Tottenham face Monaco at Wembley in the Champions League tonight.
Martin Keown
Pundit and former Arsenal defender Martin Keown has told the Daily Mail that he thinks that playing at Wembley Stadium will actually help Tottenham Hotspur.
Spurs begin their Champions League campaign against Monaco this evening, in a huge night for the club given that it’s their first Champions League game since the 2010/11 season.
Fresh from their 4-0 win over Stoke City on Saturday afternoon, Tottenham look to be in strong form heading into tonight’s clash with the Ligue 1 outfit.
View inside Wembley Stadium
Mauricio Pochettino’s side are in a tricky but manageable group alongside Bayer Leverkusen, CSKA Moscow and tonight’s opponents Monaco – but many pundits are suggesting that Spurs face a huge problem in their attempts to reach the knockout stages of the Champions League.
With work ongoing at White Hart Lane, Tottenham have struck a deal to play their European games at Wembley Stadium, but will remain at White Hart Lane for their Premier League fixtures.
Wembley Stadium
Arsenal were in an almost identical situation during the late 1990’s, and they struggled away from Highbury, leading many to believe that Tottenham will suffer a similar fate this season.
However, former Arsenal defender Martin Keown has surprisingly told the Daily Mail that whilst he and his Gunners team-mates struggled at Wembley, he actually thinks the move will help Tottenham.
Keown believes that the size of pitch shouldn’t be an issue for such a young, fit squad of players, whilst he also thinks that the improved facilities are another advantage for Spurs – but did warn them that teams can up their game in iconic stadiums, as Arsenal found at Wembley.
Martin Keown
“The Wembley effect on us was clear — when we dropped down into the UEFA Cup in 2000 after Gabriel Batistuta’s Fiorentina knocked us out, we reverted to playing at Highbury and got to the final,” said Keown.
“However, the expansive football Spurs play should help them. They are quite a young, fit team so the size of the pitch shouldn’t bother them. It’ll be interesting to see if they can maintain their high-pressing game on a bigger surface though.
“The quality of the playing surface and facilities at the new Wembley should also work in Tottenham’s favour. The old pitch was energy-sapping, while the stadium’s facilities had been surpassed by most Premier League grounds at the time. One thing to be wary of, however, is the galvanising effect playing at an iconic stadium can have on the opposition,” he added.
Do you think Tottenham will thrive at Wembley?
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