Arsenal hero Emmanuel Petit warns Tottenham that Champions League campaign at Wembley will not be easy

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Mauricio Pochettino’s men will be playing their home games in the competition away from White Hart Lane this season.

Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino

Arsenal hero Emmanuel Petit has warned Tottenham Hotspur that playing their home games at Wembley will make their upcoming Champions League campaign tougher, the Daily Mirror reports.

The Frenchman was part of the Gunners side that played their home games in the competition under the Twin Towers for two seasons just before the turn of the Millennium.

Arsenal and Barcelona walking out ahead of their Champions League clash at Wembley in 1999

And after Arsene Wenger’s men failed to make it out of the group on either occasion, Petit has warned Mauricio Pochettino’s men – who plan to play at the redeveloped home of the England national team in Europe this term – that while the crowd numbers may be greater, it will be difficult for them to adjust to their new surroundings.

“It was a disaster,” he told the Mirror, when discussing Arsenal’s fortunes at Wembley.

“In two seasons, we did not qualify from the group. We had problems off the pitch as well as on it – we were nearly late for one game because of the traffic. It was not great preparation.

“They will get more fans. We did. But it is not your home ground.”

Although Petit has suggested that Spurs may struggle at Wembley, the group they have been drawn in has given them an excellent opportunity to reach the knockout rounds.

With none of Europe’s biggest heavyweights in the pool – CSKA Moscow, Bayer Leverkusen and Monaco join them in Group E – Tottenham should be able to drop points and still progress comfortably as it is difficult to pick a favourite which makes it seem probable that every side will be taking points off each other.

And the fact that Arsenal struggled to make Wembley their own fortress when they had the chance nearly two decades ago may perhaps be the kind of motivation that will inspire Spurs when they come to play under the arch.