Crucial to beat Watford to stop losing streak: Moura

LONDON • Tottenham forward Lucas Moura has urged his team to get back to winning ways, after Spurs crashed out of two domestic Cup competitions in the past week.

After losing in the League Cup semi-finals at Chelsea via a penalty shoot-out, Spurs also suffered a shock defeat by Crystal Palace in the fourth round of the FA Cup.

This means that they are left with two trophies to fight for this season - the Premier League, where they are third and nine points behind leaders Liverpool (60 points), and the Champions League, where they face Borussia Dortmund in the last 16 next month.

Spurs have not won a title since their League Cup win in 2008 and Moura said that it is crucial that the team turn their fortunes around, starting with a home league game against Watford today.

"The most important thing now is to return to a win," the Brazilian said on the club website on Monday, a day after manager Mauricio Pochettino suggested that finishing in the top four in the league should be their priority.

"It is a difficult moment. But we need to stay together, stay strong because we know that we have talent. We need to keep our heads up.

"We have a lot of experience, great players and we will be good for the rest of the season."

Wounded by fatigue and injuries to key attacking players like Harry Kane and Dele Alli, Spurs will at least have Moura to provide some firepower up front.

The 26-year-old returned to the starting line-up against Palace on Sunday after a knee problem.

Forward Son Heung-min is also back earlier than expected after South Korea's Asian Cup quarter-final exit to Qatar, although he may not be ready to feature today after missing three games.

"He's so tired, he played three games. Very tough games," Pochettino said. "We hope he'll be available and ready on Wednesday to help the team."

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on January 30, 2019, with the headline Crucial to beat Watford to stop losing streak: Moura. Subscribe