In the first leg of the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League Round of 16, Tottenham Hotspur will face Atletico Madrid away from home. Defender Pedro Porro accompanied new head coach Igor Tudor to the pre-match press conference.

In response to external attention regarding the team's recent slump in the Premier League and the turmoil caused by the change of managers, Polo spoke candidly about the team's current situation and mindset in an interview.

When asked if he was ready for Atlético Madrid's stadium, one of the toughest in Europe, Porro gave a firm answer. He emphasized the importance of mental fortitude in the Champions League knockout stages: "I have clearly reminded my teammates that we are entering an extremely difficult venue."

"But that's the beauty of football. I think the whole team has adjusted to the right mindset for this tough battle."

Looking back at Tottenham's dramatic ups and downs in various competitions over the past few months, Polo made no secret of the team's current predicament: "These past few months have been very tough due to all the twists and turns we've experienced."

"These have been tough times, but they will never shake the belief of me and my teammates. We always want to give our all on the court, and now all we need to do is grit our teeth and persevere to the end, doing our best in the present moment."

Tottenham recently changed managers, with Tudor taking over in a crisis. Poirot expressed his absolute trust and support for the new manager, who has only been in charge for three weeks. Poirot said, "From the moment I learned he would be in charge of the team, I was convinced he could be a huge help to us."

“He’s only been here for three weeks. He needs time to fully understand us, and we also need time to understand his ideas. It’s a two-way process, but what’s certain is that we are currently on the right path to recovery.”

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