Tottenham Hotspur will face Ajax in the semi-final of the Champions League tomorrow, with kick-off at 20:00.
It will be the first time in the final four of this prestigious European competition for the Lilywhites under the current format.
Spurs beat Manchester City over two legs on away goals in a thrilling quarterfinal clash, whereas Ajax sent Cristiano Ronaldo’s Juventus packing after an impressive 2-1 victory in Turin.
Both teams will try to play their best football, however, the Dutch side will have some advantages.
Mauricio Pochettino must deal with several injuries in his squad, as well as Heung-min Son’s suspension due to bookings tallying up in previous rounds.
In addition, the Amsterdam based club will have had seven days to prepare for the Tuesday’s tie, compared to only three in the the North London club’s case.
With Son suspended due to suspension, Harry Kane injured, and Vincent Janssen ineligible to play, Lucas Moura and Fernando Llorente will very likely start in tomorrow’s encounter.
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Speaking to journalists during today’s press conference, Lucas Moura explained how Tottenham will deal without Sonny against the Dutch side.
He told football.london: “Son is a very, very good player and very important for us. Of course, we will miss him but we have other players who can do a job. We have a very good squad and we arrive to play in our best. If we have him in the second leg and I hope Harry Kane to recover quickly. Other players will have the opportunity to show what they can do,”.
Spurs Web Opinion:
With several injuries, Son’s suspension and Janssen’s ineligibility to play, Llorente should start with Lucas Moura in tomorrow’s encounter.
The Spaniard has plenty of experience and can provide an aerial threat that can turn out to be very useful and effective against the Dutch side.
The Brazilian, on the other hand, should be able to provide pace in tomorrow’s game, which means that Spurs will have at least two different options in attack.
Even though Llorente is nowhere near the level of Cristiano Ronaldo, he can use similar tactics in the box to provide headed goals.
As we’ve seen in the quarterfinal clash between Ajax and Juventus, aerial threats will come from both sides, but Llorente can provide an edge for Spurs with his height both defensively and offensively.
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