Antonio Conte has Spurs back in the Champions League, and on Wednesday they host Olympique de Marseille in London. Harry Kane has shown that he can score in August with five goals in six games to start the season, but his partner at the top of him, Heung-Min Son, has yet to start running for his first goal of the season. But with Dejan Kulusevski and Richarlison on the roster, that gives Conte more options for when his main options aren’t firing on all cylinders.
It is something that will be necessary against a strong team from Marseille under the new management of Igor Tudor. The team have had a lot of turnover, but they are hard to break, allowing just three league goals so far. As the Spurs also have a strong defense, this is a game that could be on the low scoring side, which is exactly where every manager wants it to be.
Scoring-wise, Marseille have had a strange season with loanee Nuno Tavares and new signing Alexis Sánchez topping the scoring charts with three goals each. They will struggle to get past Conte’s all-around defence, but Spurs usually provide at least one good scoring opportunity for the opposition, which is why, despite allowing only five goals, which is the second-best mark in the Premier League, they have only kept two clean sheets in six games. That’s something Conte will want to improve on, but Marseille are a good enough team to capitalize on mistakes.
Here are our stories, how you can watch the game and more:
How to watch and odds
- Date: Wednesday, September 7 | Weather: 3 p.m. Eastern Time
- Location: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium — London
- Live broadcast: Paramount+
- Odds: Tottenham -200; Draw +340; Marseille +525 (via Caesars Sportsbook)
arguments
Tottenham: Out of the rotation due to playing three games in eight days, Conte will have a full squad available to him in addition to Lucas Moura and Bryan Gil. In a Spurs side that almost picked itself, all eyes will be on how Ivan Perisic and Son perform on the left, because with Richarlison lurking around, Son could get an early hook if needed.
Marseilles: Outside of Marseille’s unregistered players, which includes Bamba Dieng after his wild transfer window saga, Tudor will also have a full squad available. It will be a tough challenge to go to Tottenham, but if the team can stay disciplined there is no reason why they can’t secure a result to open Champions League play.
Prediction
Like clockwork, Kane will make the difference in a close game when Spurs score a late winner to start the Champions League game on the right foot. To choose: Spurs 2, Marseille 1
