Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas prepares his side to take on the Swiss club FC Basel, and he has admitted that the much greater European experience of their opponents must not be taken lightly. Basel have not only been playing in the Europa league, but they have also have had occasional Champions League football as well. Tottenham, on the other hand, have played in the Champions League only once in their history. The first leg quarter-final match between the two clubs will take place on Thursday.
Basel have also been able to beat the likes of Bayern Munich and Manchester United in recent seasons. They also managed to take four points off their fixtures against Manchester United, which ultimately knocked the Premier league club out of the Champions league group stages last season. Villas-Boas will also have to prioritise between the Europa league and the top four positions. Tottenham are currently in a race with Chelsea and Arsenal to finish in the top four. After the weekend’s results, the club are third in the table ahead of their competition.
However, Villas-Boas as stated in the past that he would like to win the competition, which is considered by many as a distraction. The club need to win only five matches to win this competition.
“Obviously they have recent European experience that we don’t have. They have got tremendous results in the past year with Man United and teams like Bayern – teams they have surprised. They are extremely successful and one of the best teams in the country. I’m sure that the key to the game will be both teams’ motivations and the quality of the individuals. We have to admit that we have superior players but, on the other hand, the experience Basel have makes them also one of the favourites,” said Villas-Boas.