premier League this season. Their positions in both are by no means ideal, but they could have been even worse without the outstanding reflexes of the France international.

In the opposite goal, poor old Igor Akinfeev would surely do anything for some of Lloris's stats from his Tottenham days. Akinfeev is a CSKA legend already and a one-club man, but one statistic in particularly has dogged him for over a decade now. It is 38 Champions League games since the CSKA keeper last kept a clean sheet - a record for the tournament and an unwanted streak that stretches back to November 1, 2006. The one shred of hope for him is that his last clean sheet came against a North London outfit, drawing 0-0 with Arsenal.

In all, Leonid Slutsky has made just two changes to his side for tonight's match, bringing Nababkin and Dzagoev into the starting XI in place of Mario Fernandes and Chalov. That means that the Berezutskiy brothers continue at the heart of the defence, while Natcho - who scored from the spot at the weekend - continues in midfield. Golovin is regarded as one of the brightest young players in Russian football at the moment, meanwhile, so it will be interesting to see how he gets on tonight.

CSKA's main dangerman this evening is likely to be Lacina Traore, who leads the line alone at Wembley. He also scored twice at the weekend, ending a lengthy drought in the league that stretched back to September. The Ivorian also scored against his former club Monaco in an earlier Champions League game this season, while he has a very limited experience of English football too having spent a brief spell with Everton.

It is a team with players that Spurs cannot afford to ignore, then, but there is no doubt that the hosts are overwhelming favourites to progress into the Europa League tonight. Indeed, it would be a surprise if Spurs did not win this match, even with their record at this stadium - which I will talk about a little later - but defeat would be a very low point in their season. CSKA showed in the reverse fixture that they are not pushovers, but Tottenham really should win tonight.

The cliche goes that winning is a habit, though, and it isn't one that Spurs have been in of late. Indeed, since their hugely impressive 2-0 victory over the previously perfect Manchester City at the start of October, Spurs have won just two of 11 outings in all competitions, drawing five and losing four. They did emerge comfortable winners over Swansea at the weekend, though, thrashing the Swans 5-0 for their biggest Premier League win since February 2012.

That means that another win tonight would make it two on the bounce for the first time since that Manchester City victory, which would have been fairly long odds at the start of October considering the nature of that win. Perhaps the biggest things in Tottenham's favour tonight is that they are a very hard team to beat - as many teams have already found out in the Premier League. They only suffered their first defeat of the season 11 days ago - and that to in-form league leaders Chelsea - while no team in the division has lost fewer games.

Draws have been the biggest problem for Spurs domestically as no team has shared the spoils on more occasions than Pochettino's side. A quick look at the goals column will also tell you that getting the ball in the back of the net has been a problem this term - particularly during the seven-week absence of Harry Kane through injury. They are comfortably the lowest scorers in the Premier League's top five, managing just 24, whereas at the other end of the field they have conceded a league-low 10 times.

As for the Champions League, their problem has been that they have conceded more frequently, yet are still struggling to score. Indeed, their tally of only three goals from their five group games is amongst the worst of any team in the competition, with only Club Brugge and Dinamo Zagreb scoring fewer. It is not as though they haven't had the shots either, but a measly 5% of their 58 efforts have gone in. That conversion rate needs to be a lot higher if they are to reach the latter stages of this competition in the future.

Contrary to the noises coming out of the club, it is also impossible to ignore the Wembley effect on the team so far this season. They are playing their European games at the stadium due to the ongoing construction work at White Hart Lane, but they have lost both Champions League outings at Wembley so far. Contrast that to an unbeaten domestic record at White Hart Lane, with six wins and two draws from eight matches, and it is hard not to point the finger at their failure to adapt to Wembley.

