Conte calling for calm ahead of NLD debut

"Since my arrival, I don't think many people imagined Tottenham could fight for a place in the Champions League."

When Antonio Conte took charge at Tottenham in November 2021, with the club languishing in ninth position in the Premier League after their early-season malaise, securing Champions League football was, as he says, unimaginable.

But surrendering that most-coveted of prizes to rivals Arsenal, in their own back yard? Well, it is that truly unthinkable prospect which Spurs will bid to avoid in Thursday's delayed north London derby, live on Sky Sports.

Conte and Spurs have three games to overturn the current four-point deficit to the Gunners and book a ticket to Europe's elite-club competition at the expense of their arch-rivals.

Victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will cut Arsenal's advantage to a point with two to play, defeat will see Mikel Arteta secure the red half of north London a seat back at the top table of European football for the first time in five seasons.

Seldom has a north London derby taken on such significance, which is why, on this occasion, Conte has sought to shift Tottenham's rivalry with Arsenal, and everything that comes with it, to one side. With so much at stake, laser focus is required.

"These are important games for the table, first of all," Conte exclusively told Sky Sports. "It's a vital game for us because if we want to continue having an opportunity to play in the Champions League we need three points, we need to win. There is no other solution for us.

"I also know very well the importance of this game. It's a north London derby, I understand the rivalry between the two teams very well, but the first thing for us is that we have to try and win and get three points for the