Sherwood talks up Spurs UCL hopes

Tim Sherwood sees no reason why Tottenham cannot go all the way and claim Champions League glory after besting a Real Madrid side he believes are a "team on the down".

Mauricio Pochettino's side convincingly got the better of the European Champions at Wembley last time out in the competition, storming to a 3-1 win having shared a 1-1 draw at the Santiago Bernabeu two weeks earlier.

Domestic defeats to Manchester United and Arsenal either side of that famous triumph have quelled some of the early season optimism around Spurs but Sherwood, who spent six months in charge at White Hart Lane as Pocehttino's immediate predecessor, insists they are capable of scaling incredible heights.

"Why not? Why not?" he told Omnisport, on behalf of TAG Heuer, when asked whether Tottenham had a chance of winning Europe's top prize ahead of Tuesday's trip to Borussia Dortmund – where victory will seal top spot in Group H.

"They beat the champions there, didn't they? I'm not buying it was an off day [for Madrid].

"I think Real Madrid are a team on the down and they need freshening up. But they're still absolutely fantastic and Tottenham outplayed them.

"And I thought at the Bernabeu they were outstanding as well.

"Why not? They'll take a lot of belief and a lot of spirit with the performances they've done in the Champions League."

Hard at work in Dortmund. #COYS pic.twitter.com/Xzk51dkssx

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) 20 November 2017

Spurs got their campaign up and running with a pulsating 3-1 win against Dortmund – another performance Sherwood believes should be considered a statement of intent.

"The Dortmund performance was fantastic as well," he added.

"They're in the knockout stages now. No-one will want to draw Tottenham in that competition."