Tottenham Hotspur will have to prepare for “war” when they take on Marseille in the Champions League next week, says Chancel Mbemba.
The Premier League club’s European fate hangs in the balance ahead of next week’s big clash at the Stade Veledrome.
When Tottenham were handed a Group D draw made up of Eintracht Frankfurt, Sporting Lisbon and Marseille, many thought they would qualify comfortably.
However, they have been far from comfortable, despite Antonio Conte’s side sitting top of the table with a game remaining.
After winning their first game against the Ligue 1 club, Tottenham were beaten by Sporting in the Portuguese capital.
They have since dropped points against Frankfurt in Germany and at home to Sporting this week, with a narrow 3-2 victory over the Europa League champions in between.
A win on Wednesday would have secured Spurs’ place in the next round of the competition and they thought they had done so when Harry Kane scored the winner in the 95th minute.
However, it was overturned after a lengthy VAR review ruled the England captain offside.
Conte and his players were absolutely furious at the decision. and the Italian coach was sent off as a result, meaning he won’t be on the touchline in France next week.
Marseille would have been in a much stronger position if they had won against Frankfurt on Wednesday, but were beaten 2-1, meaning all four teams can still win the group.
Immediately after the club’s defeat, their defender Mbemba recognized the importance of the match against Spurs.
“We are disappointed, we had to come back with a point,” he said. the parisian.
“We lost, that is the reality of football, but we are not going to give up and keep working because he has one game left.
“We know very well that we made mistakes, but we will continue to work.
“There are many defeats and it hurts. It’s possible? Of course. First you have to win in the league.
“Against Tottenham, it’s going to be a war, it’s going to be a final.”
Full-back Jonathan Clauss believes anything is possible when Marseille host Spurs.
“We have to remain optimistic, we have no other choice,” he said.
“We absolutely wanted to win tonight (Wednesday), it didn’t happen.
“Now we know that everything is still possible and that everything remains to be done.
“We will have to prepare very hard to win this match.
“We must not touch this trust that we have been able to earn, that is what will make us manage to endure.”
Marseille have lost their last three Ligue 1 games and are currently fifth in the French top flight, nine points behind Paris Saint-Germain.
They travel to Strasbourg on Saturday night, while Spurs take on Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium five hours earlier.
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