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Tottenham face an extremely tough challenge this evening when they take on Real Madrid looking to overturn the 4-0 defeat they suffered in Spain last week.
Harry Redknapp’s men are at home, but with such a big deficit going into the game, they have it all to do if they are to progress to the Champions League semi-finals.
There is no way they will give up hope though. Tottenham boss Redknapp has recently said that ‘it would take a miracle but miracles can happen’ and this is the attitude the home team must have.
It isn’t very often you have the chance to progress to the final four of the Champions League to face Barcelona, so Spurs have to be positive from the very first whistle.
After the disappointing first-leg, they have nothing to lose. Everyone is expecting Madrid to coast through, so Tottenham can play the attacking football they are famous for with the pressure off.
The most frustrating thing for Redknapp and his team is that they are arguably favourites to win tonight’s game. It’s just that it would take a monumental effort to win by a bigger margin than Jose Mourinho’s team did last week.
Had Spurs held tight following Peter Crouch’s sending-off in the Bernabeu and only lost by one or even two goals – they would be massively in the tie.
What happened happened though and Tottenham must make the best out of the situation. One thing for sure is that they will give it everything they have got.
As for Madrid, they won’t simply settle for progressing through to the semi-finals. Sure, the main objective is to win on aggregate, but on his return to England, Mourinho will not want to lose on the night.
The former Chelsea manager will be drilling into his players that the hard work isn’t done. He knows how strong Tottenham can be at home and would love his team to grab the first goal to put the outcome beyond doubt.
Looking at the team news for this one, Aaron Lennon should be fit for the home side after he missed the first-leg due to illness, while Crouch is unavailable due to suspension.
The Spaniards have Karim Benzema back in their squad following injury, but Pepe is suspended. Lassana Diarra, Pedro Leon and Fernando Gago all miss out through injury.
As previously stated, Tottenham could well win on the night, but it is unlikely to be enough to progress to the semi-final stage.
Regardless, it should be a thoroughly entertaining game in front of a lively and energetic crowd.
