Antonio Conte will take charge of his first game as Spurs boss tonight after his visa was approved earlier today. It was results like the one in Arnhem in which Spurs went down 1-0 to Vitesse which led to the dismissal of Nuno Espirito Santo and his swift replacement. We are unlikely to see a repeat of that result tonight. While the Italian won't have had much time to get any of his ideas across, his sheer presence should be enough to inspire the players into action. With a packed Tottenham Hotspur Stadium there to see their enigmatic new coach, Harry Kane and his teammates will more than likely put on a show and cruise to a comfortable victory.
Vitesse have been in mixed form this season and are currently fifth in the Eredivisie, five points behind PSV in the Champions League qualification spots. They've performed well recently, having won four of five games in all competitions in October and should be relatively confident. They showed against Spurs last time that they can defend well and are capable of causing better teams problems. Currently second in Group G, an unlikely win tonight would put the Dutch side in pole position to qualify for the next round. Despite the confidence they can take from the huge upset they pulled off last time out, the Tottenham side they face tonight should be a different proposition entirely, spurred on by the arrival of one of the world's most tactically astute and intimidating coaches.
Bryan Gil and Ryan Sessegnon will be unavailable to Conte due to hamstring injuries. Besides them, the new man will have everyone to choose from. It's unclear as to how the Italian will set up and whether or not he will opt to play his best players to get a look at them, or bring in several second stringers and give them a chance to impress. Goalscoring hero from the 1-0 win in the Netherlands, Maximilian Wittek, will miss the match for Vitesse through injury, as will fellow left back Million Manhoef.
Regardless of whatever side either coach fields, it will take a miracle for the Dutch side to again beat a Spurs side far superior on paper and galvanised by the arrival of their new manager.
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