Tottenham must claim at least a point against Marseille on Tuesday night as they look to confirm their spot in the Champions League knockout stages.
Late VAR drama in Spurs' last Champions League clash against Sporting Lisbon saw Harry Kane denied a late winner at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, meaning Spurs must now get something from their clash with Marseille to advance out of Group D. Just two points separate Spurs in first and Marseille in fourth, with defeat for Antonio Conte's side resulting in elimination from the competition.
The last meeting between the two sides saw Spurs win 2-0 in the opening game of the Whites' UCL campaign, with Richarlison grabbing both goals. The Brazilian remains absent for tonight's clash, whilst Dejan Kulusevski and Cristian Romero will also remain on the sidelines through injury.
READ MORE: Every word Cristian Stellini said on what Antonio Conte will do with his Spurs stars around ban
So, can Spurs confirm their spot in the Champions League knockout stages tonight? We simulated the game to find out.
Marseille vs Tottenham score predicted by simulation
To complete this simulation, we used FIFA 23 and updated the squads with the latest injuries and suspensions.
We predict that the hosts will line up in a 3-4-2-1 formation, with the line-up looking as follows: Lopez; Mbemba, Balerdi, Kolasinac; Clauss, Rongier, Veretout, Tavares; Payet, Guendouzi; Sanchez.
We predict that Spurs will line up in a 3-5-2 formation, with the line-up looking as follows: Lloris; Dier, Lenglet, Davies; Doherty, Bentancur, Skipp, Hojbjerg, Perisic; Kane, Son.
An early defensive mishap saw Spurs get off to the worst start possible, with a mixup between Clement Lenglet and Eric Dier allowing Alexis Sanchez into the box to fire past Hugo Lloris. As the half went on, Spurs took control, and two goals in quick succession saw the visitors take the lead going into the break.
Harry Kane drew the game level on 40 minutes when he struck a sweet strike across goal and into the bottom corner following some good work from Son Heung-min to break into the box. Son then got on the scoresheet to send Spurs into the lead on the brink of half-time, with the forward tapping in Matt Doherty's drilled cross at the back post with ease.
Despite their hard work to take the lead, a shaky start to the second half saw the hosts make it 2-2 just after the restart, with Sanchez grabbing his second with a glancing header at the front post. A draw would still see Spurs advance, but a fantastic finish from Son with 10 minutes remaining saw Spurs regain the lead in France.
Son and Kane had been a handful for the Marseille defenders all evening, and the duo linked up again for the third as they exchanged four consecutive passes to break into the box. Son peeled away from his marker to create space for a shot, and from a tight angle, the South-Korean international fired past the 'keeper at his near post to send Spurs ahead.
With 10 minutes to go, it looked almost impossible for Spurs to not advance. Lucas Moura was introduced for the final stages of the game, and the Brazilian made it 4-2 in the 87th minute to confirm Spurs' spot in the Champions League last 16.
Son found Kane inside the box with a well-timed through ball, but the striker was quickly closed down, with a shot no longer on the cards. Kane did well to spot Lucas at the back post and square a ball to the substitute, and an error saw his weak shot fly under the 'keeper to double Spurs' lead.
Marseille substitute Luis Suarez scored in the 94th minute to make it 4-3, but there was no time left for the French side to muster a comeback as Spurs claimed the all-important three points.
FIFA 23 score prediction: Marseille 3-4 Spurs
Here are the full-time match stats.
FIFA 23 predicts that Spurs' attacking power could prove too much for Marseille, with Kane, Son and Lucas all starring in a 4-3 victory. Some shaky moments in defence saw the hosts cause Spurs trouble in the opening hour, but Conte's side should be able to confirm their spot in the Champions League knockout stages tonight.
What do you think the score could be on Wednesday night? Let us know in the comments below!
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