Antonio Conte: Tottenham boss says top-four Premier League finish would be a 'miracle'

Tottenham boss Antonio Conte says securing the "important target" of a top-four finish in this season's Premier League would be a "miracle".

Spurs find themselves in a race with fierce rivals Arsenal and Manchester United for a Champions League place heading into the final two months of the campaign.

Tottenham can move into the top four if they beat Newcastle at home by two goals on Sunday, live on Sky Sports, as they would climb above Arsenal on goal difference ahead of their game at Crystal Palace on Monday night, also live on Sky Sports.

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Conte has not always appeared at ease during his first five months in north London, and qualifying for Europe's top competition appears to be a significant target for keeping him happy.

"If you ask me about the past, about our possibility to reach a place in the Champions League, I could say to do it'd be very, very, very difficult," the Italian said.

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"Now after five months I'm seeing great improvement of my team and we have to fight until the end.

"We have the possibility to reach this target and it's important to have this type of ambition and put pressure on ourselves for this target.

"To play Champions League next season is important for me, the club, the players, the fans. Everybody.

"Because to play Champions League is totally different to Europa League or Europa Conference League or not playing in UEFA competition.

"It's an important target for many reasons, for the club, because for sure you can play important things."

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Spurs remain in the race despite a run of four defeats in five league games in January and February - a bad spell that increased the size of a task Conte already sees as huge given the strength of England's leading clubs.

He said: "Before it's right to underline that this target is very, very difficult. We are not the only team that wants to try to do this miracle," he added.

"There's also Arsenal, that in this moment has an advantage, and then there is United. United is the team that in this season are struggling a lot.

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"Last season was Liverpool. Otherwise in England, I continue to repeat, you play for other targets. Because there are a top four, who at this moment are stronger clubs than the others, for many reasons. Chelsea, Liverpool, City and United. Last season Liverpool struggled to reach a Champions League place.

"Then Liverpool have taken this place. And this season it depends on United. At the moment we are among the teams that have to try to stay very close and exploit if someone fails this season."

Injured duo Oliver Skipp and Ryan Sessegnon will be back in training next week while Ben Davies is fit after cutting his time with Wales short during the international break.

Tottenham LGBTQ+ supporter group plan protest against Newcastle's Saudi owners

Tottenham's LGBTQ+ supporters' group has organised a protest against Newcastle's Saudi Arabian owners for Sunday's match.

The LGBTQ+ community faces severe repression in Saudi Arabia, where same-sex relations are illegal, while the country was heavily criticised last month for executing 81 men in one day.

Lilywhite Spurs will display a banner on Tottenham High Road ahead of Sunday's match and release 81 balloons, one for each of the executed prisoners.

A Lilywhite Spurs statement said: "In advance of Spurs v Newcastle on Sunday 3 April, members of Proud Lilywhites and THST will be on Tottenham High Road to highlight the Saudi state's ownership of Newcastle United.
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"Football Clubs are important cultural and heritage assets and their use as shields for regimes that murder their citizens, jail their LGBTQ+ community and cause atrocities (as in Yemen) is something we want to keep a focus on, so this is never allowed to happen again."

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