5 REASONS FOR SPURS TO REMAIN HOPEFUL

1 RETURN OF THE PROLIFIC SON

Son Heung-min (above) scored three times against Manchester City in the quarter-final across two legs and has notched 20 goals for Spurs this season despite missing a month at the Asian Cup. So he was always going to be sorely missed on Tuesday night. Whenever Harry Kane has been out injured Son has stepped up — and then some: Spurs have a better record when the Korean leads the line than when Kane does. And he will be back for the second leg having served his one-match ban. If Spurs sit in, concede possession and try to hit Ajax on the break, Son and Lucas Moura up top could spell trouble for the Dutchmen. 2 AJAX WOBBLY AT HOME

Ajax were sensational on Tuesday in north London, especially in the first half. And it’s not the first time they have shone on the road during this remarkable Champions League run. They won 2-1 at Juventus, 4-1 in Madrid and drew 1-1 in Munich. It’s been a less rosy story at the Johan Cruyff Arena. In the group, they needed stoppage-time goals to beat Benfica and rescue a point against Bayern. In the knockouts, they lost to Real and drew with Juve. In fact, Ajax haven’t won a Champions League knockout game at home since 1996. A fortress it is not. 3 LADY LUCK SMILING ON SPURS

Call it Lady Luck, call it character but Spurs have had more lives than the luckiest cat in the Champions League. Every time they looked like going out, they’ve stayed in. After three games in the group, they had one point — a sticky spot not many teams have recovered from. They then scored in the 89th minute to beat PSV at Wembley to keep their slim hopes of getting out of the group alive. And going into the final group game, they needed a point in the Nou Camp while hoping Inter Milan failed to beat PSV — at home! Inter duly drew 1-1 and Lucas Moura scored in the 85th minute for Spurs in Barcelona to grab a draw. Another stay of execution. Then, of course, at the Etihad, VAR rightly ruled out Raheem Sterling’s late ‘winner’, having let the debatable ‘handball’ goal from Fernando Llorente (left). Are the stars aligned? 4 DUTCH CUP FINAL

Last weekend, the Dutch FA cancelled an entire league programme so Ajax could focus on the first leg. Tottenham had a tough home match against West Ham with top-four hopes in the balance. Spurs visit Bournemouth on Saturday and Ajax play Willem II in the Dutch cup final on Sunday night. The pressure may be slightly off Spurs as their top-four rivals cannot seem to scratch a win between them. 5 NOW PRESSURE’S ON KIDS

In Ajax’s Champions League journey they have been underdogs, pressure off, nothing to lose. Suddenly, they will be seen as favourites, one foot in the final, with a once in a lifetime chance dangling within their grasp. The pressure is now on Ajax (above) — in front of an expectant home crowd. How this young team respond to that shift will be fascinating. But it won’t be easy.