Tottenham Hotspur take on Juventus in the Champions League this week.
Pundit and former Tottenham Hotspur manager Glenn Hoddle has told the Daily Mail that he feels Spurs are approaching a massive moment ahead of their Champions League clash with Juventus.
Spurs picked up another Premier League win on Saturday afternoon, as Son Heung-min’s brace handed Mauricio Pochettino’s side a 2-0 victory at Wembley Stadium.
Tottenham’s top four place appears to be all but secured, and with a 6-1 win over Rochdale in midweek, Spurs are also progressing well in the FA Cup as they chase silverware.
This week though, the attention turns back to the Champions League, as Spurs host Juventus at Wembley Stadium in the second leg of their last 16 clash, having drawn 2-2 in the first leg.
Having been 2-0 down early on in Turin, Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen dragged Spurs back into the game, clinching two away goals ahead of the second leg this week, with Spurs in the box seat for a spot in the last eight.
Advancing into the latter stages of Europe’s premier club competition would be a huge step for Tottenham, and former boss Glenn Hoddle has looked ahead to the game.
Hoddle has told the Daily Mail that he thinks this is a ‘major moment’ for Spurs, as if they can get past Juventus, they will feel that they can take on anybody in the Champions League – even Barcelona or Manchester City.
Hoddle added that his gut feeling is that Spurs have enough confidence from beating Real Madrid at Wembley to go on and beat anybody, starting with Juventus, and believes advancing will prove their progression just as much as a trophy.
“It is hard to overestimate just what a major moment this is for my old club Tottenham this week against Juventus,” said Hoddle. “If they can get past Juventus — and it’s still a big if — they wouldn’t necessarily fear anyone in the next round. Even Barcelona and Manchester City have their weaknesses and Tottenham are good enough to exploit them. There is a danger that they think the hard work has been done, with a 2-2 draw in Italy leaving them in a good position for Wembley.”
“My own feeling is that they have taken so much confidence from beating Real Madrid 3-1 at Wembley, that they now know they can take on any team. The FA Cup is still important to Spurs. They need to win a trophy and they are unlikely to go all the way in the Champions League. There is still that question mark over them, from the Chelsea and Newcastle games in 2015-16, when they went to pieces in the Premier League title run-in. They need to answer that and the best way is with a major trophy. But if by the end of this week they have managed to add last year’s Champions League runners-up to their scalps, alongside last year’s winners, then the club will know that they have stepped up a level,” he added.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
