Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane believes Tottenham fans will be hoping he can knock out his former club’s fierce rivals Arsenal in the Champions League – despite a Gunners victory actually helping Spurs.
Tottenham’s Champions League qualification hopes took a big dent over the weekend after their 4-0 defeat at Newcastle saw them slip out of the top four into fifth place.
Yet fifth spot could be enough to qualify for next season’s Champions League if the Premier League earns one of the two extra places available through UEFA’s coefficient system, which is decided on performance in Europe this season.
But England’s top flight (16.750) is currently missing out on an extra spot with Germany narrowly ahead of them in second (16.785), while Italy (18.428) are all but assured of a place.
An Arsenal victory over Bayern Munich in Wednesday’s Champions League quarter-final – which is finely poised following the 2-2 first-leg draw – would significantly improve England’s chances of securing an extra place in next season’s competition.
It leaves Spurs fans in an awkward position over whether they should be cheering on their arch rivals against Bayern.
When questioned about potentially hurting Spurs’ chances of Champions League qualification with a win over Arsenal, Kane joked: “I don’t really know how to answer that!”
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Former Tottenham striker Harry Kane is the top goalscorer in North London Derby history with 14 goals – here are all seven of his strikes from open play in the fixture
But Tottenham’s all-time leading scorer believes his former fans will be wanting him to help end the Gunners’ pursuit of a first European Cup.
He later added in the pre-match press conference: “Of course I know there will be a lot of Spurs fans watching hoping Bayern Munich go through tomorrow night.
“I can’t focus on that. All I can do is try and beat the team in front of us, and that’s Arsenal.”
Kane: Bayern season a failure without Champions League win
Kane admits the season will be a failure if Bayern Munich do not win the Champions League.
Bayer Leverkusen romped to the Bundesliga title at the weekend, ending Bayern’s run of 11 straight league trophies and leaving them with only Europe’s highest honour to play for.
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Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen beat Werder Bremen 5-0 on Sunday to win the Bundesliga title for the very first time
While Kane has excelled individually, his wait to win a team trophy after more than a decade without one at Tottenham could well continue.
The England captain said: “Of course every player, every club wants to win trophies, that’s the ultimate goal every season, but there’s a process into winning, there’s a process individually and in the team.
“You want to improve as a player every year, you want to show the world your capabilities and you want to push yourself to the very limits and you hope that helps with the team.
“Of course, from the club’s point of view it will be a failed season if we don’t win anything this year because we’re expected to win but all we can do is take that into next year and try and turn that around.
Harry Kane scored in the first leg at the Emirates
“The main thing for us is we still have an opportunity to turn this season into a great season if we win the Champions League. That motivation is still there and as players you can only hang onto that. If we can do something special tomorrow night then of course that keeps that hope alive.
“It’s a time to raise our game, it’s a time for me and the players who have been in big situations, pressure situations, to step up and be counted. It’s going to be an amazing atmosphere. There’s a lot of expectation but I think there’s a good belief among the squad that we can achieve something tomorrow.”
State of play: The race for the extra Champions League spot
The quarter-finals of this year’s European competitions are only at the midway point, but England’s hopes of pipping Germany in the race for an extra Champions League spot look set to go down to the wire.
The Premier League still has a 57.8 per cent chance of claiming the bonus Champions League spot, according to Opta. However, those chances have been declining, plummeting 13 per cent after last week’s results.
With Germany and England neck-and-neck in that race, each win, draw and qualification for the next rounds is huge.
Each win is worth two coefficient points, a draw gets you one, and you get nothing for a defeat. There are also bonus points for getting to certain stages, so if Borussia Dortmund overturn their Champions League first-leg 2-1 deficit to Atletico Madrid on Tuesday, that will give Germany a further bonus point in their ranking.
Tottenham and Aston Villa fans will be watching closely in the hope Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid can do them a favour.
Victories for Bayer Leverkusen and Atalanta over West Ham and Liverpool respectively in the Europa League this week could also prove crucial in the coefficient race.
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