Jose's five-point preview - RB Leipzig

Jose Mourinho has called for our fans to give the team an extra lift in Wednesday night’s Champions League clash with RB Leipzig following the news that Heung-Min Son has become the latest player to succumb to injury.

Ahead of the first leg of our round of 16 tie with the German side at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (kick-off 8pm), here’s the Head Coach’s latest five-point preview...

1 – RB Leipzig

What were Jose’s thoughts ahead of facing RB Leipzig in the Champions League?

Jose: “They are a very good team. They were leading the Bundesliga since the beginning of the season, they’ve just dropped one point behind Bayern but we know how powerful Bayern are in the Bundesliga so just by that, you can imagine the quality of their team.”

2 – Scouting mission

What did Jose learn when he travelled to Germany to watch our opponents in Bundesliga action at Bayern Munich last week?

Jose: “They’re a very good team, a very balanced team, huge squad, lots of options. They are able to play in different tactical systems, very fast, very dangerous on the counter-attack, they have three strikers in the squad but sometimes they play without them, to play just with fast players like (Timo) Werner and (Christopher) Nkunku like they did against Bayern Munich. They are a team that has goals coming from many different players, many different positions, solid and strong defensively, I would say a much, much better team than the name of let’s say a young club, an emerging club, has in this moment.”

3 – European nights at the new stadium

Having led the team in a home Champions League outing against Olympiacos in November, what did Jose make of the special atmosphere inside our world-class new home on these European nights?

Jose: “We need that more than ever. I think our players deserve all the support that people can give – fantastic guys, fantastic group, fighting against every adverse episode that we’ve had since the beginning of the season – and arriving in this moment, in this position, in the Champions League, in the Premier League, after so much work and so much effort, to arrive in this situation now for a crucial period of the season, I would say the boys don’t just need… the boys deserve more than ever the support of our stadium.”

4 – Heung-Min Son

How would Jose sum up his disappointment after Heung-Min Son joined Harry Kane and Moussa Sissoko on the long-term injury list, following the news that the South Korean forward needs arm surgery?

Jose: “I don’t need to answer. Every Tottenham fan knows the answer, every Tottenham fan is feeling the same as I am feeling but at the same time I’m asking, almost begging for the stadium to push for our boys. I will be the first in the dressing room to make them believe and to make them ready.”

5 – Jimmy Greaves

With the Club set to mark the 80th birthday of our top goalscorer of all time, the iconic Jimmy Greaves, at the match on Wednesday night, what could Jose say about ‘Greavsie’?

Jose: “He’s a legend. Just by the name, even before I came to England, I knew the name and when somebody abroad knows a name, it’s obviously the name of a legend. An amazing career, an amazing player, being in England you understand what the gentleman means for the country and being at the Club, even more, so of course, happy birthday!”

Ticket news

We have a very limited number of tickets available on Guest Sale for Wednesday’s Champions League fixture. Our Season Ticket Holders and One Hotspur Members are able to purchase an additional three tickets each, subject to availability. This is a great opportunity to bring friends and family to experience a huge night of European football.

Special-edition matchday programme

Don’t miss our special-edition A4-sized Champions League official matchday programme, as we celebrate the 80th birthday of one of the greatest players to ever grace the game, Jimmy Greaves.

Pick up your copy for £5 at the stadium on Wednesday night, or purchase online.