Thursday, 20th September, 2012

Lazio coach Vladimir Petkovic believes that Tottenham Hotspur have "a lot of dangerous weapons" and will not underestimate the English Premier League side.

Petkovic’s Lazio take on Spurs at White Hart Lane this evening in their Europa League group stage opener and arrive on English soil firmly in form, having won all three of their Serie A games so far, scoring seven goals and conceding only one.

relatedNewsStory It has been a dream introduction to life at one of Italy’s biggest clubs for Petkovic and now the Bosnian tactician is focusing on Tottenham.

"Spurs have a lot of dangerous weapons: [Aaron] Lennon, [Gareth] Bale, [Scott] Parker, [Emmanuel] Adebayor, [Jermain] Defoe, [Moussa] Dembele", Petkovic told Inside Futbol in an interview.

"We should not forget that they would have taken a spot in the Champions League if Chelsea had not won the trophy", he added.

The Lazio boss has witnessed Spurs’ destructive power at close quarters too, having been in charge of Swiss side Young Boys when thoroughly beaten by the English club in the 2010/11 Champions League playoff. Despite this though, Petkovic insists White Hart Lane does not intimidate him.

"The first time I went there was for the 2010/11 Champions League playoff. I was coaching Young Boys and we were beaten heavily", said the Bosnian coach.

"However, I am not scared of playing at White Hart Lane. Things are completely different now.

"Despite the defeat Young Boys were a good team – we beat Tottenham in Switzerland during the first leg and played really well. Lazio are at least two steps above them.

"We know we will have to work hard, but this is European football. You must learn to work hard, but at the same time you should be aware that it is possible to win at every football ground in the world. Without this kind of mentality, you won’t go far."

 

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