Wembley set for Champions League pitch inspection by referee and UEFA delegate ahead of Tottenham’s clash with PSV eight days after NFL event
- Tottenham take on PSV at Wembley in Champions League Group B on Tuesday
- The Dutch side are due to train at the national stadium at 6pm on Monday night
- Before PSV train the referee and a ‘specialist pitch expert’ will inspect the field
- The Wembley pitch was badly churned up by an NFL match on October 28
UEFA will hold a pitch inspection at Wembley on Monday afternoon on the eve on Tottenham’s Champions League clash with PSV.
The playing surface at the national stadium was left in a shocking condition after Spurs’ Premier League defeat by Manchester City last Monday, which came 24 hours after an NFL game took place there.
A ‘specialist pitch expert’ along with a delegate and the referee will take a look at the ground ahead of PSV’s planned training session at 6pm on Monday evening.
There was an NFL logo in the centre circle as Tottenham played Manchester City at Wembley
The pitch was badly cut up after an American Football match was played there a day earlier
Tottenham were widely criticised for the state of the pitch against City.
Not only was the turf badly churned in places, but American Football pitch markings were clearly visible on the grass, while an NFL logo decorated the centre circle in what was a strange and ugly sight for a Premier League game.
But Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino expects the condition of the Wembley pitch to have improved by the time Tuesday’s game kicks off.
Pochettino has seen pictures of the pitch and says it is on the mend.
‘I think it’ll improve a little bit – they’re working so hard to improve it,’ he said.
‘I saw pictures, I think it’s better. The condition will be the same for both sides. Nothing to complain about.’
Spurs defender Ben Davies would not be drawn on whether his side would have the advantage of playing on such a poor surface.
‘We’ve played on it before and we know what it’s like but it’s the same pitch for both sides,’ he said. ‘We’ve both got to play on it.’
Tottenham’s previous Champions League home game at Wembley — a 4-2 loss to Barcelona — was also played on a poor surface, after Anthony Joshua had fought in a temporary ring in the middle of the field days earlier.
The playing surface at the national stadium was in shocking condition for last Monday’s Premier League defeat to Manchester City, which was played 24 hours after an NFL game.
A bumpy pitch led to many mistakes in Monday’s Premier League clash at the national stadium
The pitch was also in a poor state when Spurs hosted Barcelona at Wembley in September