The curtains come down early in April as Manchester City visit Wembley Stadium to try to wrestle Tottenham Hotspurs for space in the last four in Europes most prestigious competitions. The game will pit two English giants and it's the only game in the Champions League quarter-finals that features teams that have not won the European elite competition.
The BBC reports that other teams left in the competition are Barcelona, Manchester United, Liverpool, Porto, Juventus, and Ajax. The race to the final is now dominated by English teams with the Premier League clubs claiming 50 percent of the available positions in this season's Champions League quarter-finals.
Tottenham Hotspurs will be representing London City in the tie against Manchester outfits.
Do Tottenham Hotspurs have any chance of lifting the trophy?
That remains the million dollar question that everyone is asking after Ajax stunned the three-consecutive Champions League winner Real Madrid in the Knock-out phase. Many people tip Barcelona to win the trophy but the Spurs could be the team to bring the biggest shock this season by claiming the title altogether.
Tottenham Hotspurs face Manchester City who have lost all their matches against the English sides in the quarter-finals of the contest. Interestingly, Manchester City lost to Tottenham Hotspurs' London rivals, Chelsea in both legs in 1971.
The English Champions would then lose to the eventual finalists-Liverpool both home and away last season.
The Spurs is the only club in the competition that failed to concede goals in the last-16 of Champions League's aggregate result. Remember, Spurs bundled out the German Bundesliga favorite, Borussia Dortmund, after winning both ties and ultimately achieved the 4-0 aggregate win.
Tottenham Hotspurs started this season's campaign poorly by losing their open fixture against Italian Inter Milan where the English side suffered a late 2-1 defeat. The North-Londoners had taken the lead before the interval only to allow Mauro Icardi to steal the late winner.
However, the Spurs staged a late comeback to claim a space in the last-16 after narrowly beating Inter 1-0 to join Barcelona who finished top of the group.
Tottenham Hotspurs defied big odds that showed the North-Londoners have low chances of progressing beyond the group phase.
The London giants have been one of the most consistent English teams in the competition where they have featured in the past three consecutive seasons. The other English side that has maintained a top-four finish in the domestic league is Manchester City which has allowed them to regularly take part in the European elite competition in the past decade.
Tottenham Hotspur's camp will be happy that they have begun welcoming some key players, who had various injuries, back to the squad. The players include the lethal Harry Kane, Dele Alli, and Eric Dier. Besides, Son Heung-min is currently enjoying his best form in Tottenham's shirt.
The Spurs have one of the most brilliant managers in modern Soccer. Bleacher Report notes that since Mauricio Pochettino joined Tottenham Hotspurs from Southampton, he has transformed the London-based club from a mere mid-table team to a title-contesting candidate in the league.
Real Madrid club was considering hiring the Argentine tactician recently only to make U-turn and reappointed Zinedine Zidane as their manager last week. Zidane left the team that he guided to win back-to-back three European titles. Pochettino could have what it takes to lead Tottenham Hotspurs to what could be their historic maiden European glory.
Tottenham Hotspurs' challenges
As mentioned earlier, the Spurs alongside their quarter-final opponents, Manchester City are the only two teams who have never won the European crown previously left in the competition.
The battle for Champions League mainly favors the teams that have some continental history. However, Tottenham Hotspurs London rivals, Chelsea defied history and stunned the world when they bagged the title in 2012 by beating Bayern Munich in post-match penalties.
At the start of the year, the Spurs were challenging Manchester City and Liverpool for the Premier League trophy but they are now struggling to finish the season among the best four. With Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea surging for a top-four finish, Tottenham Hotspurs focus might shift from Champions League to Premier League.
Tottenham Hotspurs were the only top European side that never made any signings last summer. It could be detrimental if they suffer more injuries to dependable players since they have a lean squad. Could Tottenham Hotspurs be the next English team to bring the Champions League to England after a seven-year wait?
