Tottenham Hotspur were the dream opponent for Club Brugge manager Carl Hoefkens in the recent draw for the last 16 of the Champions League.
Speaking to Belgian outlet Sporza, the manager reflected on the draw which saw Club Brugge handed a tie against Portuguese side Benfica.
It was definitely a turbulent group stage for the Lilywhites that only saw Antonio Conte’s men clinch the top spot in the final seconds of their game against Marseille.
The two sides ended their group stage campaigns on 11 points, but the Belgian outfit found themselves in second, with Porto clinching the top spot.
Spurs will be playing for a spot in the quarter-finals against current Serie A champions Milan, but it was apparent the Belgian outfit fancied their chances against the north London side.
Hoefkens told Sporza: “I might have preferred Tottenham or Chelsea. Especially Tottenham. They are of the same strength as Benfica, but it is also a huge name in Europe.”
TIF Thoughts on Hoefkens’ comments…
We can see why the manager may have wanted to play Spurs as they did show throughout the group stage that they were unable to blow any teams away.
Was Club Brugge your dream draw?
Yes
No
Spurs only lost one of their six games, which came in the opening game against Sporting, but they did also draw two of their other games.
However, we would imagine Conte and Spurs would have had their fingers crossed for Hoefkens’ side, with Club Brugge having their own issues in the Belgian top flight.