MARIN ON A MISSION
MARKO MARIN will this week aim to bury his Chelsea nightmare for good – by putting Tottenham to the sword.
The Red Star Belgrade skipper returns to London for the first time since his disappointing spell at Stamford Bridge, where he scored once in six appearances following his arrival in May 2012.
But though keen to draw a line under that difficult three-year period – during which he was farmed out on loan four times – Marin cannot wait to test himself on Tuesday against last season’s crisis-torn Champions League runners-up.
The German international, 30, said: “I’m looking forward to this game very much.
“To play against last season’s Champions League finalists – to play against the biggest teams in Europe – is a huge thing for everyone at Red Star Belgrade.
“And our win last season at home to Liverpool in the Champions League means that every team in the competition must now take us seriously.”
Last season Red Star finished bottom of a group that also had Napoli and Paris SaintGermain, and with Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino fighting for his future, this seems the perfect opportunity for a Red Star shock.
A 3-0 defeat at Brighton before the international break left Tottenham 13 points behind leaders Liverpool – and followed that 7-2 home humiliation by Bayern
Munich in the last Champions League game.
But Marin expects Spurs to be a different animal, and added: “I’m sure Tottenham will bounce back to their best soon because they have too much quality.”