Spurs face fresh Covid fears ahead of cup semi

TOTTENHAM have been hit by fresh coronavirus concerns ahead of their Carabao Cup semi-final first leg at Chelsea.

Spurs already had an outbreak that affected nine first-team players in December and saw two games called off, but boss Antonio Conte says there are now another couple of potential issues in the camp.

They are waiting for results of PCR tests, while Conte is also hoping there are no further new positive tests today ahead of tomorrow’s trip to the European champions.

“We are checking a couple of situations, we’ll see,” he said.

“We are not 100% sure they will miss the game. We have to check and also during the day, if there are new positives or not, we’re checking a couple of situations.

“Then tomorrow we’ll see which players are available to play against Chelsea.

“We are living with this situation, not only Tottenham but all the clubs. We have to be ready to find always the right solutions, the best solution for the team.

“For sure it’s not simple for any coach to change the plan you have in your mind, especially when you play many games in a short time.

“You make a plan in your mind and sometimes you arrive and players are positive, so you have to totally change your plan.

“It’s not easy, but not only for me but all the managers here.”

The Carabao Cup again presents a decent chance for Spurs to end their trophy drought, though a two-legged tie against their London rivals is a big obstacle.

Former Chelsea boss Conte is wellversed at winning silverware, having done so in almost every job he has been in, and knows the importance of bringing success to the club.

“I think that for everyone it’s always very important to win trophies – for the club, for the players, for the managers,” he said.

“On one hand, I have to tell you this. On the other, I think you have to build to win trophies. You can win trophies by speaking and saying you want to win.

“But then you have to be good and build something ready to win. At this moment, Chelsea is more ready than us to win. They won the Champions League last season.

“We have a lot of space for improvement, to be a team with aspiration to win. Then for sure, we’ll do everything to reach the final of this trophy.”

Tomorrow’s match will be Conte’s first return to Stamford Bridge since he was sacked in 2018 despite winning the Premier League and the FA Cup in his two years in charge.

“For me, for sure it’ll be great to come back to Stamford Bridge,” the Italian said.

“It’s the first time after I left Chelsea as manager to come back to Stamford Bridge. I spent two amazing seasons, I created a lot of friendships at the club, we did a really important, good job and I enjoyed working there.”

As well as Covid cases, Spurs will be without Cristian Romero, Ryan Sessegnon (both hamstring) and Steven Bergwijn (calf).

Antonio Conte will make his first return to Stamford Bridge since his sacking.