14:44

Mauricio Pochettino was not happy when Borussia Dortmund had one day more than his Spurs team to prepare for both legs of the Champions League last 16 fixture between the clubs. And so his reaction to the bumper rest that Ajax have been granted ahead of next Tuesday’s semi-final first-leg ought to come as no surprise. The KNVB have postponed all Eredivisie fixtures this weekend to allow Ajax to be as fresh as possible for the trip to the Tottenham Hotspur stadium. Pochettino’s team have a home game against West Ham on Saturday lunchtime.

“The reality is they’re going to have more time to prepare and avoid risk – and we are going to take risks,” Pochettino said. “It’s not a complaint. Only the fact is that I think it’s not fair. I would say the same if it were the other way round. I don’t want to create a debate but the fact is playing a Champions League semi-final – I think both teams should have the same time to prepare.”

