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Tottenham projected XI v Juventus: Pochettino will attack the Old Lady

By Rucker Haringey

TURIN, ITALY - FEBRUARY 13: Harry Kane of Tottenham Hotspur and Gianluigi Buffon of Juventus shake hands after the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 First Leg match between Juventus and Tottenham Hotspur at Allianz Stadium on February 13, 2018 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
TURIN, ITALY - FEBRUARY 13: Harry Kane of Tottenham Hotspur and Gianluigi Buffon of Juventus shake hands after the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 First Leg match between Juventus and Tottenham Hotspur at Allianz Stadium on February 13, 2018 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images) /
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LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 03: Christian Eriksen of Tottenham Hotspur evades Rajiv van La Parra of Huddersfield Town during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Huddersfield Town at Wembley Stadium on March 3, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 03: Christian Eriksen of Tottenham Hotspur evades Rajiv van La Parra of Huddersfield Town during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Huddersfield Town at Wembley Stadium on March 3, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images) /

Attacking midfielder-Christian Eriksen

Kane is Tottenham’s most talented attacker, but Eriksen is the man who pulls his club’s strings on the offensive end of the pitch. The Danish maestro will need to be on top of his game to propel Spurs past The Old Lady.

The most interesting indicator of how the match is going for Spurs will be just how much time and space Eriksen gets on the ball. In particular, watch him closely to see if he drops back to pull the strings from deep against Juventus. Eriksen did this to great effect at Huddersfield and could look to replicate those efforts on the Champions League stage.

Attacking midfielder-Dele Alli

Some Tottenham fans like to give Dele stick, but there’s no chance Pochettino is going to leave him out of the lineup of such an important fixture. His ability to score a goal out of nothing could be crucial to his club’s hopes for advancing in the competition.

His improved ability to create scoring opportunities for others this season shouldn’t be overlooked. Last season, opposing defenders could play Dele almost exclusively to take a shot on goal. Now, they have to honour his passing ability as well. Don’t be surprised to see him heard Juventus via either method.

Attacking midfielder-Heung-Min Son

In many ways this is Pochettino’s toughest choice of the match. Erik Lamela would give his squad a healthy dose of toughness in this match. On the other hand, Son is significantly more likely to give Pochettino the opening goal he craves.

The simple truth is that Son was simply too good against Huddersfield to leave on the bench for this fixture. Starting the match doesn’t mean he’s going to finish it, but look for Tottenham to give him plenty of chances to attack Juventus early in the match. Son will be counted on to set the tone for Spurs.

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