Tottenham Hotspur will head to the Etihad next week with a 1-0 advantage and perhaps the biggest advantage for Pochettino is that City have not scored an away goal.
So naturally if Tottenham can take an early lead in the second leg then Man City will come under enormous pressure and there is every possibility that the home team might crumble and hand up the tie.
And this is exactly what former Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp wants the Lilywhites to do at the Etihad.
Redknapp told talkSPORT: “You look to get a goal. Don’t just sit back and hang on.
“If Tottenham can score then City have an uphill climb, so I make Tottenham slight favourites at the moment, even without Harry Kane.
“They’ll be dangerous on the break knowing that one goal makes it difficult for Man City. They’re in good shape.
“I’d be very happy if I was [Mauricio] Pochettino this morning.
“It’s a great advantage to go there with no away goals against.
“They’ve got a big chance now.”
Even if Man City can get a goal early, there’s no need for Tottenham to hit the panic buttons early on.
But Pochettino is certainly not the kind of manager who will tell his team to sit back and protect the slender 1-0 lead.
Having said that though, Spurs are set to miss Harry Kane who picked up an ankle injury during the first leg and with the England captain, the forwards will have to work extra hard in order to get that early goal.
