Tottenham vs Marseille predictions: Entertaining battle on the cards in the capital

Tottenham are back in Champions League action this week for the first time since 2019-20, with Antonio Conte's side set to face Marseille in Group D on Wednesday evening. 

Spurs are favourites to advance to the knockout stages of the competition but the Ligue 1 side, Eintracht Frankfurt and Sporting Lisbon represent a tricky challenge.

Conte's men have home advantage for the opener but they could be given a rude awakening on their return to Europe's elite competition. 

Team news

Conte will be without Bryan Gil and Lucas Moura for Wednesday's clash at home, although neither player was expected to start. Rodrigo Bentancur and Cristian Romero returned from injury to help Spurs beat Fulham 2-1 on Saturday and they are likely to remain in the XI. 

Conte will need to decide who should start between Richarlison, who was excellent on his full debut against Fulham, and Dejan Kulusevski. He may even play both and rest Son Heung-Min, who has not hit his best form yet this season.

Marseille pair Cedric Bakambu and Bamba Dieng have not been included in their side's Champions League squad after their proposed deadline day moves away fell through at the 11th hour. 

Two former Premier League stars will miss a return to London, with ex-West Ham man Dimitri Payet set to stay in France due to a calf injury, while Arsenal old boy Alexis Sanchez is suspended. 

The stats

History will be made on Wednesday, with the tie the first-ever competitive fixture between Tottenham and Marseille. 

Spurs have won four of their previous five home matches against French opposition in all European competitions. Still, they did lose the most recent of those against Monaco in 2016.

Marseille have only secured one victory in their last 13 games against English sides in the Champions League, while they have lost 14 of their previous 15 in the competition. 

Both sides come into Wednesday's tie in good form, with Spurs unbeaten in six, a record matched by Les Phoceens. 

The French side have won four on the spin, with Igor Tudor's men beating Nantes, Nice, Clermont and Auxerre in recent weeks. 

Prediction

Picking a winner of Wednesday's tie looks a tall order, with both teams full of confidence after the first month of the campaign. 

Even though the visitors have kept three clean sheets in a row, they have not had to face an attack as formidable as Spurs'. 

The likes of Harry Kane, Richarlison and Son could cause countless problems but Marseille have every chance of scoring themselves. 

Spurs have conceded in their last two Premier League matches and both teams to score looks the way to go. 

Over 2.5 goals is also a suggestion, something that has landed in three of Marseille's last five games in the competition.