Mauricio Pochettino says he will “never wish bad things” for Tottenham despite Chelsea attempting to pip them to fifth spot in the Premier League.
The Blues could finish above Spurs if they beat Bournemouth on the final day and Ange Postecoglou’s side lose at already-relegated Sheffield United.
In that event, the London rivals would finish level on points (63) but Chelsea currently boast a better goal difference (+13 to +10).
It would be a remarkable end to the season for Pochettino, who has seen his future called into question at times.
The Argentine has endured a turbulent time of things at Stamford Bridge in his first job in English football since being sacked by Spurs in 2019.
Pochettino, who will surely have tarnished his legacy amongst some supporters in north London given Tottenham’s bitter rivalry with Chelsea, will soon head for talks about his future in SW6.
Finishing fifth would no doubt strengthen his case to put forward during those discussions but Pochettino insisted he was not necessarily hoping for a Spurs slip up.
Asked if he wanted Spurs to lose during Friday’s pre-match press conference, Pochettino replied: “Not really, I never wish bad things for the club.
“We need to do our job.”
Pochettino also revealed the club would not be taking any risks on fit-again forward Christopher Nkunku.
The French international scored against Brighton earlier this week but has suffered with injury problems all season.
“He played more than we expect because of Mykhailo Mudryk’s injury against Brighton,” said Nkunku.
“He played a little longer than we planned, so tomorrow we are going to assess him.
“We must not take any risks, so we will take the best decision for him first, and then for the team.
“We cannot take the risk because we want him to finish this season with good feelings and then be able to start the pre-season well.”
