- Tottenham are preparing to face Juventus in Champions League showdown
- They enter Tuesday’s first leg in Turin boosted by North London derby victory
- Juventus won 2-0 against Fiorentina on Friday to maintain Serie A title bid
- Striker Paulo Dybala missed that game because of a hamstring injury
- But Juve hope he will return for Spurs match and Pochettino was full of praise
Mauricio Pochettino has classed his Argentine compatriot Paulo Dybala among the world’s best as his Tottenham side prepare for their Champions League showdown with Juventus.
In-form Spurs, buoyed by their 1-0 victory over Arsenal in the North London derby on Saturday, head to Turin to take on the Italian champions on Tuesday night in the first leg of their last-16 match.
It’s a fiendishly difficult draw for Spurs against a Juve side that has reached two Champions League finals in the last three seasons and are bidding for a seventh consecutive Serie A crown.
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino has praised Juventus forward Paulo Dybala ahead of Tuesday night’s Champions League last-16, first leg fixture
Argentine striker Dybala has been in excellent form, scoring 17 goals for Juventus this season
Dybala, who has scored 17 goals in all competitions this season but none in Europe, missed Juve’s 2-0 win at Fiorentina on Friday night with a hamstring injury but could return for the Spurs clash.
Pochettino hopes so, telling Rai Sport: ‘I think Dybala will recover and I hope he does, because I think it’s always nice to play against the best in the world.
‘I put Dybala in that category, because he is a special talent and seeing him on the pitch is wonderful, even if he might cause your team a few problems.’
Pochettino praised Dybala as a ‘special talent’ and one of the ‘best in the world’
Harry Kane celebrates with Dele Alli after scoring Tottenham’s winning goal against Arsenal
Juve’s win on Friday night kept them within a point of Serie A leaders Napoli with 14 matches of the season remaining.
Tottenham’s win over Arsenal, achieved through Harry Kane’s 32nd goal of the season, lifted them above Chelsea into fourth place, though the Blues are at home to West Brom on Monday night.