TOTTENHAM boss Antonio Conte admits his side’s early kick-off against Burnley at the weekend is far from ideal. The Clarets head to the capital to take on Conte’s side in a potentially important fixture at both ends of the table. Mike Jackson’s men are battling to beat the drop and maintain their top-flight status, while Spurs still have a chance of making the top four. But before facing Burnley, Conte has the North London derby on Thursday night to worry about. A win would see Spurs close the gap to their rivals to a single point. And Conte admits it can be challenging to deal with fixture congestion at this stage of the season.
Antonio Conte said: “To play on Thursday night and then again the first game (on Sunday), you could wait and give us the last game and a bit more rest. It’s difficult sometimes to accept Premier League decisions, but if the club accepted it I have to. A top club has to pay attention to the fixtures. Before the game you don’t think this situation can cause you this type of trouble, but afterwards you realise it could affect the result and you are angry and it’s too late.”
The Clarets recorded a 1-0 win against Spurs when the sides met back in February, with Ben Mee getting the decisive goal on a memorable night at Turf Moor. But Conte refuses to look past Arsenal and is determined to keep his side in the conversation for Europe.
Antonio Conte added: “We are talking about an important game for many different situations. The first, and most important thing is, we’re playing this game for an important target – a place in the Champions League. I think this has to be the first reason to win this game.”
