Tottenham Hotspur will take on Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League round of sixteen, in what looks like one of the ties of the round.
While both Tottenham and Borussia Dortmund fans seem to be happy with the draw, the reaction coming in from experts and pundits seems to indicate that Dortmund are the early favorites.
The Tottenham players have now reacted to the draw and on the whole, they seem to be cautiously optimistic. Star striker Harry Kane who struck thrice in two fixtures against Dortmund in last year’s competition has reiterated his belief Spurs are capable of beating anybody on their day.
Talking to the club’s official website, he said, “Borussia Dortmund are a top side, great stadium, great support. It’s going to be tough. They are doing well this season in the Bundesliga and they look in top form. So it’s tough, but we know we’re capable of beating them as well.
“We’ve had some good results in the Champions League especially away from home when you look at the likes of Real Madrid (1-1), Dortmund (2-1) and Juventus (2-2) last season and now Barcelona (1-1) this season. It’s good we’ve got that experience, we’ve been there and know how to get it done and now we need to use that again.”
Heung-Min Son who has a stellar record against the German giants has said he believes Spurs have in them to progress quite far in the competition.
The pacey South Korean said, “We have to go into the tie with confidence. We have to believe. Remember last season, we played so well (in the last 16) against Juventus but still didn’t qualify for the quarter-finals. We want to make the quarter-finals, semi-finals or even more than that. This is our dream and we have to believe in it.”
Meanwhile, Jan Vertonghen has warned his fellow teammates that this Dortmund team are a different beast to the side Tottenham beat home and away last season.
The defender said, “We’ve played them a couple of times in the last few years but they are a different side this year. They are doing very well – top of the league in Germany – and I think we’ll face a different team from the one from the last couple of years. We beat them twice last year and hopefully we can beat them again.”
While a lot can change between now and February, this certainly looks like one of the most unpredictable ties of the round with both teams in really good form.
Have something to tell us about this article?
