‘We have nothing to lose against Real’

Christian Eriksen, (middle) celebrating with his teammate

Tottenham midfielder Christian Eriksen says the club have got nothing to lose going into their Champions League group H clash against Real Madrid on Tuesday.

Eriksen scored the only goal of the game in Saturday’s win over Bournemouth but whilst he is aware that Tuesday’s game will be a very different challenge for Mauricio Pochettino’s side, he insists that Spurs have nothing to fear.

“You need quality and belief. I think we have both so I don’t think we should be scared of anything,” Eriksen said.

“I haven’t won there yet so I need to change something. Of course it’s a special stadium, a special place.

“Playing against Real will always be special for any footballer with the history they have and the players there so it will be a good test, to see how far we’ve really come.”

The Danish international believes that Spurs have demonstrated their ability to compete with the best and he thinks that Tuesday’s game could prove a handy yardstick by which to measure the club’s progress in recent years.

“I think we’ve shown it in the Premier League,” he said.

“Take away some of the games in the Champions League last season, when we weren’t good enough, and overall with the consistency in the Premier League over the last two seasons, we’ve definitely proved that we are a team that will hopefully have a very nice and very tough game at the Bernabeu, and show how far we’ve come from being in the top six to the top three in the Premier League.”

Finally, the playmaker gave his views on the recent jibe made by Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola, who suggested that Spurs are nothing without talisman Harry Kane.

“Of course nobody wants to be called a one-man team,” Eriksen said. “I think over the last few seasons it’s been almost the same team every season. We know each other very well.

“There are strong links between all the players and a good feeling going into training and going into the games.

“We’ve got something special and I hope that’s what people on the outside see, and it’s what the squad feels.”

Sporting Tribune