Mauricio Pochettino believes that Tottenham Hotspur reaching the Champions League final last season means that Southampton will have extra motivation this weekend, while he also expressed his affection towards the Saints.
Tottenham are set to play host to Southampton at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday as they look to return to winning ways following an embarrassing EFL Cup exit at Colchester United.
Pochettino believes Southampton, his former club that he holds great affection for, will have extra motivation to beat Tottenham due to the fact they nearly won the Champions League.
He also noted his respect for how the Saints have performed this season under boss Ralph Hasenhuttl.
"It will be a very tough game, Southampton are a very good team", Pochettino said at a press conference.
"I feel special things for Southampton, my former club, my first club in England, they gave me the opportunity to be in England, learn English, be in this amazing country, be part of this best league in the world I can only say amazing things about Southampton.
"They have very good players, a great manager and they are doing a fantastic job and it's going to be tough.
"The opponent has a massive motivation to come and play Tottenham, who were the finalists of the Champions League."
While Tottenham exited the EFL Cup in midweek, Southampton comfortably won the south coast derby against Portsmouth to book their spot in the next round of the competition.
