Cristian previews Preston: “This is a team with quality”
Fri 27 January 2023, 16:15|
Tottenham Hotspur
Cristian Stellini can lean on experiences still fresh in the memory as we travel to Preston North End in the FA Cup fourth round on Saturday (6pm).
One of the great historic clubs of English football, Preston haven’t been in the top flight since relegation in the same season we won the double in 1960/61, and we haven’t faced the Lilywhites in the FA Cup since 1968. Indeed, it’s over 13 years since we last met at all, a 5-1 win at Deepdale in the League Cup in September, 2009.
Antonio Conte’s assistant knows all about potential surprises in cup football. It’s something that drove him in his playing career with the likes of Novaro, Spal, Ternano and Como in Italy, and he’s well aware of the threat of facing a Championship team on the road - he only needs to look back a year, and our exit at the hands of Middlesbrough at the Riverside.
Speaking to SPURSPLAY on Friday, Cristian told us: “Preston is a huge club, a great team. They play a good season. They score many goals from set pieces. It’s a team that play with quality, they are in the Championship, Portsmouth were in League One and, with the greatest respect, they are different.
“We have to take care of this game because we play away, and when you play away in the FA Cup, it’s never easy for any club in the Premier League to play a team from the Championship.
“We had the experience of Middlesbrough last season. It will be similar, and we have to be well prepared, with a good approach to the game. In sport, in football, it’s a game that you have to play with a great mentality. You also have to train with this mentality. We think we are ready for this type of game and to try to win.”
