Juve cannot contemplate the idea of being beaten by Tottenham

There will be derision in Italy if the visitors go out to club finding their feet at this level

CERTAIN moments can change the course of seasons. Juventus believe Saturday’s results in Serie A will prove the defining moment of their campaign, and Tottenham’s challenge tonight is to prove they are wrong.

Paulo Dybala’s stoppage-time winner at Lazio gave Juventus a victory that had rarely looked likely, and the result appeared to deflate their main rivals Napoli to such a degree that they suffered a surprise home defeat by Roma a few hours later.

Suddenly, Juventus are a point behind Napoli with a game in hand, and a seventh successive title is on the cards.

There seems no doubt that Juventus’ win in Rome has made them more formidable opponents at Wembley.

This team, don’t forget, have reached two Champions League Finals in three seasons yet their powers appeared to be waning during the 2-2 draw in Turin two weeks ago, when Tottenham dominated large parts of the match.

After last week’s FA Cup win over Rochdale, Danny Rose suggested Spurs were probably favourites for this tie. As well as Spurs played in Italy, this is probably unwise, as Tottenham have achieved little in Europe in recent times.

They did superbly to reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League in 2011 and made the last eight of the Europa League two years later, but have made no impact besides that.

Taking 10 points from a possible 12 in group matches against Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund was impressive but knockout football is an entirely different challenge. Juventus’ players have been here countless times; Tottenham’s have not.

Juventus’ reputation in Italy resembles that of Manchester United under Sir Alex Ferguson — a team who are never beaten, even when playing below their best.

As Tottenham discovered in the first leg, there is nothing spectacular about Juventus’ style.

There is, however, an understanding of what is required to make progress, which separates the elite clubs from the pretenders.

Real Madrid might be in dismal form domestically but the way they disposed of Paris St Germain over two legs shows they are in no mood to give up their crown.

Juventus cannot contemplate the idea of losing to Tottenham, a club with only two League titles to their name.

Since the Champions League’s inception, Tottenham have participated only three times, whereas Juventus have won it once and reached five other finals. The derision from the rest of Italy would be simply too much to bear.

“We need to think we can win — we always think in this way — and then what happens will be a consequence of our performance,” said Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino. “If we are capable of performing in the way we normally do, I’m sure we will have a good chance of securing the win that will take us to the next stage.

“After the group stage, we improved our reputation in Europe. Last season was a massive disappointment for us, going out in the group stage, but after our wins over Madrid and Dortmund, people in Europe started to respect Tottenham more. We value our football, our philosophy. We try to develop our style of football and play the sort of game we love, that comes naturally.

“I think in Europe, they respect us. When you play in the Champions League, you always feel that the atmosphere around the club is different.

“Straightaway you understand that it is not the same as usual. People are focused, but a little bit more excited.