Ange Postecoglou has said his Tottenham Hotspur squad believe that they can go on to achieve success in their UEFA Europa League semi-final with Bodo/Glimt, and also finish the Premier League season strongly.
Spurs won 1-0 in a hard-fought clash with Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday night to propel them into the last four of the competition with a 2-1 aggregate victory, and the Australian has faith that the huge result in Germany can have a positive effect on the remainder of their campaign, as they seek to break a 17-year trophy drought.
"Yeah, I think it's important. I've said all along, it's not always easy to stay united through difficult times because invariably people are affected in different ways and a lot of our group have had to sit by the sidelines and watch it all, without being able to contribute. So on Thursday night, pretty much the whole group - Sonny was a significant absence and a couple of the other boys who weren't part of it - but the whole group who travelled felt like they were part of it and contributed to it.
"It is going to be important because we've got the semi-finals coming up, but also important league games. The fact that we've got a healthy squad for the first time, we're going to need them for sure."
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A tough test awaits
Nottingham Forest, who will be at the forefront of a race for a UEFA Champions League place in the final weeks of the season, visit the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Monday night, with Postecoglou expecting a tricky game.
Forest won 1-0 at the City Ground on Boxing Day in the reverse fixture.
"I think they've always had the quality in the team, but since Nuno's got there, they've come up with a game plan that suits the players they have. They've been really consistent with their approach and obviously they've got massive motivation like I said, it looks like the Champions League spots are going be very, very competitive in these last few games and I'm sure that's something that they want to be a part of next year. So it'll be a good test for us."
When asked what he thought of The Reds' season, he said it has been had been "brilliant" - Forest have had a remarkable season so far and looked destined to return to European football for the first time since 1996, but just a year ago they were in a relegation battle after suffering a points deduction for breaching profit and sustainability rules.
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Plenty of changes to be made
After a tough 90 minutes in Frankfurt, the former Celtic boss is set to ring the changes for the visit of Nuno Espirito Santo's side to North London, in order to see a similar level of performance to the one produced in the Europa League.
"Yeah, look, it's fair to say it's been challenging. But I think part of that challenge is, obviously, the rotations in the team. I think, to be fair, it's going to be similar Monday night, we're going to have to make five or six changes to the team, because we just want to make sure that everyone's sort of in the right space. But, you know, I think at the same time, we're obviously disappointed with the performance, not the performance against Wolves, but certain aspects of the Wolves game.
"And you know, we need to have the same levels of concentration and focus that we did on Thursday night, because there's no doubt Forest are tough opposition. They’re having a great season. They've got huge motivation to win on Monday night. And yeah, for us, as much as we understand that the league has been very, very disappointing, and Europa offers us a magnificent opportunity to achieve something special, I still think the best preparation for that is us to play well in the two games preceding it."
Micky van de Ven has seen his minutes managed after returning from a hamstring injury and could be in line for another rest to ensure he stays fit ahead of a crucial period of football next month, whilst Djed Spence will be expected to return to the starting XI.
There could also be a first start for Richarlison since the Carabao Cup defeat at Anfield at the beginning of February, whilst Archie Gray, Pape Matar Sarr and Yves Bissouma could also start as they did at Wolverhampton Wanderers last weekend.
