‘We want to play’ – Conte believes Spurs ‘deserve’ to play against Rennes

Antonio Conte has claimed Tottenham are keen to fulfil their Europa Conference League fixture against Rennes and feels his side ‘deserve’ to play the French club. 

Spurs have been battling against a Covid outbreak which has ripped through the squad, causing the part of the club’s Hotspur Way training ground to be shut down. 

Eight first team players and five coaching staff members were said to have tested positive, however the situation appears to be under control with cases slowing and players now slowly returning to training. 

The outbreak caused the Spurs’ Premier League trip to Brighton on Sunday to be called off, but there is now an expectation the side will be able play out Thursday evening’s clash against Leicester. 

There is a lingering question mark regarding the club’s final Europa Conference League group match against Rennes, which UEFA announced would not be rescheduled.

However, the draw for the next stage has since been completed with either Spurs or Vitesse Arnhem set to play Rapid Vienna, with the final qualification spot in Group G still up for grabs. 

Despite the obvious logistical nightmare, Conte believes his side should be given the chance to complete their group stage campaign against Rennes and Spurs should not take any blame for a situation like this unfolding. 

He said (via Football.London): “We want to play the game. Tottenham deserves to play the game and the last game of this group. 

“I think it’s a really strange situation. When the government decides to close our training ground and we cannot train and it’s for this reason we cannot play, not another reason. We don’t have fault. We deserve to play this game and try to go to the next round.”

Spurs Web Opinion 

This is the sort of response you’d expect Conte to make – he wants to play every game and give his side the best chance of being successful. It is tough to see how this will be played, though, with Spurs having little wiggle-room in terms of fixtures up until the new year. 

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