Tottenham host PSV Eindhoven in a must-win Champions League clash at Wembley tonight, and will be somewhat encouraged by the condition of the pitch.
The surface, worn down by three weeks of NFL International Series games, the Anthony Joshua bout and Spurs' home fixtures, all but ruined their Premier League encounter with champions Manchester City just over a week ago.
Mauricio Pochettino has been reluctant to complain about the condition of the surface, but conceded following the defeat to Pep Guardiola's side that it will have taken its toll on his players.
Wembley officials inspected the surface on Tuesday night before PSV, who secured a late point against Spurs two weeks ago, trained here ahead of tonight's game.
Despite still looking faded in the corner and along the flanks - which is not part of the playing surface for NFL games - the pitch has significantly improved over the last eight days, with staff working tirelessly to bring it up to standard.
PSV boss Mark van Bommel had said he was shocked by the state of the Wembley pitch ahead of Tuesday's match.
The pitch passed a standard pre-match inspection on Monday before PSV trained on it for around an hour, but after watching the Man City game Van Bommel told De Telegraaf: “It’s outright disturbing.
"Every time I had to check whether the ball was in the sidelines. But we should not complain about it. It cannot be an excuse. Although I do not think they are happy about this in England.”
