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total loss of discipline from Sporting Lisbon two matchdays in a row could have handed Marseille a golden ticket to the knockout stages, with Igor Tudor‘s side taking advantage of three red cards across two games for the Portuguese outfit to get their European campaign up and running.
However, amid a sticky patch in Ligue 1, Marseille did not have the formula to beat an 11-man team in Eintracht Frankfurt on the penultimate matchday, as goals from Daichi Kamada and Randal Kolo Muani either side of Matteo Guendouzi‘s leveller condemned them to a 2-1 defeat.
Having now dropped back to fourth place in the group with six points to their name, Marseille will be in the pot for the last-16 draw – potentially as group winners – if they overcome Tottenham on Tuesday, but anything less than victory and their hopes of a knockout berth in the Champions League will come to an end.
Tudor was left enraged at the weekend after seeing his side squander a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2 with Strasbourg, with Kevin Gameiro netting an injury-time equaliser, meaning that Les Olympiens head into Tuesday’s pivotal battle having lost three and drawn one of their last four matches.
Winning just one of their last five games at home and conceding in each of their last six in front of their own fans is not music to the ears of the Marseille faithful either, and Les Olympiens must now endeavour to achieve a feat that they have not done since 2010 – beat an English team in the Champions League.
The Tottenham boss – who will now serve a touchline ban for this pivotal game – was under no illusions that his side did not deserve much out of the game based on their first-half performance, but the North London club remain top of Group D and only need a point to progress to the knockout stages.
Lightning struck twice for Tottenham on the South coast regarding their slow start to matches, as Bournemouth found themselves 2-0 up before Rodrigo Bentancur completed a remarkable turnaround in stoppage time as Spurs won 3-2, ending their three-game winless run in all tournaments.
Such a dramatic victory ought to spur Spurs on amid their recent struggles, but while Marseille’s record against English clubs leaves a lot to be desired, Tottenham have never beaten a French team away from home in any European competition.
Richarlison was at the double for Tottenham when they bested Marseille 2-0 in North London back in September, but with the Brazilian absent for this match, the time is nigh for other players in Conte’s ranks to become European heroes of the hour.
Marseille will have centre-back Samuel Gigot back for Tuesday’s game after the 29-year-old missed out at the weekend through suspension, but Sead Kolasinac has likely done enough to hold his place in the backline.
Kolasinac is one of several Arsenal-linked men who need no added motivation to put Tottenham to the sword, with Alexis Sanchez, Guendouzi and Nuno Tavares all expected to be named in the first XI – the former should replace Bamba Dieng up top despite his goal against Strasbourg.
Pape Gueye is set to miss out, but Eric Bailly could be involved after returning to training from a thigh injury, and Tudor will likely recall Valentin Rongier to captain the side from the midfield.
As mentioned, Tottenham attacker Richarlison is still out with a calf problem alongside Dejan Kulusevski and his troublesome hamstring issue, and Cristian Romero was another noteworthy absentee from the win over Bournemouth.
The Argentine centre-back was a “big risk” for the clash with Sporting according to Conte and is not available for Tuesday’s game either, but returns to the XI should come for Bentancur, Eric Dier and Ivan Perisic.
A 3-5-2 setup failed to bear fruit at Bournemouth, so Conte can be expected to revert to a 3-4-3 here, in spite of his side only needing a draw. Bryan Gil‘s performance off the bench against Sporting was lauded, and rightly so, but Lucas Moura seemingly has a better chance of lining up from the first whistle.
Marseille possible starting lineup:
Lopez; Mbemba, Balerdi, Kolasinac; Clauss, Rongier, Veretout, Tavares; Guendouzi, Payet; Sanchez
Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:
Lloris; Sanchez, Dier, Lenglet; Doherty, Hojbjerg, Bentancur, Perisic; Lucas, Kane, Son
Followed by a spirited win over Bournemouth in the Premier League, Tottenham will be fancying a win over Marseille. This could be the tightest of finishes as anyone could imagine, and Spurs cannot afford to leave empty-handed after putting so much effort to be at this juncture.
VAR drama denied the north Londoners a last-minute winner against Sporting CP. Harry Kane erupted in wild joy as he thought to have sent his team to the knockouts. But after a lengthy review process, VAR ruled out the goal for an offside, with the decision deemed controversial. Antonio Conte is known for his emotional outburst on touchlines, and he could not keep himself calm and was given his marching orders.
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The idea is very simple for Tottenham: avoid a defeat and earn a ticket for the knockouts. Spurs are currently leading the Group D standings with eight points, with Sporting CP and Eintracht Frankfurt following them behind with seven points each.
A draw will take them to the next stage, while a win will certainly guarantee the top spot for them. Conte will not be sitting in the dugout for the game as he will be serving a one-game ban. So the onus will be on the Tottenham players to get the job done on the pitch.
Marseille could not take advantage of Sporting’s slip in the last two matches as they suffered a defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt. Their gameplan will be getting into the skin of the game and earn three points, but the French giants have overseen a torrid run of form recently.
Marseille’s last win incidentally came against Sporting CP in the Champions League. And since then they have endured a winless run of four games in all competitions. Knowing a victory will put send through to the next round should serve, Igor Tudor’s side, who squandered a two-goal lead against Strasbourg, will have enough motivation against Tottenham.