For now, we can simply enjoy the fact that Tottenham are into the last 16 of the Champions League, but some strong teams lie in wait.
Defeating Frankfurt on Wednesday night was enough to secure Spurs fourth place in the league phase and book a place in the next round of the Champions League.
It also means Tottenham will get a favourable draw for the next round, with a home tie in the second leg of the knockout fixture.
However, with the elite teams still in the competition, there’s no such thing as an easy draw here. So, let’s look at who Spurs can actually face in the round of 16.
Champions League bracket is tough for Tottenham
We’ll have to wait a while to find out Tottenham’s next opponent in the Champions League draw, but we can narrow it down.
That’s because UEFA’s bracket system has already divided up all the remaining teams and essentially, Tottenham or Liverpool know the four teams they could face next.
Tottenham’s bracket includes Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Club Brugge, and Galatasaray. The Italian and Spanish giants will face each other in the play-offs, while Brugge will take on the Turkish outfit.
We still don’t know who will play Spurs or Liverpool, but the Premier League sides do know that they will play one of the winners of those play-off ties.
Which team should Spurs fear the most?
If we look at the head-to-head records between Spurs and those four teams, it makes for interetsing reading.
Tottenham have only played Juventus twice, believe it or not. They’ve also failed to beat the Serie A side, with a 2-2 draw and 2-1 defeat in the Champions League knockout stages in 2018.
Incredibly, Spurs have even less history against Atletico Madrid. The two teams have not met since 1963, when the Lilywhites inflicted a 5-1 defeat on the Spanish outfit in the UEFA European Cup Winners Cup.
It’s a bit of a mixed bag when it comes to Club Brugge, with a 2-1 defeat and a 3-0 win coming in 1984. They met more recently, in 2006, when Spurs won 3-1 in the UEFA Cup.
In many ways, Tottenham may actually fear Galatasaray the most. The two teams met last season in the league phase of the Europa League, with Spurs falling to a 3-2 defeat in Turkey. It was a hostile atmosphere and a dramatic game, but Galatasaray were just too much on the night.
Obviously, Juventus and Atletico look the strongest on paper, and they both have a richer history. However, Juventus are fifth in Serie A right now, while Atletico did just lose to Bodo/Glimt, a team we know Spurs can beat.
In short, Tottenham should fear no one… but all four of these teams have their merits.