Mauricio Pochettino admits Chelsea are favourites for FA Cup semi-final as they have more medals and experience
Spurs boss claims being top of the Prem and having a 'great manager' like Antonio Conte makes the Blues the team to beat
TOTTENHAM manager Mauricio Pochettino insists Chelsea are red-hot favourites to win their FA Cup semi-final.
And that means Chas & Dave might as well take their old ‘Joanna’ to the scrapyard!
Spurs are the form team going into tomorrow’s Wembley showdown, having closed the gap on the table-topping Blues to just four points.
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Many believe the North Londoners can overtake their bitter rivals in the title race AND knock them out of the last four of the Cup.
In fact, Cockney music duo Chas & Dave — who have had hits with the past four official Spurs FA Cup final songs — were probably clearing their throats ahead of their club’s big tie.
But Pochettino said: “If there is a favourite, it’s Chelsea. They are top of the Premier League and have experienced players and a great manager.
“We are talking about a team with players who, in the past five years, have won European competitions and World Cups. Their manager won the title in Italy and they are more experienced.
“Whereas my players have won nothing.
“We’re in a good moment too. We are hungry. We will enjoy the game and we must feel the happiness, but we should remember we are fighting the best team in England.”
Poch insists he has never gone in for mind games — but he did a pretty good job in his pre-match Press conference yesterday.
Spurs go into the clash with a better record than their opponents after winning all of their past eight matches, while Chelsea have lost two of their past four.
There are signs that the wheels on Blues boss Antonio Conte’s juggernaut might be starting to loosen.
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However, Argentinian Pochettino was happy to play the underdog as he maintained: “It will be such a tough game for us.
“It’s true we are having a good season in the Premier League and FA Cup.
“We are disappointed about being knocked out of the Champions League but that was in a period when we struggled a little bit.
“We now have a chance to fight for big things, but it is more important to learn from this and grow up.
“It’s up to us to step up and make the dream a reality — and that’s the most difficult step to make.”