The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Defender misses out as Spurs facing tall order
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Alderweireld out of clash against Juventus in Turin
Mauricio Pochettino has confirmed Tottenham’s Toby Alderweireld will not face Juventus today as he believes the defender is not yet fit enough for a crunch Champions League tie.
Pochettino told Alderweireld he would miss the match in Turin during a conversation that lasted longer than two hours.
He said that to go up against a team like Juventus, every player needed to be at “200%” fitness.
Alderweireld played 90 minutes against Newport in the FA Cup last week, having returned from a 14-week absence due to a hamstring tear.
Tottenham are still to persuade Alderweireld to extend his current contract, which expires in the summer of next year, but Pochettino says this latest absence is down to nothing other than physical factors.
Tottenham face a gargantuan task at the Allianz Stadium against a side that have conceded only one goal in their last 16 matches.
Juventus have also reached the Champions League final twice in the last three seasons while Spurs are into the knockout stages for only the second time in their history, and the first since 2011. “I think Juventus is a massive club. “We cannot compare with Juventus, in their history they won everything,” Pochettino said.
“Of course our dream is to reach the level of Juventus. We’re going to be competitive and we’ll see if we can compete tomorrow.”
Alderweireld is Tottenham’s only major absentee, meaning Pochettino could stick with the same team that beat Arsenal.
Victor Wanyama could come in to add more resilience to the midfield.
Juventus have several key players out. Paulo Dybala is missing with a hamstring strain while Andrea Barzagli has joined Blaise Matuidi, Benedikt Howedes and Juan Cuadrado on the sidelines.
Leroy Sane could make a dramatic return to action when Manchester City resume their Champions League campaign in Basel today.
The runaway Premier League leaders go into the first leg of the last-16 tie in Switzerland full of confidence, with captain Vincent Kompany believing the club are ready to win the competition.
Winger Sane was initially ruled out for up to seven weeks when he suffered ankle ligament damage in quadruple chasing City’s FA Cup victory at Cardiff on January 28.
But the German has made a rapid recovery and proved his fitness to travel with the squad yesterday morning.
Manager Pep Guardiola said: “I’m surprised. He has worked a lot but I didn’t expect with a young guy how professional he was.
“He is not in perfect condition but he is with us.
“He wants to help us. That is good news.
“He and the physios did a good job.” Playmaker David Silva and left-back Fabian Delph are also back in contention after respective hip and knee problems.
However, there could be a doubt over defender Aymeric Laporte, who did not take a full part in training yesterday.