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Rob Guest

Antonio Conte can repeat Liverpool plan vs Man City if Tottenham medical request is granted

Antonio Conte has a rare full week on the training pitch with his Tottenham team ahead of Saturday's trip to Manchester City.

Tending to be in midweek action since the turn of the year with Premier League and Carabao Cup football on the agenda, Spurs are not playing this week due to their Europa Conference League exit.

It means that the Italian has a good amount of time with his players to get his ideas across for the game at the Etihad Stadium and the remaining months of the season.

So what exactly will be on his to-do list between now and Saturday? football.london takes a look.

Get Dier and Skipp back to fitness

Conte will be praying that he can field his strongest XI at the weekend when they take on the reigning champions.

City have been on some run since November having won 14 of their last 15 league fixtures and many are expecting them to add another victory to that incredible set of results.

The Lilywhites have had to do without Eric Dier and Oliver Skipp through injury since the return of football after last month's international break and it is incredibly noticeable when they don't feature.

In fact, Tottenham have only won once in the eight Premier League games when the midfielder hasn't started this season, with the team also not conceding a single goal in five games under Conte when the duo have started in the team alongside Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.

Eric Dier and Oliver Skipp were missed in Tottenham's defeats against Southampton and Wolves (IAN KINGTON/AFP via Getty Images)

Conte admitted in his pre-match press conference ahead of Southampton that he is pushing his medical team to get Skipp back to fitness sooner than expected, before confirming a few days later that he hopes to have Dier available for the Man City game after his recent thigh issue.

Given Tottenham's desperate need for a win to ensure they keep their top-four hopes alive, the head coach needs Dier and Skipp back in his team if there is to be a big improvement.

Prepare Man City plan

Pep Guardiola's team have only lost two of their 25 Premier League games so far this season, with one of those defeats coming on the opening day at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Spurs do love playing City at their new home having won all four of their games against them but is is a different story altogether at the Etihad.

The champions have just looked unstoppable at times over the past few months and Conte needs a plan in place to frustrate them as Spurs look to leave with points in the bag.

Playing extremely well against high-flying Liverpool back in December as they earned a 2-2 draw, the head coach and his staff could replicate a similar plan with a midfield three to try and help nullify their opponents.

With a full week on the training ground and perhaps not having much pressure on them at the weekend with a lot of people predicting another City win, Conte and his team could surprise many if he gets his blueprint spot on.

Make defence decision

Tottenham have looked incredibly shaky at the back in the past two games and duly lost both as a result.

Davinson Sanchez was far from his best against Southampton and Wolves and his place in the backline will be under threat as a result.

Plenty of fans have been left wondering why Joe Rodon cannot get a game given their defensive woes and the Welsh international may be considered by Conte for a starting spot against City depending on Dier's fitness.

However, if Dier is fit enough to return then he will come in and that will allow the boss to play his favoured back three of the 28-year-old, Cristian Romero and Ben Davies.

As bad as Tottenham have been in defence over the past week, the issues need eradicating in time for Saturday evening or the hosts will duly punish them.

Restore confidence

Results may not have been there for Tottenham in the past two games but they are still very much in the race for the top-four with their rivals dropping points.

What Spurs cannot afford to do, though, is suffer many more defeats as it could prove incredibly costly to their Champions League ambitions.

It's no surprise to see that confidence levels have dropped recently but it's now down to Conte and his coaching staff to raise them once again.

City may be next up but a good week on the training pitch can work wonders for players and see their confidence boosted as a result.

Tottenham need to be in confident mood over the coming weeks or else it could be a rather frustrating end to the campaign.

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