Harry Kane and Mauricio Pochettino say Tottenham happy to tackle Europe's best
Monday 11 December 2017 12:50, UK
Harry Kane and Mauricio Pochettino have both declared that Tottenham want to play the best teams the Champions League has to offer.
Spurs go into the last-16 draw in Nyon, Switzerland, on Monday morning having topped their group with 16 points, the most amassed by any side in this season's group stage.
Bayern Munich, Juventus, Sevilla, Porto, Basel and Shakhtar Donetsk are the teams who can be drawn with Spurs and Kane, whose double against Stoke on Saturday takes him on to 50 goals for the calendar year, wants to beat the best.
"When we have been in the group we have been in with Real Madrid and Dortmund and we have done as well as we have, I know people say it a lot that we don't fear anyone, but to go far in the Champions League you are going to have to play the best teams in Europe so we will see who we get," he said.
"It will be exciting and then we will go from there and see how far we can go in the competition.
"I think the first thought was to try and get through and to finish on the most points out of everyone in the whole of the group stage was pretty impressive and that's the kind of form we have to show in every game."
Pochettino, too, has stressed that playing against one of the bigger opponents will be seen by everyone at Tottenham as an opportunity to impress and improve.
"I'm so brave and like to play against the big teams," he said.
"I love to play against Real Madrid, the big teams, of course. I love the challenge and to challenge the best as I'm a winner.
"You can see the game against Real Madrid I prefer to play against a team that will motivate everyone rather than a team all people say you will beat easily, then it gets complicated."
Tottenham are joined in the draw by fellow Premier League sides Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool as England becomes the first nation to have five sides in the last 16 of the Champions League.
Paris Saint-Germain, Roma, Barcelona, Besiktas, and holders Real Madrid make up the rest of the teams in the first knockout round.
