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| Antonio Conte, head coach of Tottenham Hotspur during the Tottenham Hotspur press conference at Tottenham Hotspur Training Centre on December 08, 2021 in Enfield, England. |
Antonio Conte has confirmed eight members of Tottenham Hotspur's first-team squad and five staff members have tested positive for coronavirus.
The Lilywhites are in Europa League action tomorrow evening against Rennes, requiring a win to stand any chance of progression to the next stage of the competition.
Despite missing a number of players, the match will go ahead due to the UEFA rule that a club must have fewer than 13 players or no registered goalkeeper available for a game to be postponed.
Should this developing situation at Spurs could spiral out of control in the coming days, it could well have implications for next Sunday's Premier League meeting with Liverpool.
Jurgen Klopp's side could be set to face a weakened Tottenham team as things stand, with players unavailable to return to the first-team fold until isolation periods after finished and negative results are returned.
Those who do make it back to training may still need to work on their fitness.
According to the Premier League handbook for the current season, domestic games must go ahead when a club has 14 or more players listed on its squad list available, but games can be rearranged on a case-by-case basis.
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| Antonio Conte, head coach of Tottenham Hotspur during the Tottenham Hotspur training session at Tottenham Hotspur Training Centre on December 08, 2021 in Enfield, England. |
Addressing the unfortunate predicament Spurs are faced with, Conte today told reporters: "The situation makes me very upset because the situation is serious.
"It's contagious and there is a big infection. Now we are a bit scared because tomorrow we don't know what will happen.
"Tomorrow, who? Me? I don't know.
"Better me than a player for sure. It is not right for everyone because we have contact with our family when we come back home."
