08 March 2023 , 19:27
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Tottenham's Champions League clash with AC Milan has been delayed by 10 minutes.
The new kick-off time will now be 8:10pm, as confirmed by Spurs' official twitter account.
The decision is thought to have been made with the heavy traffic around Spurs' North London stadium in mind. There has been no official statement explaining the reasoning behind the move as things stand.
It marks the second time a London club has seen their Champions League knockout fixture delayed in two days, following Chelsea making the same decision ahead of their fixture with Borussia Dortmund at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night.
(Getty Images)Tottenham's squad were only able to come out from the dressing room to warm-up with just over 30 minutes until the new kick-off time, meaning their pre-match preparations are likely to have been rushed.
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From a football perspective, Tottenham's meeting with Milan is evenly poised with the Italian giants boasting a slender one goal advantage from the first leg back at the San Siro.
The hosts are operating at near-enough full-strength, with first-choice attacking trio Harry Kane, Dejan Kulusevski and Heung-Min Son all starting from the first whistle while Cristian Romero also lines up at the heart of Antonio Conte's defence.
Kick-off at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium has been delayed by 10 minutesHAVE YOUR SAY! Who will progress into the next round - Tottenham or AC Milan? Comment below
Speaking ahead of the tie while covering the game for BT Sport, Tottenham legend Glenn Hoddle claimed: "It is nicely balanced this game. Milan didn't look in control of that first game.
"The two chances at the end for them...It might have been game, set and match if they go in. But this is a really nicely balanced tie."
During his pre-match presser, Spurs boss Conte admitted progression into the next round would be vital for the club to have a competitive end to the season.
"You know very well that for me this season represents a success if we fight," the Italian explained. "If we fight to be competitive to win something - I think that this has to be our target.
"Tottenham as a club has to need to have this target every season to fight for something important. To fight to win. To win is not easy and I think we are in a country that is the most difficult country to win something.
"Every season I want to be competitive to win something. If this doesn't happen then it's not positive for me."