Tottenham Hotspur faced off against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League last week, managing to defeat the German League leaders 3-0 in the first leg.
Spurs now have one foot in the quarter finals of this year’s competition, however they will be unable to be drawn against another English side at this stage.
One team that does face strong English opposition in Europe this week is Schalke 04, who come up against Premier League holders Manchester City.
Spurs may recognise one familiar face in the Schalke line up, as a young Nabil Bentaleb once wore the Lilywhite jersey.
In fact, after breaking through under Tim Sherwood, Bentaleb then played a huge part in Pochettino’s first season as manager.
The then 19-year-old eventually picked up an injury, and once he returned, found the likes of Mousa Dembele, Victor Wanyama, and Eric Dier in his usual starting spot.
Relationships broke down between the midfielder and Poch, and he eventually transferred away from the club.
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He has now revealed that he knows he made mistakes, and wishes he was still at Spurs.
He said (Independent): “I got injured and when I came back, I wanted to play so bad that I had some arguments [with Pochettino].
“I was a little bit frustrated, and I was learning basically. Being on the bench is a learning curve.
“I know I made mistakes. But they helped me learn, as a man. And they don’t stop me from sleeping at night. And if I was 24 right now, and I had been at Tottenham, I don’t think I would make the same mistakes.
“I would be a hypocrite to say that I would not like to be there, and I am not a hypocrite. But this is football.
“England gave me the chance. Where I am from, in France, no-one gave that to me. So I am forever grateful to Tottenham, the whole club, the administration. They gave me an opportunity to make my dream, to realise my dream. I grew up from 16 in England, and I left at 20. I spent a lot of time there, made lots of friends. I love that country, I love the football over there.”
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