Pochettino has confirmed that Spurs will play Europa League games at the stadium in the new year should they qualify, and it is important for them to make Wembley feel like home. After all, it will be their home for the entire 2017-18 campaign as the new stadium in built. However, their record at the new Wembley is nothing short of dismal. They won their first trip to the stadium in the 2008 League Cup final, but since then they have lost six in a row here - in the 2009 and 2015 League Cup finals, the 2010 and 2012 FA Cup semi-finals and both Champions League matches this season.

Spurs have also only won one of their last eight Champions League games since February 2011, scoring only three goals in that time and never more than once in a game. The worry for CSKA, though, will be that that solitary victory came against them in Moscow during the current group stage campaign. Revenge will be on the cards for the visitors this evening, but that is easier said than done and there won't be too many backing them to come away with the win they require tonight.

One factor that might inspire CSKA to raise their game is the fact that it will be their last outing under manager Leonid Slutsky. The boss, who combined his role with leading Russia at Euro 2016 during the summer, has taken charge of a record 302 matches at the club in the seven years since he succeeded former Spurs boss Juande Ramos in 2009. In that time he has led the club to three Russian Premier League titles and two domestic cups, so it will no doubt be an emotional farewell.

Slutsky's decision to announce that this will be his final game in charge is a little strange to do before the match, and particularly as their season just looked like getting back on track. This is their final game before a three-month winter break, with their next competitive fixture coming in March against fellow high-flyers Zenit, which could be a reason behind Slutsky calling time on his career at the club, but he also leaves a side in pretty good form.

The Russians are unbeaten in their last six games in all competitions, and looked to be righting the ship after what has been a topsy-turvy campaign so far. They began with an eight-match unbeaten run before then only picking up one victory in their next 10 outings in all competitions - severely harming their hopes on both the domestic and European fronts. That damage has by no means been fixed, but they have conceded just one goal in their last five matches heading into today's game.

That includes a run of three clean sheets in a row, and should Akinfeev finally end his wretched Champions League record tonight then it would be four on the bounce for the first time since April 2013. Defence has actually been their strong point this season, with a league-low 11 goals scored in their 17 outings so far, whereas at the other end of the field they have scored the joint lowest in the top five - much like Tottenham. Indeed, also like Spurs they come into this one off the back of a big win, beating relegation-threatened Ural 4-0 on Saturday.

Despite that, though, CSKA remain out of the Champions League places in the Russian Premier League heading into the international break. They currently sit third, three points behind Zenit in second and a full eight points adrift of their city rivals Spartak Moscow. It is by no means an unassailable gap, but that run of just one win in 10 means that they need to go on a seriously impressive run if they are to claw the deficit back in the second half of the season.

A concern for this evening will be their recent away form, which has seen CSKA lose five of their last six outings on the road across all competitions. They had gone 11 in a row unbeaten away from home before a miserly run of five defeats on the bounce, although they did stop the rot with victory over Arsenal Tula - another relegation-threatened team - in their most recent away game. Another win tonight would see them win back-to-back away games for the first time since August, although their record in the Champions League is even worse. They have lost nine of their last 11 away group games in this competition, but their only win in that time did come on English soil against Manchester City. Home and away in the Champions League they are winless in nine games since September 2015 and have not kept a clean sheet in any of their last 27 - a run that stretches back to November 2011.

PREDICTION: Right, we're 10 minutes away from kickoff at Wembley, which means that it is time for a prediction! It is a matter of woeful Wembley record against awful away record tonight, but Tottenham really should have enough to get past CSKA tonight. Neither team concede too many goals - or score too many for that matter - so I can't see a goalfest, but I'm going to go for a 2-0 Tottenham win.

Spurs have only ever met Russian opposition on six previous occasions, and their record in that time is a favourable one, with four wins and just one defeat. They have also never lost a home match against a team from Russia, winning two and drawing one, although quite whether Wembley feels like home for them right now is a different point entirely.

CSKA, on the other hand, have won just one of their six away games against English opposition in the Champions League, with two draws and three defeats in that time. That win did come relatively recently, though, with the victory over Manchester City. However, they have failed to keep a clean sheet in their past nine Champions League matches against Premier League teams, and overall have lost half of their 16 clashes in European competition.

