Pochettino: We can be heroes
MAURICIO POCHETTINO has called on his Tottenham players to be heroes as they prepare to face Juventus in the Champions League at Wembley tonight. Spurs came from two goals down to draw 2-2 in Turin a fortnight ago and head into tonight’s last-16 second leg as favourites to reach the quarterfinals. Manager Pochettino said yesterday his players must enjoy the night and added that they can achieve something special this season. ‘The players would be heroes because they will have competed with these big sides and it is difficult to beat them,’ he said. ‘But we have shown in the last few seasons we can be competitive. ‘Now we need to keep going and try to be strong for the rest of the season.’ Spurs goalkeeper Hugo Lloris said last night that the Premier League team are preparing to attack Juventus even though a low scoring draw would be enough for them to progress. Lloris said: ‘If we start to think too much about playing for a draw, especially against an experienced team like Juventus, we can be in trouble. ‘The best way is to start sharp as we are used to doing at home. Tomorrow is the highest level we can play in football, Champions League against one of the biggest clubs in Europe. ‘They played two finals in the last three years in this competition, so it’s a great moment to show the real face of Tottenham and show the quality and the strength of the club.’ There will be a minute’s silence tonight in memory of Fiorentina captain Davide Astori who died suddenly at the age of 31 on Sunday. Yesterday Pochettino revealed that he talked about signing the player when he was manager of Southampton. ‘I want to send all my condolences to all the people that love him,’ he said. ‘I had the possibility to meet him five years ago because it was my idea to sign him when we were at Southampton. ‘I took three hours to have lunch with him and he was a great kid, great person, great professional, great player. ‘I was devastated to hear the news and we share the pain with all the people in Italy and Florence and I send all my energy to his family.’
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