Bayer Leverkusen coach Roger Schmidt thinks Tuesday's Champions League match against high-flying Tottenham Hotspur could kick-start their group with both teams yet to impress in Europe this season.

After letting winning positions slip in their previous Group E fixtures, Leverkusen must be wary of Tottenham, the only team still unbeaten in England's top flight this season.

Mauricio Pochettino's Tottenham are second in the group following their 1-0 win at CSKA Moscow three weeks ago and opening 2-1 defeat at home to table leaders Monaco.

"Not much has happened yet in the group, so you get the feeling that it'll really kick off against Tottenham," said Leverkusen coach Roger Schmidt.

"You can't ask for a better match."

Leverkusen are waiting on the fitness of captain Lars Bender with the Germany international struggling with the flu, but took part in Monday's final training session.

"We can't say at the moment whether he'll be able to play," admitted Schmidt as Bender also sat out Saturday's shock 2-1 league defeat at Werder Bremen.

Leverkusen have drawn both of their Champions League games so far.

Having raced into a two-goal lead at home to CSKA Moscow, they allowed the Russians to come back to force a 2-2 draw with all four goals scored in the first half.

Likewise, Javier 'Chicharito' Hernandez gave Leverkusen a second-half lead at Monaco a fortnight ago, only for Kamil Glik to hit a 94th-minute equaliser with the host's first shot of the game in a 1-1 draw.

Spurs will be a big test for the Germans.

Dele Alli's last-gasp equaliser rescued Tottenham in Saturday's 1-1 draw against West Bromwich Albion, which extended the North London club's unbeaten league run to eight matches.

"We'll be playing in front of a full house against a very good team, who have yet to lose a game in the Premier League," said Leverkusen's sports director Rudi Voeller.

"We tend to do well against teams like that, we will put in a good fight and the fans will see a great game, hopefully with a win for us."

Leverkusen's Bundesliga form of late has been erratic.

An impressive 2-0 win at home to Borussia Dortmund and victory away to Mainz was sandwiched between defeats to strugglers Werder Bremen and mid-table Eintracht Frankfurt.

Pochettino says Spurs should have had more out of their draw with West Brom, which left them third in the Premier League, but says they will be ready for the game in Germany.

One of Leverkusen's main tasks will be to contain Spurs' star-studded attack which includes England forward Dele Ali, Argentina's Erik Lamela and Son Heung-Min.

The South Korean international scored 29 goals in 87 appearances for Leverkusen between 2013 and 2015 before joining Spurs.

He was the Premier League's Player of the Month for September and having played only the last 20 minutes of Spurs' draw, the 24-year-old could be in line for a starting berth against his former club.