Focus Is On Leicester Despite Looming Champions League Clash, Insists Pochettino

Tottenham head coach Mauricio Pochettino insists all eyes are on the meeting with Leicester – despite a looming Champions League clash. Pochettino spoke on Friday of his disappointment that the fixture against the Foxes has been shifted for television, giving his Spurs side less time to recover ahead of Wednesday’s visit of the Bundesliga leaders in the Champions League round of 16.

Despite the shortened gap between two key games, Pochettino does not intend on taking Leicester – who have beaten Chelsea and Manchester City and drawn at Liverpool in recent times – lightly this weekend. “No, we are going to select the best to try and win,” Pochettino replied when asked if he will make wholesale alterations to his side against Leicester. “For sure maybe we are going to do some changes but to try to win. The most important game now is Sunday and when we finish Sunday it is Wednesday. “But we are going to try and pick the best starting XI to win (against Leicester) for sure.”

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Tottenham went into the weekend just five points off the top of the table, despite missing both Harry Kane and Dele Alli through injury in recent weeks.
They also had to contend with Son Heung-min travelling to represent South Korea in the Asian Cup, while uncertainty over the move to their new stadium also hangs over the club.
With all of those circumstances working against them, Pochettino hailed the collective character of his players heading into the Leicester game. “We feel so proud and with all the circumstances the team is doing fantastically, the performance of the squad is unbelievable,” he said. “Football is a collective sport and we are showing great character, personality and very good quality, fighting against big sides and being in a position that’s very close to the top. “We hope to keep going in the same direction, trying to get the best results to try to be competitive and at the end, to fight for big things.”