Cristian Stellini tells Tottenham Hotspur to watch out for Alexis Sanchez, Jordan Veretout, and Matteo Guendouzi in Marseille tie
Tottenham Hotspur assistant Cristian Stellini manager has named three Olympique de Marseille players that Spurs would have to be wary of during their UEFA Champions League tie at the Stade Velodrome tonight (1 November).
Spurs take on the French club in a do-or-die encounter for both teams. Spurs need to avoid defeat while Marseille have to win the game to progress to the knockout round of the UEFA Champions League this season.
The two sides played out a 2-0 home win at N17 earlier this season. The hero on the day was Richarlison, who scored a brace, but will be unavailable for the reverse fixture due to injury.
Stellini, who has been in charge of media duties leading up to this game in the absence of the suspended manager Antonio Conte, has named three OM players that Spurs will need to watch out for.
Speaking to SPURSPLAY ahead of the game, he said:
“Marseille is one of four teams that play with intensity and quality. It’s a team full of talented players like [Alexis] Sanchez, like [Matteo] Guendouzi, also [Jordan] Veretout, they mix energy and quality.”
“It will be a tough game, but we know very well, we study well, and we create a strategy to achieve our target.”
Alexis Sanchez, a former Arsenal, Barcelona, and Manchester United forward, is the obvious threat up front. He may not have the same agility and pace of yesteryear, but he is an elite goal-scorer and chance-creator on his day.
Matteo Guendouzi is another ex-Arsenal star in manager Igor Tudor’s squad. The French midfielder is highly energetic and doesn’t give his opponents a moment’s peace in midfield.
Jordan Veretout, meanwhile, is a much more classy operator in charge of starting attacks from deep and recycling possession. Keeping these three quiet would do us a whole lot of good but that doesn’t mean we forget about the rest of Marseille’s squad.
More Tottenham Hotspur News
- Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg answers if UCL elimination will be a ‘failure’ for Tottenham Hotspur
- Spurs Injury News: Richarlison, Dejan Kulusevski, and Cristian Romero ruled out for Tottenham vs Marseille
- Udinese left-back Destiny Udogie says he is following Tottenham Hotspur’s games to learn their style
Dimitry Payet in particular would be the man to watch. The former West Ham United star is mesmerising on set-pieces and can create something out of nothing on a day Spurs need luck to be on their side.
