Harry Kane, Mauro Icardi ready for Euro shoot-out

With Tottenham and Inter Milan striving to achieve different objectives by winning on Wednesday, Harry Kane and Mauro Icardi could have the decisive influence on the fixture.

Published : Nov 27, 2018 23:17 IST , London

Mauro Icardi made the decisive contribution in the reverse fixture by scoring a 92nd-minute winner to break Tottenham Hotspur's hearts.
Mauro Icardi made the decisive contribution in the reverse fixture by scoring a 92nd-minute winner to break Tottenham Hotspur's hearts.
lightbox-info

Mauro Icardi made the decisive contribution in the reverse fixture by scoring a 92nd-minute winner to break Tottenham Hotspur's hearts.

Tottenham's Harry Kane and Inter Milan's Mauro Icardi will stage a do-or-die duel as two of the most prolific strikers in the Champions League go head to head at Wembley on Wednesday.

Both Kane and Icardi have humble origins after surviving rejection and self-doubt to reach the top.

Now well-established as talismanic figures for their clubs, these unlikely heroes have become two of the sport's hottest properties.

Both have been linked with moves to European champion Real Madrid this season and this week's vital clash between Tottenham and Inter provides another chance to celebrate their rags to riches rise and marvel at their predatory instincts.

Born in Argentina, Icardi moved to Spain when he was nine and was one of the most sought-after players in Europe when Barcelona, Real Madrid, Arsenal and Liverpool fought for the teenager's signature in 2007.

Icardi eventually chose Barcelona, but his time with the Spanish giant went surprisingly sour.

He never broke into the first team after being written off as lacking the technical quality to shine at the Camp Nou.

A loan spell in Italy with Sampdoria proved the making of Icardi, who stepped up to the big time when he joined Inter in 2013.

Icardi has scored 106 league goals in 167 appearances for Inter, twice finishing as the joint-highest scorer in Serie A and taking over as the club captain three years ago.

It is a success story that would strike a chord with Kane, who also had to endure rejection before proving his doubters wrong.

Read: Kane eyeing Rooney's England goals record

While some English stars are ear-marked for success years in advance such is their obvious potential, Kane was written off time and again as a schoolboy, with Arsenal, Tottenham and Watford all deciding he didn't have the right qualities to make it.

Tottenham eventually recognised the goal-scoring potential Kane possessed, but even then it took loan spells at Leyton Orient, Millwall, Norwich and Leicester before he was finally given his chance as a regular on the Premier League stage in 2014.

A barrage of goals followed as Kane made up for lost time in stunning style.

Now 25, Kane has amassed a host of goal-scoring records, scoring more than 100 times for Tottenham and becoming only the second England player to finish as the World Cup's top-scorer.

Kane has 11 goals in all competitions this season, with his late brace against PSV Eindhoven in Tottenham's last Champions League tie especially important as it clinched the 2-1 win that kept their last-16 hopes alive.

Those crucial goals extended Kane's remarkable Champions League record to 12 goals in 14 appearances.

Icardi has been equally dynamic in Europe's elite club competition.

The 25-year-old scored the late goal that gave Inter a 2-1 win over Tottenham in the opening game of the group stage.

The Argentina international also netted in Inter's victory at PSV and bagged a priceless last-gasp equaliser in the 1-1 draw with Barcelona earlier this month.

That strike against Group B leaders Barca allowed second placed Inter to keep a three-point lead over third placed Tottenham in the race to qualify for the last 16.

With only two games remaining, Luciano Spalletti's side is in pole position to make the knockout stages as it hosts PSV in its last fixture, while Tottenham has the daunting task of a trip to Barcelona.

An Inter victory at Wembley would book its last-16 berth, while Tottenham must win to send the battle to the last round of matches.

Inter has won eight of its last nine Serie A matches to climb to third in the table, with Spurs in fine form as well after defeating previously unbeaten Chelsea 3-1 in the Premier League on Saturday.

Spalletti expects Tottenham to come out all guns blazing, but he won't make special plans for Kane.

“We rate whichever opposition we come up against. However, Inter always inspire the opposition,” Spalletti said.

“That means they have to go up a level compared to their normal performances.

“With us, we have no specific approach for one team or another. We have got to perform as Inter Milan.”

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment