Tottenham welcomes the Champions League anthem back to London this week as they host Ligue 1 side Marseille. It is favorable opposition for the Lillywhites. They have had much success against French opposition in continental competition in recent times. To compound that, Marseille has had an awful time in England of late.
Les Olympiens have lost their last eight matches in England and have one just one of their last thirteen in the place where football was born.
Although Spurs have played French sides before of course, they have never faced Olympique Marseille. It is the same with every side in their group.
This will be the first time they will face not only Marseille but also Europa League champions Eintracht Frankfurt and Portuguese side Sporting Lisbon.
Marseille at Tottenham Champions League Group Stage FYIs
Kick Off: Wednesday, Sep 7, 2022, at 8 pm UK at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Competition: Group D, Match Day 1 of 6
Watch Info: Click on the banners in this post. Streaming is available via Paramount+
Google Result Probability: Tottenham 61% Marseille 14% Draw 25%
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Team News
Antonio Conte and Spurs are blessed with a relatively small injury list. The return of Rodrigo Bentancur and Cristian Romero, at the weekend, means there is just two injury concerns for Spurs heading into this one. Let’s have a look at the latest Antonio Conte has had to say about them.
Bryan Gil
“’Gil is not available, but in two or three days, he will start to work again.”
Lucas Moura
“Lucas has inflammation in his tendon. When I was a player, I had a lot of pain in my tendon, and you know very well that an inflamed tendon doesn’t finish in only one or two weeks. We hope he’s with us soon.”
Starting XI Prediction
Antonio Conte is a creature of habit, but I still expect him to make some slight tweaks to the personnel inside his formation.
Hugo Lloris is in no danger of being dropped and he will start this game or I will eat my hat. Eric Dier, Clement Lenglet and Cristian Romero will form the back three. That is the strongest back three available to Conte in my opinion.
Emerson Royal has been great this season, and keeps his spot at right wing back. Veteran Ivan Perisic starts in the opposite flank.
Pierre Emile Hojbjerg and Rodrigo Bentancur will start in the center of the park. This is the gaffers strongest duo whilst Yves Bissouma gets his feet under the table in North London.
The attack will see Dejan Kulusevski return to the fold ahead of Richarlison. Heung Min-son will start on the left side of the attack. The Korean will be looking to kick start what has been a poor start to the season. Harry Kane starts as the focal point of the attack.
Stuey’s Two Cents
Spurs have the right personnel, a world class coach and are in great form. Anything is possible for this side. I expect them to win this match comfortably, and go deep into this year’s competition.
Tottenham 3-1
Stuart Kavanagh is a journalist currently residing in Broken Hill, Australia. He writes for the Barrier Truth newspaper, along with being the owner of the sports and entertainment website thepyrrhic.com, He also co-hosts the ‘After Extra Time’ podcast and contributes at edgeofthecrowd.com when time permits.
Football mad, he is always down for debate and discussion at @stueyissickofit on Twitter.