Antonio Conte will be back in the Tottenham dugout for the first time in three weeks on Wednesday evening.
Having undergone surgery on his gallbladder at the start of February before making a swift return in time for the away games at Leicester City and AC Milan, it was confirmed two days after the defeat in the San Siro that the 53-year-old would take another break from the club in order for him to fully rest and recuperate from the operation.
Absent for the recent games against West Ham, Chelsea, Sheffield United and Wolves but still very much playing a part from his home in Italy, Conte's comeback will give everyone a much-needed boost ahead of their European showdown against AC Milan. Trailing 1-0 from the first leg at the San Siro, Spurs very much have it all to do on home soil.
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So what exactly does Conte need to do at Hotspur Way ahead of the game against the Italian giants? football.london takes a look below.
Restore confidence
One thing the Tottenham team most definitely need prior to the AC Milan encounter is a big confidence boost. One week ago it all looked very promising for the Lilywhites after successive victories over West Ham and Chelsea had opened up a four-point lead over Newcastle United in the race for fourth.
An awful lot can change in football in the space of seven days, though, with Spurs now going into the European match on the back of two defeats in the space of four days against Sheffield United and Wolves. The positive mood has just evaporated and now it is down to the players to ensure it returns at such a key point in the season.
Confidence is massive in football and Tottenham need it in abundance if they are to get the better of the Rossoneri on Wednesday evening. Conte must ensure that is very much the case or else Spurs' nightmare week could get a whole lot worse.
Ensure bright start
Tottenham cannot afford a poor start against Stefano Piolo's team or else they are going to have a major uphill battle come the second half. Unfortunately, this has been the case in a large number of Tottenham games this season where they have only really started playing come the start of the second half.
While on occasions they have got themselves out of jail by getting points on the board, there have also been a number of instances where they have given themselves so much to do and come away with nothing. There are no second chances after this European tie, so Tottenham need to be on it from the first whistle.
That was very much the case last Saturday at Wolves as the team started brightly and created a number of openings on goal. Although the game did end in defeat for Spurs following Adama Traore's late winner, one positive they can take from the match in the West Midlands is how they started proceedings.
Work on finishing
Tottenham wouldn't have left Molineux pointless had they had taken their opportunities on goal. Jose Sa did extremely well to save from Dejan Kulusevski and Ivan Perisic in the first half, with Pedro Porro going very close on a couple of occasions following a free-kick and a deflected effort.
Harry Kane has 20 goals to his name this season but it can't be solely down to him to find the back of the net week in, week out. Kulusevski and Richarlison both have two goals, with Son on nine and Perisic yet to get off the mark for his new club.
Tottenham need more from the quartet in the final third, ideally starting against AC Milan in the Champions League. It doesn't matter if they are wonder strikes or scrappy goals, Tottenham, now more than ever, just need to find a way of getting the ball in the goal.
It will be a priority for Conte in training at Hotspur Way leading up to the match.
Wing-back work
A key feature of Conte's side is for the wing-backs to play a pivotal role in the final third in terms of goals and assists. The boss has made it clear that when one of his wing-backs is on the ball and looking to deliver it into the area, he wants the other getting in the box and attacking the back post.
Getting so much joy from Victor Moses and Marcos Alonso during his two-year spell at Chelsea, things just haven't worked out as planned at Tottenham. It's an area Spurs need much more from, especially on Wednesday evening with a place in the quarter-finals of the Champions League at stake.
A game against European opposition could play into Pedro Porro's hands, with Perisic's delivery potentially a key weapon if he can get it into the right areas. Given the need for goals in order to keep their European run going, the wing-backs have a very important role to play and Conte will be doing all he can at the club's training base to ensure it works to perfection.
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