09:22 PM
52 min – Spurs 0 Milan 0 (Agg 0-1)
Right, time for a Spurs change. Perisic is off and he will make way for Pedro Porro.
09:21 PM
51 min – Spurs 0 Milan 0 (Agg 0-1)
Diaz has a couple of goes from inside the box and in the end it needs a find save from Fraser Forster at the end to keep it at 1-0 overall in the tie.
09:18 PM
49 min – Spurs 0 Milan 0 (Agg 0-1)
A bit of life from Spurs with Kulusevski sending in a dangerous ball from the right, in to a few white shirts in the AC Milan six-yard box. Milan clear the danger. The Spurs fans are a bit more vocal at the start of this half than they were for the majority of the first.
09:17 PM
47 min – Spurs 0 Milan 0 (Agg 0-1)
Spurs have got to find something more. It has been so flat. A couple of half-chances but nothing more. Romero looks to have fouled Diaz… he stuck out a left hand and it ended up, intentionally or otherwise, in Diaz’s face. No booking, but a Milan free-kick.
09:15 PM
KICK OFF: SECOND HALF
Lenglet is on the floor after a coming together with Giroud. Maybe takes one on the head. Lenglet was booked for a similar foul on Giroud, but the Frenchman escapes sanction here.
08:59 PM
HALF TIME: Spurs 0 Milan 0 (Agg 0-1)
A few boos, presumably from the Spurs fans. A pretty poor first half overall.
08:58 PM
45+1 min – Spurs 0 Milan 0 (Agg 0-1)
Perisic with a threatening ball in towards a lurking Kane on the right corner of the six yard box but Maignan jumps to claim with both hands above his head.
At the other end shortly after, Emerson Royal’s defensive header averts a cross from heading towards the king of headers, Giroud.
08:57 PM
45 min – Spurs 0 Milan 0 (Agg 0-1)
You’d be disappointed with these performances in a pre-season friendly…
Two minutes of added time.
Spurs have been slightly the better but they need to chase the game. Need more energy, determination, quality… something.
08:54 PM
43 min – Spurs 0 Milan 0 (Agg 0-1)
Son beats Kululu in the midfield and bursts through, finding Emerson on the right. The stadium gets excited but Milan quickly regroup. Perisic gets his head on a Kulusevski cross from the right but it’s a weak header and Maignan comfortably claims it.
08:53 PM
41 min – Spurs 0 Milan 0 (Agg 0-1)
Can’t disagree with my colleague Daniel Zeqiri here.
It’s all very flat… in every area.
08:51 PM
39 min – Spurs 0 Milan 0 (Agg 0-1)
Spurs now the better side. More of the ball, a bit more space in the middle of the park and finding a few openings. Milan with a keen interest in defending and getting 11 men behind the ball, currently, in their own half. Kulusevski fouls Giroud with a late one. A little theatrical going down but it was definitely a foul.
08:48 PM
36 min – Spurs 0 Milan 0 (Agg 0-1)
Hojbjerg sends one in from deep and it finds absolutely nobody. Going to say it now: this is a pretty poor game that is being kept interesting by its context and tension. To be fair, that is what an awful lot of football is made up of. They can’t all be classics.
Plenty of time for this one to spark into life and Kane nearly does that in one move. Royal finds his captain at the right corner of the box but his shot (or pass?) is deflected to the near post and Maignan saves it with his left boot and it’s a Spurs corner.
08:45 PM
33 min – Spurs 0 Milan 0 (Agg 0-1)
Tonali sends in a ball from deep, Giroud is waiting in the penalty box, chests it and attempts “the spectacular” as it is colloquially known, but has an air shot. The Spurs fans all cheer… a collective Nelson Muntz impression of sorts.
08:42 PM
30 min – Spurs 0 Milan 0 (Agg 0-1)
Kulusevski drives through, heading to the AC Milan penalty area and then goes down. He wants a free-kick, the Spurs fans want a free-kick but the referee does not give a free-kick.
At the other end shortly after, Messias has a wiiiild shot and Spurs get a goal kick.
08:40 PM
28 min – Spurs 0 Milan 0 (Agg 0-1)
Not looking good for a certain E Royal, who spends a minute or two on the floor and then gets up to received treatment on the sidelines.
08:39 PM
Telegraph Sport’s Thom Gibbs from the THS
Thoroughly enjoyed that Milan free-kick routine, which played out like a basketball move. Their manager Stefano Pioli is a big fan of the sport, a bit more composure from Junior Messias and it would have been a lovely field goal for the Italians.
Have some questions about their manager’s bright white trainers though. Mainly why would you risk them on a grey and rainy night in London? The laces will never recover! Some of the double-hard Milan fans aren’t worried about the inclement weather, taps aff in the away end.
08:37 PM
25 min – Spurs 0 Milan 0 (Agg 0-1)
First 25 minutes gone, who is the better side? Barely a cigarette paper between them. Probably just about Spurs?
08:36 PM
23 min – Spurs 0 Milan 0 (Agg 0-1)
Conte was also booked in that exchange for protesting… something.
Son a shot from distance and it’s deflected behind for a corner. The ball finds its way back to Son, whose curling cross from deep on the left wing sails well over Kane’s head at the far post and straight out for a goal kick.
