Conte returns to the dugout for Milan visit

Antonio Conte will be back on the bench this Wednesday as Tottenham Hotspur host AC Milan in the Champions League.

Assistant Cristian Stellini had been in charge of Spurs’ last four games since Conte’s gallbladder surgery kept the 53-year-old on the sidelines.

In those four games, Spurs won two before with back-to-back defeats against Sheffield United in the FA Cup and Wolves in the league.

Speaking ahead of Spurs’ game ahead of Milan, Conte admitted he had tried to return earlier but was prevented from doing so by doctors: “I wanted to come back after the game against Sheffield United but the doctor stopped me and said 'now you have to listen to me and to wait'.

“I wanted to come back early but in this case, I had to respect the doctor, and also the Tottenham doctors because they were really worried after the game against Milan in the first leg.

“For this reason, I only came back on Sunday. Now I repeat I am well.”

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“If you ask me if I want to win the Champions League I tell you yes. Then there is the reality, we have to be ready to go game by game. Tomorrow the obstacle is Milan and we have to beat them by two goals if we want to go to the next round.

“The pressure is normal, we have to live with this type of pressure. One thing that maybe we have to try to improve in the environment here is how to live with the pressure. This means that sometimes we are a bit stressed and not always to be in peace with yourself, but to test yourself and put pressure on you in a positive way. In this aspect, we can improve a lot.”

The Italian has a positive record against the Rossoneri during his managerial career. Conte has faced Milan as manager of Spurs, Inter, Juventus, and Arezzo a total of 16 times with a record of 11 wins and two draws, and just three defeats.