Tottenham will be without Antonio Conte on the touchline for their massive Champions League clash against Marseille in France.
Spurs know that a draw will ensure their progression into the knockout stages, and a loss will mean they crash out of the group stages, having been held to a 1-1 draw against Sporting Lisbon last time out.
Harry Kane's dramatic last-minute winner looked to have sent Spurs through in the penultimate game week before being ruled out for offside after a lengthy VAR delay. Conte's annoyance and anger at the decision earned him a red card, and he has since been banned from having any contact with his players before or during the match at Stade Velodrome.
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The Italian won't be allowed on the touchline or in the dressing room and must watch on from the stands in France. Tottenham opened their Champions League campaign with a 2-0 win against Igor Tudor's side but have yet to go ahead first in a match since then.
UEFA's rules, which ban Conte, state: "A team manager/coach or another team official who is sent off or suspended from carrying out his function. He may not be in the technical area or communicate directly with the team's players and/or technical staff during the match. In addition, a team manager/coach or any other team official who is suspended from carrying out his function may not enter the dressing room or tunnel before or during the match."
Assistant head coach Christian Stellini is expected to take up Conte's position as an acting manager on the touchline and will have big shoes to fill. The charismatic boss is often the heartbeat of his team, and he lives and breaths every minute of the match.
Stellini joined Spurs at the same time as Conte last year and has worked with the former Inter Milan and Chelsea boss previously at Juventus and Milan. Someone else who may also be more prominent is Ryan Mason. The former Spurs player and caretaker manager was appointed as a technical coach when Conte joined Spurs last year.
The 31-year-old may well play some part in the pre-match interviews as well, given his previous experience as a player for the club.
Upon finding out about his suspension, Conte said: "Honestly, I didn't know I was banned from the match with Marseille. If there is this type of rule, then I think the referee should show more attention. I can only say this.
"I hope next time, what happened to me, other referees pay more attention or understand the emotion of the moment and give the right decision.
"Maybe a yellow card if you book with me a yellow card because it shows me not to come onto the pitch, but now it's the past. But I'm sure my players, my staff are ready to face the situation in the best possible way."
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