That, of course, includes the reverse fixture between the two sides in September, which was settled by a solitary goal from Son in the 71st minute. Spurs will be hoping for a slightly more comfortable evening with their 'home' advantage, but I'm sure they would take another 1-0 too as that would be enough to send them through to the Europa League.

Right, the players are out and we're just about ready to go here! Before we get started, though, there will be a minute of silence in memory of those who tragically lost their lives in the Chapecoense plane crash last week.

KICKOFF: After an impeccably observed minute's silence, Tottenham get us underway in front of what is a Wembley showing a lot of empty seats tonight.

Tottenham have seen most of the ball in these opening exchanges, but the brightest break so far has come from CSKA down the left flank. It came to nothing, but the visitors don't seem to be shy to get the ball forward quickly.

Already this match looks to have settled into a rhythm of Tottenham seeing more of the ball and looking for a way through CSKA, who are looking for a counter when possible.

CHANCE! The first chance of the night falls the way of Spurs and it is one they really should take! Eriksen hooks a cross into the box and Alli is there to nod it goalwards, but he puts it the wrong side of the post when he really should have scored.

Another good break from Spurs down the right flank and again Eriksen is the man who puts the ball into the box, but Kane can't steer it towards goal at the near post.

SAVE! Spurs are beginning to threaten now! This time it comes down the left as Kane swings a pass out to Son, who advances into the box, takes his man on and then draws a good low stop from Akinfeev.

UPDATE: There has been a goal in the other match involving an English team, and it is Leicester who have fallen behind for the first time in the Champions League this season. Andre Silva got the goal for Porto, but a much-changed Leicester are already through as group winners.

Concern for Spurs here as Dier limps away from an aerial challenge with Traore before going down and calling the physio on. Pochettino sends Alderweireld off to warm up, but it looks like Dier should be alright to continue.

CHANCE! Another huge chance for Spurs to break the deadlock! Walker and Kane combine to send Eriksen through inside the box, but his low drive is too close to Akinfeev, who makes another good low stop. He is doing all he can for that elusive clean sheet already!

This time Eriksen reverts to his role as creator, collecting another beauty of a pass from Kane before pulling a low cross into the middle. Kane has continued his run and just gets to the ball in front of Akinfeev, but his touch takes it out of play.

CLOSE! Now then, this would have been controversial! Everyone is expecting Alli to give the ball back to CSKA, but instead he lofts one towards the top corner that lands on the roof of the net. Tosic is not happy with that and the referee needs to get involved because that was cheeky from Alli. Had that one floated in Spurs may have felt duty bound to let CSKA score an equaliser.

Spurs have enjoyed 70% of the ball in this opening 18 minutes or so here, and they are using it well too. They have created a few really clear chances already and they only negative about their performance so far is that they haven't taken one of them.

Eriksen looks like a different player tonight than from just a few weeks ago. Those three goals in his last two matches have boosted his confidence and it is obvious to see in his play.

CHANCE! Half a chance for Alli with his head again! He rises highest to reach Walker's hoisted ball into the box, but he mistimes his header a bit and can only steer it to Kane, who is standing in an offside position.

Here is a snapshot of the pre-match tribute to Chapecoense...

CHANCE! Another huge chance for Spurs and Alli! This time he breaks into the box, timing his run to perfection to get on the end of Eriksen's incisive through-ball. Alli takes a touch in the box and looks certain to score, but he scuffs a tame finish straight at the keeper. He needs to take one of these sooner or later!

UPDATE: Leicester are now two down against Porto in their final group game, with Corona doubling the lead in Portugal with a fine volley.

Kane is felled on his way forward to give Spurs a free kick right on the edge of shooting range. Eriksen lines it up and instead tries to float it towards Dier, but Akinfeev is alert and collects the ball.

