2001 Ballon d’Or winner predicts how far Tottenham will go in this season’s UCL

Michael Owen predicts how far Tottenham Hotspur will go in this season’s UEFA Champions League

Former Liverpool and Manchester United striker Michael Owen has backed Tottenham Hotspur to reach the semi-final of the UEFA Champions League this season.

Speaking on BT Sport (h/t Football.London), the 2001 Ballon d’Or winner said:

“They’ve got a great mix, I think they could go far in this competition. I’m certain they will get to the knockout stages. I wouldn’t be surprised if they got to a semi-final.”

“They’re a very good team, they’re a lot better than they were last year, they’ve got a great team, great stadium, great players – that team is going places.”

Tottenham’s best finish in a UEFA Champions League season remains their appearance in the final of the competition in 2019. Led by Mauricio Pochettino, the Lilywhites lost to Liverpool by a 2-0 scoreline in the final.

Ambitious but not impossible

Spurs were not in the Champions League during the last two seasons. A finish in the top four, hence, was an important expectation that was placed on Antonio Conte when he replaced Nuno Espirito Santo last year.

The Italian manager passed that test and is now the mastermind behind the club’s unbeaten start to the season. Spurs are currently third in the league table, tied with Manchester City on points and just one point behind league-leaders Arsenal.

In the Champions League, they got their campaign off to a perfect start against Marseille at home when a Richarlison brace secured all three points on the night. They are scheduled to take on Sporting CP in Lisbon this week.

Eintracht Frankfurt from Germany are the fourth team in our group this season. This is a group we are expected to qualify from, especially after our win against the French outfit.

More Tottenham News:

• Tottenham Hotspur tried to sign Kim Min-jae before Napoli transfer this summer, reveals advisor
• Venue change to King Power Stadium could prevent postponement for Tottenham Hotspur vs Leicester City
• Journo: Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte “not the biggest fan” of Emerson Royal

A semi-final finish is ambitious but not at all impossible. If Spurs do manage to achieve it under Conte, it would be the former Juventus man’s best-ever UCL finish in his managerial career.