Zidane wants to be top
TOTTENHAM Hotspur welcome back defender Toby Alderweireld for tonight’s Champions League clash with CSKA Moscow, but will be without injured Erik Lamela, manager Mauricio Pochettino said yesterday.
Alderweireld, who has not played since injuring a knee in October, is fit enough for a place on the bench at Wembley Stadium.
Lamela has a hip problem and has also not played since October, but he has flown back to his native Argentina for personal reasons.
“Lamela is injured but has gone back to Argentina because of a problem with his brother. We send our support to his family,” Pochettino said.
“Toby will be involved in the squad for tomorrow. He’s recovering well. (Tonight) maybe he will be on the bench.”
Striker Vincent Janssen (ankle) will also miss the game.
Tottenham have played European home games at Wembley this season due to the redevelopment of White Hart Lane, but lost both Champions League matches at the national stadium.
They are third in Group E and have no hope of progressing to the knockout stages, but a win or draw against fourthplaced CSKA would put them into the Europa League.
Pochettino said Europe’s second-tier club competition offered Spurs the chance to make amends for their poor showing in Europe this season.
“I believe that it’s important for the club to be involved in the Europa League,” he added.
“We didn’t play well in the Champions League at Wembley. But it’s important for us to be involved in the Europa League. Why not try to go further in that competition?”
The Argentine was optimistic his team would qualify for the Champions League again next season and do much better.
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“I want to be involved in the next Champions League. For that we will fight. For big sides like us, or Liverpool, or Chelsea, not being involved in European competition is always difficult.”
Meanwhile, Real Madrid will not conserve energy against Borussia Dortmund despite having already qualified for the Champions League last 16 and are intent on taking top spot in Group F, coach Zinedine Zidane said yesterday.
Both teams have reached the knockout stage of Europe’s elite competition, although Zidane’s side, who trail leaders Dortmund by two points, need to beat the Germans to avoid finishing second in their group for the first time in four years.
“We’re playing a final, a game that determines who wins the group and we’re at home so obviously we want to put on a big performance. We’re not going to try and relax or be cautious, we’re playing to win,” Zidane told a news conference.
Finishing second could work in Real’s favour as they would be guaranteed to avoid fellow Spaniards Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, winners of Groups C and D, and could be handed a favourable draw against a team like Leicester City, Monaco or Benfica.
“We’re not going to do any calculations, our objective is to always win the group,” Zidane said. – Reuters