YELLOW CARD! Schennikov is the first name in the notebook tonight for a foul just inside the Tottenham half.

My word, where has that come from?! It is CSKA's first meaningful attack of the match and they have taken the lead! One long ball forward finds Tosic, who nods it down into the path of Dzagoev. No Tottenham defenders have tracked the run, and the Russian tucks it into the bottom corner with the type of clinical touch that Spurs have been lacking so far.

As things stand, then, Spurs are going out of Europe altogether. They should be two or three goals to the good tonight, but suddenly they find themselves behind and in need of a goal.

Once again a long ball forward undoes the Tottenham defence and for a moment Traore looks to be in behind, but he doesn't have the pace - or indeed the touch - to break free and make a chance out of it.

It has taken him a few bites at the cherry, but Dele Alli gets his goal! There is a question of offside in the build-up as the ball seemed to bounce off Kane and to Walker in an offside position before Eriksen took over. His cross towards the back post finds Alli, who takes it down before placing a beautiful finish into the far corner.

That is a good, quick response from Spurs and Alli in particular. He could have easily snatched at that one given his earlier misses, but he took his time and that finish was full of quality.

Here is that goal which, of course, extends Akinfeev's wait for a clean sheet to a whopping 39 matches...

CHANCE! CSKA have the chance to regain their lead straight away! It is a slick counter-attack from the visitors as they slice right through Spurs before Milanov collects it and drives a low strike towards goal, but Lloris collects.

There will be just one minute of added time at the end of this first half.

What a time for Tottenham to score and take the lead! It is far too easy against a lacklustre CSKA defence as Eriksen, who has been pulling all the strings in this first half, clips a lovely pass over the top for Rose. He in turn plays it square across the face of goal for Kane, who is left with the simplest of tap-ins at the far post.

The first half comes to an end at Wembley, and ultimately it is Spurs who go in with a deserved lead. They were the better side for the vast majority of that half, but some poor defending means that they needed to come from behind to get the lead. As things stand, though, they are heading for the Europa League!

The opening goal came completely against the run of play from CSKA as Dzagoev netted on their first meaningful attack, slicing through Spurs with far too much ease. Tosic won the header to flick it on to Dzagoev, whose run was not tracked before he drilled a finish past Lloris.

It took Tottenham just five minutes to respond, though, with Dele Alli atoning for some earlier misses with the equaliser. It was probably the toughest of his three best chances as he took Eriksen's cross down at the back post before carefully placing a lovely finish into the far corner for his first European goal.

The turnaround was completed in first-half stoppage time too, and once again it was dreadful defending from CSKA. Eriksen was the architect once more - as he has been all game so far - with a lofted pass forward to Rose on the left side of the area. The full-back played it back inside to Kane, who was left with the easiest of finishes to send his side into the break ahead.

KICKOFF: CSKA Moscow get us back underway for the second half at Wembley, and there has been a change from the visitors at the break as Golovin is replaced by Fedor Chalov.

Almost another chance to get in behind the defence for Alli as he looks to race on to a Kane ball, but Akinfeev is alert to get there first.

Another close one for Tottenham as Rose whips a cross into the box that Son sticks his leg towards, but he is just short of making contact.

UPDATE: The other game in Group E tonight has nothing riding on it in terms of positions, but Leverkusen are beating Monaco 2-0 in Germany. Monaco have already won the group, but that would close the gap between the two sides to one point.

There could be quite a few goals in this one for Tottenham if they really push for it. This CSKA defence was at sixes and sevens for both goals and Spurs have had plenty of chances too.

SAVE! Another shot on goal from the hosts as Kane lines up a volley from range, but it is relatively simple for Akinfeev to collect.

Spurs think that they have another chance here as Eriksen's cross is almost met by Kane, but the flag is raised anyway.

A rare piece of work for Lloris as he dives at the feet of the attacker as the ball broke into his box. A small reminder that a one-goal lead is never safe in football.

