Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou has said he has put his “childhood” affection for Liverpool behind him as he looks to spoil the party at Anfield on Sunday.
Liverpool can be crowned champions with a point from their home game against Tottenham, who could equal their Premier League season defeats with a 19th defeat in the division this weekend.
Postecoglou is focused on next week's Europa League semi-final first leg against Bodo/Glimt but the Australian has been questioned about his previous affection for the Merseyside club ahead of a potentially decisive day for Arne Sloth's side.
“No, buddy, I'm almost 60 years old, I've already outlived my childhood passions, so it doesn't affect me,” Postecoglou said.
“I have a lot of respect for this football club. Yes, I was a fan when I was young, but that was over 50 years ago, so a lot has changed since then.
“You want to go there and compete against obviously a very strong team and have a good result.
“And it's not just about coming out of the game unscathed, you want to have a good game against a top team. I think no matter what's coming up, that's the most important thing.”
Spurs remain without Son Heung-min with a leg injury, meaning Cristian Romero could once again take over as captain.
Earlier this week, Romero made headlines when he gave an interview to Argentine journalists Esteban and Gaston Edul in which he said he was open to a possible move to La Liga.
The Spurs centre-back also acknowledged the need to “live one day at a time” and expressed his desire to win the Europa League, something Postecoglou alluded to when asked about Romero's future following increased speculation over his own position in recent months.
Postecoglou: “I didn’t read the report very carefully, but I think it’s consistent with my view that if you’re asked a question, you have to answer it.
“I'm sure there are a lot of questions, and if you ask me questions about my future, you'll probably get some big headlines, but it doesn't change (anything).
“You know what's important right now? It's not the future of Cristian Romero or anyone else, it's that we have an incredible opportunity to do something special at this football club, and for me and everyone involved, that's what we're focused on.
“Let's focus and do it because I think for our fans that's the main thing, right now all they care about is that we are in the semi-finals of a European tournament and we want to do something big. That's what we are focused on.”
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
