Tottenham v Vitesse: Back clean sheet on Conte debut

Tottenham 1.321/3 v Vitesse Arnhem 9.28/1; The Draw 4.67/2
Thursday 4 November, 20:00
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Conte in charge at Spurs

The appointment of Antonio Conte as the new Tottenham manager, has greatly added to the interest in this game.

It was already something of a must-win fixture. Under the now departed Nuno, Spurs have failed to win either of their two away games (D1 L1) in Group G of the Europa Conference League. That includes the reverse fixture, which Tottenham lost 1-0 at Vitesse, which leaves them third in the group, three points behind the leaders Rennes.

The abject performance of Spurs in the 3-0 home defeat to Manchester United on Saturday, saw Nuno sacked and Conte brought in. It's a serious upgrade in manager and we should see a rapid improvement in performances, with Conte said to have been promised significant funds to spend in the January transfer window.

Nuno had been selecting much weakened sides in this competition, so it will be interesting to see how Conte approaches it. He may well use this as an opportunity to prepare for the weekend game against Everton, with Conte likely to change formation. The Italian has a full squad to choose from, with only the injured Ryan Sessegnon unavailable to play.

Vitesse enter match in good form

Vitesse put themselves in a strong position in Group G with their win over Spurs, which they must now look to protect.

Maximilian Wittek scored the vital goal in the 1-0 home win, which leave Vitesse in second place, a point behind the leaders Rennes. With Vitesse having lost to the leaders Rennes at home, they now face two away games against their rivals for qualification from the group, within the next three matches.

Vitesse won 2-1 at Heerenveen at the weekend, which means that they have only lost one of their last six games in the Eredivisie (W4 D1). That result leaves Vitesse in fifth place in the Dutch top tier.

Wittek, the goalscorer against Tottenham, has been unavailable to play since that match with an injury. Fellow left-back, Million Manhoef, is also injured.

Conte must tighten defence

Tottenham are the 1.321/3 favourites, with the draw at 4.67/2 and Vitesse at 9.28/1.

Vitesse had some reason to be confident had Nuno stayed in charge at Spurs, but with Conte having been appointed, a home win looks likely. The Italian is famed for the high standards that he expects of his squad and this is the first opportunity for the Tottenham players to try to impress him.

Conte is likely to switch to playing with three central defenders, which should help to shore up a backline that has conceded in eleven of their last twelve games. Tottenham are 2.111/10 to win to nil. At a similar price of 2.01/1 you can back Spurs to win half-time/full-time.

Star attackers could be drafted in

The Spurs attack could scarcely be worse than was the case under Nuno and over 2.5 goals is priced at 1.715/7. Backing a home win and over 2.5 goals, increases the price to 1.9520/21.

Dane Scarlett started up front for Tottenham in the reverse fixture, but with the team needing points, Conte will surely turn to his best attackers. Harry Kane is 1.774/5 to score, with Heung-Min Son at 2.186/5.