Battle-hardened Mauricio Pochettino ready for Bramall Lane

Mauricio Pochettino has insisted that his Tottenham Hotspur team will not be intimidated by Sheffield United's partisan support at Bramall Lane tonight.

Spurs are expected to receive a hostile reception in the second leg of their League Cup semi-final as the Blades look to overturn a 1-0 deficit from last week.

Having spent five years playing for Newell's Old Boys, Pochettino says that anything United supporters throw at his side will pale in comparison to what he experienced in Argentina, and hopes that his calm demeanour will transmit to his troops.

Referencing a Copa Libertadores semi-final in Colombia 23 years ago, the Argentine told Sky Sports News: "It was crazy. In Colombia, Argentina, Brazil, Peru or Ecuador, people are very aggressive. It is nothing like that here. I remember going up the tunnel to the pitch and they started to throw batteries, my team-mate got hit and cut on the head.

"When you go to these countries to play Copa Libertadores or World Cup qualifiers with the national team, I remember every time we drove from the airport, all the glass on the bus was smashed and we fell to the floor. In Argentina, when you play at the Bombonera, at Boca Juniors, if you survive on the journey to the stadium, you are lucky.

"Sometimes you are scared, in different countries, like in Paraguay, you are worried for your life. So if I can cope with that, we can cope with anything."

Tottenham will face Chelsea in the final should they see out their aggregate lead in Yorkshire, with the Blues beating Liverpool on Tuesday.