Everything you need to know as the Antonio Conte era begins at Tottenham Hotspur

The Antonio Conte era is set to begin at Tottenham this evening with Spurs taking on Dutch side Vitesse in the Europa Conference League.

When the former Inter Milan manager brought an end to Internazionale’s long wait for a Serie A title last season, little did he know he would be coaching in the third tier of European football a few months later.

But tonight, he faces a challenge to instil a winning mentality and rebuild a Tottenham side that has struggled since the sacking of Mauricio Pochettino in 2019.

A delay in getting a working visa has interrupted Conte’s preparation for the game, but he is still expected to lead the team this evening in what should be a packed Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in North London.

The Eredivisie side won the reverse fixture thanks to a Maximilian Wittek strike and even though most of the players who will be on the pitch tonight were left at home by Nuno Espirito Santo, you’d expect Antonio Conte to go with his strongest side for this one tonight.

Tottenham captain Hugo Lloris has been speaking to the press and shared his expectations of the new manager.

He said: “He’s the kind of manager to help all the club improve, his CV talks for itself, this week is really important for the club.

“It’s never easy to see a manager leaving a club. We have to show our respect to Nuno.

“He’s going to give a proper structure to the team as players we need to demand more from each other.

“I think it’s a great opportunity to work under one of the greatest manager of the last few years.

“Now is not a time for words. It’s time to work.”

Team News

Spurs are likely to be without Bryan Gil (hamstring) but the likes of Sergio Reguilon, Tanguy Ndombele and Dele Alli will all hope to start.

Million Manhoef is absent for Vitesse.

However, left-midfielder Maximilian Wittek could play for the first time since scoring against Spurs in the reverse fixture in Group G.

Possible Tottenham Hotspur line-up

Gollini; Tanganga, Romero, Rodon; Doherty, Alli, Hojbjerg, Skipp, Reguilon; Kane, Lucas

Formation: 3-5-2

Possible Vitesse line-line up

Schubert; Doekhi, Rasmussen, Bazoer; Dasa, Bero, Tronstad, Gboho; Frederiksen, Openda; Darfalou

Formation: 4-3-3

Head-to-head

Vitesse’s 1-0 win over Tottenham on October 21 was the very first meeting between these two clubs.

Where to watch Tottenham vs Vitesse

TV channel: Thursday’s game will be broadcast live on BT Sport ESPN, with coverage beginning at 7.30pm.

Live stream: BT Sport subscribers will also be able to watch the match online via the website or BT Sport app.