Antonio previews Sporting CP: “This is an important chance for us”
Antonio Conte underlined the importance of this evening’s UEFA Champions League clash against Sporting Lisbon at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (8pm).
Victory and we will book a place in the knockout stage of the competition and, if Eintracht Frankfurt beat Marseille in Germany, we’ll secure top spot in Group D.
Speaking to SPURSPLAY, Antonio said: “We have an important chance, and, for this reason, I want to see desire, will, great commitment, a great effort from my players to overcome this difficult game. I’m sure we will have a good performance.
“For us, I like to consider every game an important game, a big game, because in every game, you have to start with the mentality of getting three points. This is an especially important game because if we win, we avoid going to Marseille to play the final game for qualification. This will be very important for us.
“We’ve prepared the game against Sporting Lisbon, and we need to play together with the fans. They have to understand the moment, the important moment for us, for the players, and the players need to feel their passion.”
After the disappointment of successive losses to United and Newcastle, it felt right to look at the bigger picture. We stand third in the Premier League with the chance to progress to the knockout phase of the Champions League on Matchday Five of Six with a win at home this evening. When Antonio arrived last November, we were ninth in the Premier League and competing in the UEFA Conference League.
“For sure, we must be proud, because the perception of Tottenham has changed in a short period of time,” added Antonio. “It means, maybe, we are doing a fantastic job and now we need to continue, don’t lose the humility, because we have to be humble and to work.
“We have to enjoy it, don’t be presumptuous, don’t forget the past, don’t forget the point in November we touched on, if we remember this, we will find again all together the strength to go ahead and overcome any difficulty.”