TEMPO.CO , Jakarta - Manajer Tottenham Hotspur , Mauricio Pochettino, berbicara kepada para wartawan setelah mereka meraih kemenangan sulit 2-1 melawan Watford pada pekan ke-24 Liga Primer Inggris di Stadion Wembley, Kamis dinihari, 31 Januari 2019. Pochettino mengungkapkan apa yang dikatakannya kepada para pemain di kamar ganti saat jeda babak pertama. Saat itu Tottenham ketinggalan 0-1. "Saya pikir anak-anak merasa pantas mendapatkan hasil yang lebih baik. Tapi, saya bilang kepada mereka bahwa kami harus tetap bergerak mempertahankan irama permainan dan laga sepak bola pada akhirnya membawa hasil yang bagus buat kami,” kata Pochettino. Klub berjuluk Spurs ini bisa kembali bersaing dengan ketat dalam perebutan gelar juara Liga Primer Inggris, setelah penyerang Korea Selatan, Son Heung-Min dan penyerang Spanyol, Fernando Llorente, membobol gawang Watford pada menit ke-80 dan 87. Di posisi ketiga, Tottenham Hotspur diuntungkan dengan hasil imbang Liverpool melawan Leicester City di Anfield dan kekalahan Manchester City dari Newcastle United.
Tottenham Hotspur kini hanya ketinggalan 7 poin dari pemimpin klasemen Liverpool dan dua poin dari juara bertahan Manchester City. Dengan tersisa 14 pertandingan lagi, Tottenham Hotspur memburu gelar juara divisi tertinggi Liga Inggris untuk pertama kali buat mereka sejak 1961. HITC | FOOTBAL LONDON
Tottenham vs Watford: TV channel, live stream, squad news & preview
Spurs are fighting to keep hold of their top-four spot after suffering cup disappointment over the last week
Tottenham play host to Watford on Wednesday in the Premier League, which Mauricio Pochettino has unashamedly made his priority this season.
Exits from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup over the course of the last week have not fazed the Argentine, whose goal is simply to guide Spurs back into the Champions League courtesy of a top-four finish.
His team currently lie third, four points clear of fifth-placed Arsenal, who have played a game more, but with injury problems mounting, can they maintain their momentum against opponents who have quietly established themselves into the top half of the table?
Game Tottenham vs Watford Date Wednesday, January 30 Time 8:00pm GMT / 3:00pm ET Stream (US only) fubo TV (7-day free trial)
TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch
In the United States (US), the game can be watched live and on-demand with fuboTV (7-day free trial).
New users can sign up for a free seven-day trial of the live sports streaming service, which can be accessed via iOS, Android, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Apple TV as well as on a web browser.
US TV channel Online stream N/A fubo TV (7-day free trial)
In the United Kingdom (UK), the game will not be broadcast or streamed.
UK TV channel Online stream N/A N/A
Squads & Team News
Position Tottenham players Goalkeepers Lloris, Vorm, Gazzaniga Defenders Trippier, Rose, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Sanchez, Walker-Peters, Foyth, Aurier Midfielders Winks, Lamela, Nkoudou, Dier, Sissoko, Eriksen, Moura, Wanyama Forwards Llorente, Son
Tottenham go into this encounter without two of their most important players: Harry Kane has been ruled out until March with an ankle problem while Dele Alli is forecast to be out for a similar timeframe.
Ben Davies picked up a problem at the weekend that will rule him out but Moussa Sissoko will be able to feature.
Son Heung-Min will start from the outset, despite playing three times for South Korea in the Asian Cup in the last fortnight.
Tottenham starting XI: Lloris; Aurier, Sanchez, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Rose; Winks, Sissoko, Eriksen; Son, Llorente.
Position Watford players Goalkeepers Foster, Gomes, Dahlberg Defenders Femenia, Mariappa, Kabasele, Holebas, Cathcart, Britos, Wilmot, Prodl, Masina, Janmaat, Navarro Midfielders Cleverley, Capoue, Sema, Pereyra, Chalobah, Doucoure, Quina Forwards Deeney, Deulofeu, Success, Gray, Penaranda
Watford boss Javi Gracia made 11 changes to his team for Saturday’s FA Cup match against Newcastle, which they won 2-0. He has now made widespread changes again, with only Craig Cathcart, Daryl Janmaat and Will Hughes retaining their places.
Kiko Femenia and Abdoulaye Doucoure are both still on the sidelines.
Watford starting XI: Foster; Janmaat, Mariappa, Cathcart, Holebas; Cleverley, Capoue, Hughes, Pereyra; Deeney, Deulofeu
Betting & Match Odds
Tottenham are 8/13 favourites to win this match at bet365. A draw can be backed at 31/10, while Watford are 5/1 outsiders.
Click here to see all of bet 365's offers for the game, including goalscoring markets, correct score predictions and more.
Match Preview
On the face of things, it’s not been a good week for Mauricio Pochettino and Tottenham. They were knocked out of the Carabao Cup on penalties by Chelsea last Thursday then crashed out of the FA Cup three days later courtesy of a 2-0 loss against Crystal Palace.
Manager Mauricio Pochettino, though, is unflustered by those defeats. He has long maintained that his success or failure with Spurs will be judged on their league and European performance and stuck by those guns after the club’s opportunity of silverware this season was likely ended.
“Again, we're going to have the debate whether a trophy will take the club to the next level,” he said after the Palace defeat.
“I don't agree with it. It only builds your ego. The most important thing for Tottenham right now is to always be in the top four.”
He is a manager who believes in stability and consistency, which has been outlined by the club’s transfer policy over the last year. They did not sign anyone in the summer and are poised to do likewise in January unless there is a dramatic shift over the coming hours.
Pochettino, though, believes that the long-term prospects look very bright, particularly because of the construction of the new stadium, the opening of which has been persistently pushed back and leaves them renting out Wembley for home matches.
This is simply a hiccup along the way, according to the Argentine.
“Do I see a point where Tottenham are at the same level as Real Madrid? In the future, of course,” he told the media on Tuesday, doing his best to scotch rumours that he could leave for the Spaniards in the process.
“It’s all about believing and building your history.
“It’s difficult, but that’s normal when you want to compete with these big sides. But I think Tottenham is going to have the infrastructure to one day be a club that can be a contender for every single title.”
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Watford, meanwhile, have worked their way to ninth in the Premier League off the back of a six-game undefeated run, while only Chelsea have beaten them in their last 10.
Like Spurs, they are channelling their energies towards as strong a league finish as possible and will be doing everything to upset their opponents’ Champions League challenge.
