Why 18-year-old wonderkid could have huge say in Tottenham v CSKA Moscow
COMMENT By Harvey Byrne
CSKA Moscow teenager Fedor Chalov could be the difference between a win or a loss for his side against Tottenham on Wednesday evening.
The north London outfit will welcome the Russian side to Wembley Stadium for their final group stage fixture.
Both teams are eliminated from the competition, but with just one point separating the pair a Europa League place is on the line.
The two sides already met in September, which saw Spurs run out 1-0 winners through a Son Heung-min strike.
Chalov was not part of the squad for the fixture in Moscow, but the 18-year-old has since emerged as a rising star for the team.
The young starlet made his senior debut on November 6, making a 15 minute cameo from the bench against Amkar Perm.
He has since started four more fixtures and even got on the score sheet and provided an assist in Saturday’s 4-0 victory over Ural in the Russian Premier League.
Chalov also has an impressive record in the Russia national team youth system.
The young forward has 10 goals in 26 fixtures, representing his country at Under-15, 17, 18 and 19s level.
He has not yet made his Champions League bow and his experience of European football comes purely from the UEFA Youth League, where he has six goals and four assists in 10 encounters.
He will be relatively unknown to a strong Tottenham back four and his attacking prowess could catch the defence by surprise.
Additionally, if Leonid Slutsky does play Chalov and he gives a strong performance, he will surely catch the eye of Mauricio Pochettino, who favours young signings.
In other Tottenham news, this Celtic star has revealed he had a trial at Spurs.