Seeking to overturn a one-goal deficit upon Antonio Conte’s return to the dugout, Tottenham Hotspur host AC Milan in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on Wednesday evening.

An early Brahim Diaz goal sealed a 1-0 win for the Rossoneri in the first leg three weeks ago, but both clubs enter the midweek reunion on the back of lowly domestic defeats.

Tottenham have their work cut out if they’re to progress in the UEFA Champions League (UCL) quarter-finals as they trail AC Milan 1-0 on aggregate heading into the second-leg. It was by the same scoreline that Spurs fell to defeat in Premier League action at the weekend too, going down against relegation battling Wolves and turning in a performance that left stand-in boss Cristian Stellini “angry”.

Key battle: Harry Kane, Tottenham’s go-to man on the big occasion, has scored six goals in his last six UCL games at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and his last four club goals have been the game’s last. Aiming to marshall Tottenham’s all-time leading scorer is former Chelsea man Fikayo Tomori, who has been carded in three of his five UCL appearances this term.

Hot stat: Tottenham have conceded the first goal in five of their seven UCL games this season.

Tottenham Hotspur Champions League form:

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Tottenham Hotspur form (all competitions):

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AC Milan Champions League form:

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AC Milan form (all competitions):

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Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:

Forster; Romero, Lenglet, Davies; Emerson, Hojbjerg, Skipp, Perisic; Kulusevski, Kane, Son

AC Milan possible starting lineup:

Maignan; Kalulu, Kjaer, Tomori; Saelemaekers, Krunic, Tonali, Hernandez; Diaz, Giroud, Leao

Home comforts will no doubt benefit Spurs’ chances of turning the tie on its head, but Conte is facing a thankless task to rally his profligate troops after a pair of demoralising domestic defeats.

Milan’s recent spate of underwhelming road performances could see the Scudetto-holders tread with caution too, but with a well-rested Leao returning to a near fully-fit squad, the Rossoneri can hold out for the draw which would seal their spot in the last eight, as Tottenham’s dreams of silverware crash and burn for another year.