MY ACCOUNT
Tottenham are back in Champions League action this week for the first time since 2019-20, with Antonio Conte’s side set to face Marseille in Group D on Wednesday evening.
Spurs will also have to overcome Eintracht Frankfurt and Sporting Lisbon if they are to advance to the knockout stages of the competition.
Conte’s men have home advantage, but they could be given a rude awakening on their return to Europe’s elite competition.
Team news
Conte will be without Bryan Gil and Lucas Moura for Wednesday’s clash at home, although neither player were expected to start. Rodrigo Bentancur and Cristian Romero returned from injury to help Spurs beat Fulham 2-1 on Saturday and they should be fit enough to make the XI.
Conte will need to decide who should start between Richarlison and Dejan Kulusevski. At the same time, Son Heung-Min may be rested as he tries to rediscover his best form.
Marseille pair Cedric Bakambu and Bamba Dieng have not been included in their side’s Champions League squad after their proposed deadline day moves away fell through at the 11th hour.
Midfielder Dimitri Payet is set to stay in France due to a calf injury, while Alexis Sanchez is suspended.
The stats
History will be made on Wednesday, with the tie the first-ever competitive fixture between Tottenham and Marseille.
Spurs have won four of their previous five home matches against French opposition in all European competitions. Still, they did lose the most recent of those against Monaco in 2016.
Marseille have only secured one victory in their last 13 games against English sides in the Champions League, while they have lost 14 of their previous 15 in the competition.
Both sides come into Wednesday’s tie in good form, with Spurs unbeaten in six, a record matched by Les Phoceens.
The French side have won four on the spin, with Igor Tudor’s men beating Nantes, Nice, Clermont and Auxerre in recent weeks.
Prediction
Picking a winner of Wednesday’s tie looks a tall order, with both teams full of confidence after the first month of the campaign.
Even though the visitors have kept three clean sheets in a row, they have not had to face an attack as formidable as Spurs’.
The likes of Harry Kane, Richarlison and Son could cause countless problems, but Marseille have every chance of scoring themselves.
Spurs have conceded in their last two Premier League matches and both teams to score looks the way to go.
Over 2.5 goals is also a suggestion, something that has landed in three of Marseille’s last five games in the competition.
