Richard Buxton: Spurs are turning into a feared side in Europe
Pochettino's men will raise more than eyebrows if they overcome Juventus at fortress Wembley
Fear is unlikely to find Tottenham Hotspur any time soon.
Mauricio Pochettino's side have humiliated holders Real Madrid in this season's Champions League group phase.
The stage is set for them to overcome another iconic side, Juventus, in the Round of 16.
Eliminating last season's finalists at Wembley, which has become a fortress for Spurs, will send out an even greater warning shot to the continent's runners and riders.
| TOTTENHAM | JUVENTUS |
- Score tied at 2-2 after first leg
Facing a team who contested two of the tournament's previous three finals and are threatening to tighten their grip on the Serie A by winning a seventh successive Scudetto would have previously terrified the Lilywhites.
This season, however, they have continued to come of age.
Unlike previously, the burden of responsibility no longer weighs heavily on one player as it did the last time the north Londoners reached the dizzying heights of the Champions League's last eight.
Gareth Bale was forced to shoulder that pressure in the 2010/11 season, aided only by a supporting cast of fallen stars and home-grown prospects whose goal-scoring exploits were more of an anomaly than a routine.
Spurs are no longer a one-man team.
Their collective strength can increasingly be seen across the forward lines; a free-scoring Harry Kane may remain at its fulcrum but Son Heung Min has scored 15 times, while Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli's respective tallies are also teetering on double figures.
LUXURY
Such is the luxury at Pochettino's disposal that Son could still find himself behind Erik Lamela in the pecking order for the visit of the Bianconeri.
It is a far cry from the mismatched ensemble which paired Peter Crouch with Rafael van der Vaart and Luka Modric seven years ago.
Wembley's ability to become an inconceivable home from home also aids Spurs' hopes of going far.
Where it was previously deemed largely ill-suited as their temporary accommodation, the statistics would beg to differ.
Spurs' season-long tenancy at England's national stadium has seen them go unbeaten in 15 home games in all competitions.
In the EPL, as in Europe, they have taken on all comers; Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund sitting alongside Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal in leaving empty-handed this term.
Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri is fully aware that a personal history could come full circle at Wembley tomorrow morning.
Seven years ago, his AC Milan side were knocked out by Spurs at this stage of the Champions League before winning the Serie A title at the end of that term.
His bullish assertion that their hosts "don't defend well" suggests that, for a change, Juventus are the ones running scared.
They are unlikely to be the only ones, should Spurs advance into the last eight.
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