Tottenham have the chance to secure safe passage to the last 16 of the Champions League on Tuesday night should results go their way in an extremely tight battle for qualification in Group D.
All four teams in the group are separated by just two points with one match left to play in what is the only group left in the competition where any of the participants can progress. No team has yet qualified for the next round either, with Spurs in pole position as they top the group with eight points.
Sporting and Eintracht Frankfurt are both on seven points, with the former holding the advantage having beaten the Europa League winners in their one fixture so far ahead of their meeting tomorrow night. Meanwhile, Marseille sit bottom of the group but could finish top if they beat Spurs and the other match ends in a draw, leaving everything to play for in the group.
READ MORE: Hojbjerg and Conte's intense celebration, Kulusevski injury boost and Tottenham squad truth
It is set to be a dramatic night and the potential outcome could be regrettable for Conte, as Spurs came so close to securing safe passage last week. Against Sporting, Harry Kane's last gasp winner looked to have seen them through before VAR ruled his effort to be offside, with fierce protestations leading to a red card for Conte.
This means that they will face a nervous 90 minutes, with a fervent atmosphere at Stade Velodrome awaiting the Lilywhites. However, Conte will take comfort in the fact that his side have already secured European football in the New Year, with a space at least in the Europa League confirmed, even if they are defeated.
Should Spurs lose the match, they would find themselves certain to drop below two of the teams, with just a two-point gap to Marseille. However, should they lose and the other match between Sporting and Eintracht Frankfurt be a draw, then they would still go through to the Europa League by virtue of their superior head-to-head record against Frankfurt, despite the fact that they would be ranked below Sporting after defeat in Lisbon last month, with all three teams finishing on eight points.
Should they lose and one of those teams win, then the losing team in that fixture would finish bottom, meaning that a third place finish is guaranteed. This would be little more than a crumb of comfort for Conte, who would hope to bring more success to Tottenham in the form of an extended Champions League run, but it would at least bring a chance to win silverware, as that was his goal from the outset in north London.
READ NEXT:
Antonio Conte handed huge Champions League injury setback as three stars miss Tottenham training
Kulusevski and Romero absent, academy ace involved - 4 things spotted in Tottenham training
Tottenham can repeat Bentancur and Kulusevski transfer trick after Antonio Conte sends 'message'
Tottenham's next four fixtures compared to Arsenal, Chelsea and Man City
Tottenham player ratings vs Bournemouth: Bentancur the hero, Perisic impact and Sanchez poor
