Tottenham are aiming to give themselves breathing space in the Champions League semi-final second leg and avoid the fate of Real Madrid and Juventus when they welcome Ajax to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium tonight.
Ajax overcame both European giants on their way to the semi-finals and now Tottenham are in their way as they look to make their first final since 1996.
A win for Tottenham at the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium would put Mauricio Pochettino’s side enroute to the 2018/19 Champions League final in Madrid, but they will have to take on an Ajax side captained by Matthijs de Ligt without some of the stars who have shone in the Premier League this season.
Tottenham vs Ajax – Champions League semi-final suspension rules
Champions League rules mean that all players have their disciplinary record wiped clean after the quarter-finals stage, although any existing suspensions are carried over into the Champions League semi-finals.
Tottenham forward Son’s joy at scoring twice in their Champions League quarter-final second leg against Man City was dampened when the South Korea hitman was told he would miss the first leg of the semi-finals.
The striker already had two bookings going into the match at the City of Manchester Stadium, and his yellow card shortly after half-time meant he would miss the chance to repeat his heroics when Ajax arrive at Tottenham’s new stadium.
Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino will not be able to bolster his strikeforce until the Champions League semi-final second leg, with Harry Kane still sidelined by an ankle problem.
Pochettino admitted: “We will miss players who are not available. Ajax fully deserve to be where they are and it’s going to be a very competitive game.
“It’s going to be so tough. It is our first semi-final in the Champions League and that’s why we must show respect for the competition and the opponents.
“We can talk about quality but I think it’s difficult to find some weakness in Ajax. It’s a team which deserves a lot of credit – the manager and the players are doing a fantastic job.
“A little bit like us, no-one believed Ajax could arrive in the semi-final, but we are there because we deserve to be.”
Champions League semi-final bookings – who could miss out?
Tottenham and Ajax will be unaffected by suspensions for the Champions League semi-final second leg unless anyone is sent off in the first leg at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Ajax have already been involved in a match in which two players were sent off in the Champions League this season, losing Maximilian Wober to a straight red card before Bayern Munich’s Thomas Muller received the same punishment for kicking Nicolas Tagliafico in the head.
The thrilling 2018/19 Champions League group stage match finished 3-3 at the Johan Cruyff Arena, where their Champions League semi-final second leg will be held.
