Tottenham face Barca heat as exit looms
Spurs must match Inter Milan result
London – Tottenham are sitting pretty in the Premier League but face a potentially season-defining match against Barcelona in the Champions League tonight. Mauricio Pochettino’s men have amassed 36 points from 16 Premier League matches, with 12 wins, leaving them in third place behind Liverpool and Manchester City. With City and Liverpool in such rampant form, few expect Spurs to win the Premier League, putting increased emphasis on their match against the Spanish league leaders in Group B. Pochettino must somehow find a way past Lionel Messi’s Barcelona to reach the knockout stages but he remains positive ahead of the trip to the Camp Nou to face the five-time European champions.
“It will be a massive game. They have qualified for the next stage but in the Champions League no one is going to give a present,” said the Argentine, who left Harry Kane out of the starting line-up for the 2-0 win away to Leicester on Saturday.
“We need to win and deserve to win. The mentality is going to be 200% to try to win. We are going to arrive in the best condition, Barcelona are one of the best teams in Europe.” Spurs took just one point from their first three games in Group B, losing to Inter Milan and Barcelona and drawing with PSV. But they beat PSV at home and then scored late through Christian Eriksen to beat Inter 1-0 at Wembley, leaving them in second place on seven points, the same as the Italians.
With Barcelona already guaranteed to top the group, Spurs must match Inter’s result to guarantee progress. Barca are unbeaten in 28 Champions League home matches and the Londoners will not be encouraged by the fact that the Spaniards have only lost two home matches in 33 against English opponents. But Spurs themselves, with a vibrant collection of attacking players, have won eight out of their past nine fixtures in all competitions and will be hoping that Ernesto Valverde’s side take their foot off the gas.
Tonight’s Fixtures (10pm unless stated) Schalke v Lokomotiv Moskva, 7.55pm; Galatasaray v Porto; Liverpool v Napoli; Barcelona v Tottenham; Monaco v Borussia Dortmund; Crvena Zvezda v Paris Saint-Germain; Inter v PSV; Club Brugge v Atlético Madrid. – AFP