Tottenham Hotspur were drawn against Juventus for the first knockout stage in the Champions League.
Mauricio Pochettino’s men are arguably this season’s surprise package. After being drawn in a group that also included Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund, Spurs were deemed to be amongst the least likely of the English sides to progress to the knockout stages.
However, Tottenham finished top of their group and picked up more points than any other team in the competition across any group, as they claimed five wins – including one over Madrid at Wembley, and home and away against Dortmund – and one draw.
Their reward for booking their ticket to the next round in such emphatic fashion however, is a contest with nine-time finalists and two-time winners Juve in the next round.
The Old Lady made it through as runners-up in a group that also included Barcelona. And while there is certainly no shame in coming second behind Barca, their league form has been slightly more disappointing as they currently sit third in the table, two points off top spot.
And Redknapp believes that Spurs will be the ones to end Juventus’ hopes of reaching a 10th European Cup or Champions League final when they meet next year.
“Tottenham get turned on by these huge games. They have excelled at Wembley against Liverpool and Real Madrid — teams who have gone at them. It will be a fascinating tactical contest between Mauricio Pochettino and Massimiliano Allegri. The second leg at Wembley will be a great game,” he told the Mail when explaining why he is expecting Spurs to get through.
The first leg will be played in Turin in February, before the pair meet again at Wembley in March.
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