Mauricio Pochettino has admitted he is still hurting from Tottenham’s defeat in last season’s Champions League final.
The Argentine guided Tottenham to the final of Europe’s premier competition after a memorable run in last season’s tournament, though their hopes of winning a first European Cup were ended at the final hurdle with a 2-0 defeat to Premier League rivals Liverpool in Madrid.
Spurs begin their Champions League campaign with a trip to face Greek side Olympiakos on Wednesday night, and Pochettino admits the feeling of disappointment at losing last season’s showpiece still lingers.
“To be honest, I thought about it a lot during the summer,” said Pochettino said in his pre-match press conference.
“To finish that way in the final is always so painful. You can’t put out the feeling of losing the last game of the season. You have to wait to repair the damage.”
Pochettino is expected to make several changes to the side which beat Crystal Palace 4-0 at the weekend, with full-backs Danny Rose and Serge Aurier having not travelled to Greece.
Summer signing Ryan Sessegnon and Giovani Lo Celso are also absent with hamstring and hip injuries respectively, whilst the tie is set to come too soon for Juan Foyth as the defender recovers from an ankle problem.
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