Rafael van der Vaart has delivered his verdict on Tottenham’s Champions League last four clash with Ajax, suggesting it will be a “hell of a game”.
Spurs host the Dutch giants in the first leg on Tuesday evening, and having played for both sides, van der Vaart is expecting big things of the match.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, he said: “This is something I can say to all the players, not just Ajax’s but also Tottenham’s: ‘It will be a mad game. Enjoy it because time flies.’ Just enjoy it.
“I know how good Tottenham are so I also have to say to them ‘Listen, easy, beating Man City was a huge achievement and we will all remember that second leg, but you have to start over again and give everything’”.
“This will be a hell of a game.”
OPINION
You would hope that van der Vaart is correct, and it’s hard to see how he won’t be. These two sides, two of the most unfancied in the knockout stages of the competition, have managed to drive past some of the best teams in Europe with two unique brands of fast thinking, attractive, attacking football. It promises to be a real spectacle, and one that will be made even more special by Tottenham’s new stadium hosting it. The priority for Spurs will be keeping a clean sheet in this first leg, and if they can do that, maybe knick a goal or two over the course of the evening, then they will feel that they are in a fantastic position to push on and get to the final. That would be a remarkable achievement. Having not bought anybody in two transfer windows, to then find a way to the very pinnacle of European football, to reach the showpiece event of the season, would just be the most incredible thing.