Antonio Conte gives verdict on facing ex-teammate Igor Tudor when Tottenham Hotspur face Juventus
Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte and Olympique de Marseille boss Igor Tudor were teammates at Juventus, and played 84 matches together at the club.
They notably lifted the 2000-01 and 2001-02 Serie A titles as teammates and were at the club when the Old Lady lost the 2003 UEFA Champions League final against AC Milan at Old Trafford.
The two now come face to face as managers in the UCL tonight at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the opening fixture of Group D which also contains Sporting CP and Eintracht Frankfurt.
Tudor was named Les Phoceens‘ manager earlier this summer while Conte took over the helm at Spurs last season when Nuno Espirito Santo was sacked a couple of months into his stint at N17.
Speaking about facing his former teammate tonight, Conte said at the pre-match press conference (h/t Football.London):
“About Igor? Igor is a friend and we played together for Juventus for many years. He’s a really good guy. I am really happy to see him on the bench in an important club in Europe like Marseille.”
Conte spoke about Tudor’s season at Hellas Verona last season, where he led them to a ninth-placed finish in Serie A. He wished him good luck for his time at the French club this season, except for the two games where they face each other.
“He did very well last season in Verona and yeah, he’s doing a really good job. He likes to work a lot and his team has a very clear idea and I wish all the best for him and Marseille apart from these two games against us.”
A win here would ease Spurs’ job going forward. This is a group we expect to qualify from without much trouble, although all three teams could spring a surprise on any given day.
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Spurs finished fourth last season and Conte rightly counts that as an achievement, given the competition we faced from Arsenal and Manchester United. Marseille, meanwhile, finished runners-up in Ligue 1 to PSG last campaign.
