Tottenham can survive Russia ahead CSKA, says Toby Alderweireld

Football News – Mauricio Pochettino’s men need a win in the Russian capital following their defeat against Monaco but Alderweireld maintains they have no fears.

Toby Alderweireld maintains Spurs have no fears about reviving their Champions League campaign in Russia.

The north Londoners are in the capital to face CSKA Moscow in what will be the first encounter with Russian fans since the shocking violence in Marseille that marred Euro 2016.

Travelling Spurs supporters have been told not to make themselves targets for troublemakers by displaying their colours outside the stadium.

The contest for Mauricio Pochettino’s men is a must-win affair following Tottenham’s 2-1 defeat in their opening Group E game at home to Monaco.

But Alderweireld insists he and his team-mates are ready to cope with the high stakes and the intimidating atmosphere.

The Belgian centre-back said: “It’s difficult for me to tell but in Russia, it’s always like this [hostile], especially in Champions League games.

“And especially when other teams from Europe are coming, English teams, as well. We only have to focus on our game on the pitch and the rest is not in our hands.”

The Belgian centre-back played alongside team-mates Jan Vertonghen and Christian Eriksen when Ajax were beaten 3-0 by Spartak in Moscow at the last-16 stage of the Europa League five years ago. He added: “It’s the atmosphere there.

“But if I compare us now to that Ajax team, we were all very young, whereas now, we know in the Premier League how to play difficult away games.

“So nobody is scared to play in Moscow. And to play our own game. I’m very confident.”

Alderweireld made it to the final with Atletico Madrid two years ago and, despite defeat at the hands of Real, he revealed he is still inspired by the belief instilled in him by Diego Simeone.

Russian champions CSKA sit second in their domestic league and are unbeaten this season. They have lost just one of their last seven Champions League home games.

But Alderweireld remains convinced that Spurs can move past them to make an impact in the competition.

“Every team in the tournament is capable of winning the Champions League if you put your mind to it.” he said. “If you have a good squad and the hunger is there to win something, you can do it.

“At Atletico, we had to compete with the big teams like Barca, Real, Bayern – they were always the favourites.

“But at Atletico, we knew if you are a really good group and, of course, we had quality, you can win it. That’s the thing that has stayed with me.

“We at Tottenham try to see it game-by-game. It has been a while since the club has been in the Champions League and we have lost the first game, but we have to go through.

“We have to be confident in our game, confident in our quality and confident that we can get the result against any team. So we don’t have to look too far into the future, just look game-by-game and try to get to the next round.”

Alderweireld sees similarities in defensively-minded Pochettino – whose Spurs side remain undefeated in the Premier League – with Simeone.

He went on: “It’s the way they work. They like to have a team that works very hard. They work us very hard [in training].

“There are differences. Pochettino likes to play from the back, with the build-up, have the ball. But the pressing is similar, as well.

“They are different kind of styles but they are both winners. They want to win everything, they want to win every game.”

Category: Football