Spurs, who won the home leg 3-0, drew with Arsenal on Saturday, after Dortmund lost to Augsburg on Friday. “It’s strange that no-one has said anything about that,” said Pochettino. “It’s impossible that one team has 24 hours more to prepare. It’s massive.”
Mauricio Pochettino says Tottenham Hotspur need help from English football bosses after his side were given one day fewer to prepare for their Champions League last-16 second-leg tie than hosts Borussia Dortmund.
The Spurs boss continued: “We need help from the FA, we need help from the Premier League. “I don’t know whose fault it is. I don’t know whether it is the FA, the Premier League, the club or the TV [who] wanted the matches to be on those days.”
Spurs appear to be in control of the tie after beating the Bundesliga leaders at Wembley. Son Heung-min put the Premier League side ahead, with Jan Vertonghen and Fernando Llorente adding late goals.
No side has ever won a Champions League home knockout game 3-0 and then been eliminated – Paris St-Germain won the first leg of their 2017 round of 16 tie against Barcelona 4-0 but then lost the second leg 6-1 at the Nou Camp to go out.
“We all agree that first of all we need to perform on Tuesday,” said Pochettino. “It is going to be tough, we need to forget the first leg, that must be our approach. “I think we need to play like always, try to win. We cannot think about the first leg. It’s so important to start the game at a good level and be aggressive. That is key.”
Dortmund captain Marco Reus said: “I believe that we’re capable of achieving the impossible. “There have already been some matches at this stadium that have made history. We’ll need to go to our limits if we are to get the goals in the right moments.”
Dortmund are in a terrible run of form, with one victory in seven games in all competitions, as they have slipped from runaway Bundesliga leaders to only top Bayern Munich on goal difference.
Boss Lucian Favre said: “We need to sort it out. We mustn’t let in any unnecessary goals. We’ll need a top performance and will have to play intelligently too. Everything’s possible.”
TEAM NEWS
Spurs midfielders Harry Winks (hip) and Eric Dier (tonsillitis) have travelled with the squad but are unlikely to start, Dele Alli remains out with a hamstring problem, although he could return at the weekend.
Right-back Kieran Trippier has been left at home with a “slight problem” according to Pochettino.
MATCH FACTS
- Tottenham have won their three previous encounters with Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League, twice in last season’s group stages and in the first leg.
- Borussia Dortmund conceded more goals in the first leg against Tottenham than they did in the entire group stages (two).
- Borussia Dortmund have lost 10 of their last 13 Champions League knockout games (W3), after losing only one of their previous 14 (W9 D4).
- Tottenham have scored in each of their last 17 Champions League games, their longest run in the competition. They’ve also only ever lost one game in the Champions League (out of 31 played) by more than two clear goals, against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu in April 2011 (4-0).
- Raphael Guerreiro has scored four of Borussia Dortmund’s last five goals in the Champions League.
- Tottenham’s Son Heung-min has scored nine goals in 11 games in all competitions against Borussia Dortmund, more than he has against any other side in his senior club career.
- 100% of teams to have won 3-0 at home in the first leg of a Champions League knockout match have progressed to the next round (seven previous cases).
Spurs’ chances of going through