In fairness to CSKA, they haven't given up any really clear chances in this second half so far. Some of their defending in the opening 45 minutes left a lot to be desired, but since the interval they have been comparatively hard to break down.

TOTTENHAM SUB: Spurs make their first change of the night as Georges-Kevin N'Koudou replaces Son.

CHANCE! Big chance for Spurs to give themselves a cushion! Walker lifts a cross into the box that Kane - just about onside - gets his head to with a relatively unchallenged header. However, he plants it over the bar when he should have at least hit the target.

YELLOW CARD! Keep a close eye on this one ref! Vasili Berezutski goes into the book for a trip on Alli, and he will be hoping for no case of mistaken identity with his twin brother beside him later in the match.

SAVE! The resulting free kick is in a perfect position and Kane pulls rank to take it, but he doesn't get hold of it and it is a simple one for the keeper to collect.

It looks as though Toby Alderweireld may get a decent run-out here. He is stripping off on the sidelines and his introduction is imminent. That will be valuable game time ahead of this weekend's match against Manchester United.

TOTTENHAM SUB: Here is that change as Alderweireld replaces Wanyama, and the returning Belgian is given a rousing reception by the Wembley crowd.

CHANCE! Another decent chance for the home side as N'Koudou plays it out wide to Rose, who in turn cuts a low ball into the box. Not for the first time tonight, Alli is arriving into the box, but he leans back and sends his effort over the top.

CSKA SUB: The visitors make their second change of the evening as Astemir Gordyushenko reokaces Tosic. Let's hope I don't have to spell his name too often - Tosic was a lot easier...

CHANCE! Half a chance for the visitors to stun Spurs again as a loose ball inside the box falls to Chalov, but his shot on the turn hits Walker and goes behind for a corner.

SAVE! More work for the busy Akinfeev to do as Eriksen goes for goal from a free kick out on the left, but the CSKA keeper got his angles right to make the save.

CHANCE! Another chance and another save from Akinfeev. Eriksen has been majestic tonight and he clips another inch-perfect pass over the defence for Kane, who reaches it on the volley and steers it towards goal. Akinfeev reacts well to get the ball over the crossbar, though.

Spurs have a third, and this one will go down as an Akinfeev own goal. Again the defence is nowhere to be seen as Kane picks Alli out in the middle, and in truth the Tottenham man should score on his own. He is in acres of space as he nods it towards goal, but Akinfeev makes the save before seeing the ball bounce back off his foot and in.

CSKA SUB: The visitors make their third and final change of the night as Carlos Strandberg replaces Traore.

CHANCE! This would have been the most popular goal of the night, but Alderweireld puts his header over. Again the marking is non-existent as Alderweireld darts to the near post, and in truth he should do better than nodding it narrowly over.

TOTTENHAM SUB: Another change for the hosts as Josh Onomah replaces Kane.

This could quite easily have been six or seven for Spurs tonight, and they haven't really got out of third gear too often. CSKA Moscow have simply been outclassed.

Another half-chance for the hosts and Alderweireld as he once again climbs highest in the area to get his head to a cross, but again he fails to hit the target.

Aside from sealing their place in the Europa League, this will be an important win for Spurs to finally end that Wembley hoodoo. The result is a positive one, and the performance has been good too.

There will be two minutes of added time at the end of this match.

A Wembley win and a Europa League place both secured for Spurs then, which makes for a good evening's work. It wasn't all plain sailing for the hosts tonight as they were forced to come from behind following Dzagoev's opener against the run of play, but goals from Dele Alli and Harry Kane sent Spurs into the break ahead for a second-half own goal from Igor Akinfeev sealed a deserved win for Mauricio Pochettino's side. They will be playing European football in 2017!

Right, that is all we have time for this evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for tonight's Champions League clash as Tottenham book their place in the Europa League courtesy of a 3-1 win over CSKA Moscow in Leonid Slutsky's final match in charge of the visitors. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction too. From me, though, it is goodbye for now!