A bit of a lack of quality in the final third for both teams.
08:33 PM
21 min – Spurs 0 Milan 0 (Agg 0-1)
It’s a second Spurs booking. Lenglet fouls Giroud and the Spurs man will miss the next European match he is eligible for. Leads with his arm and his elbow catches Giroud’s head. A fair decision.
08:31 PM
18 min – Spurs 0 Milan 0 (Agg 0-1)
It’s almost a well-worked free-kick routine but it looks a bit messy, the eventually ball comes in to Messia from Tonali after some faffing around. Tonali is free on the right corner of the box and right-footed shot is hit hard across the face of the goal but was never really heading goalwards… best chance of the game, though.
08:29 PM
16 min – Spurs 0 Milan 0 (Agg 0-1)
Romero fouls Leao about 28 yards out and he receives a booking for it. He will miss the next match if Spurs progress… he was too slow there. A dangerous free kick for Milan.
08:26 PM
14 min – Spurs 0 Milan 0 (Agg 0-1)
Diaz finds a running Hernandez, who picks up the ball just outside of the box. His shot is deflected safely to Forster but Giroud is waiting in the centre and no doubt thought he would have been the better option. He may have been right, but I think any forward who thinks anything of themselves is going to shoot from there.
08:24 PM
12 min – Spurs 0 Milan 0 (Agg 0-1)
Emerson Royal has a shot from the edge of the box but it isn’t particularly well struck and is deflected well before it can trouble the Milan keeper.
Spurs looking a but sharper now as Kulusevski tries to find Kane from the right wing, but his cross is just overhit and goes out for a goal kick.
08:22 PM
10 min – Spurs 0 Milan 0 (Agg 0-1)
A fairly circumspect opening from both teams as they look to find their way in this finely balanced tie.
08:19 PM
7 min – Spurs 0 Milan 0 (Agg 0-1)
This is better from Spurs, much more of the ball and starting to, well, if not exactly look threatening, at least threatening to look threatening.
08:18 PM
5 min – Spurs 0 Milan 0 (Agg 0-1)
Perisic puts in a good ball through but Kalulu puts one on him a bit late. Kulusevski couldn’t quite get to the ball, though, which is why the ref went back to the original foul.
08:15 PM
3 min – Spurs 0 Milan 0
The free-kick is wasted, sent well out wide on the right and Spurs clear the danger.
08:14 PM
2 min – Spurs 0 Milan 0
Milan knocking the ball around in their half in the early exchanges. They then win a free-kick about 40 yards out as Skipp fouls Hernández.
08:12 PM
KICK OFF: Spurs, in all white, get the game under way
They launch the ball long but then it’s out for a Milan throw-in.
08:10 PM
A pretty lively atmosphere at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
How long will that last? It does look a lovely stadium.
08:06 PM
Nearly ready for kick off
Spurs are in the tunnel… but Milan are not yet. Wait, here they are. Hopefully it gets going on time…
On BT Sport, Peter Crouch sounds doubtful as to whether Spurs can do this.
08:02 PM
Can Giroud get on the scoresheet tonight?
Yeah, I reckon so. Why not. A former Arsenal player.
07:57 PM
The warm-ups are under way
Can’t criticise the snoods on the Milan players too much on a day like today…
07:51 PM
Antonio Conte speaks to BT Sport
“We are here to play, we are here to play a game with the right intensity, to be brave and to try to play a good game. This is a must-win game.. this type of game you live or you die. For this reason we know the importance of the game and we try to do our best. We will try to do everything to get the winner.”
07:43 PM
How are Milan doing this season?
Well, not that well domestically. They are currently fifth with 47 points after 25 games… but Napoli are currently the runaway leaders on 65 points, 15 ahead of anyone else. So, it’s a tight battle for second…
07:35 PM
The AC Milan defender shaped by Paolo Maldini with a plan to stop Tottenham in Champions League
Pierre Kalulu on Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s tough love, Spurs’ front three and why France produces so many central defenders.
Read the full, exclusive interview with Jason Burt here.
07:23 PM
KICK OFF DELAYED
Kick-off has been delayed by 10 minutes. This, we believe, is due to the late arrival of both teams. So it’s an 8.10pm start time.
07:10 PM
Antonio Conte: I didn’t realise how bad gallbladder surgery was
Antonio Conte admitted he underestimated the physical impact of his gallbladder surgery and “over evaluated” his own body as he prepares to make a much-needed return to the touchline against AC Milan on Wednesday.
Read more from Sam Dean on the Spurs’ manager’s health issues here.
07:01 PM
The teams are in…
Spurs
Starting XI: Forster, Romero, Lenglet, Davies, Royal, Hojbjerg, Skipp, Perisic, Kulusevski, Kane, Son
Substitutes: Austin, Whiteman, Tangana, Sanchez, Pedro Porro, Sarr, Devine, Danjuma, Lucas, Richarlison
AC Milan
Starting XI: Maignan, Kalulu, Thiaw, Tomori, Messias, Krunic, Tonali, Hernandez, Diaz, Leao, Giroud
Substitutes: Calabria, Bennacer, Ball-Toure, Rebic, Kjaer, Florenzi, Origi, Pobega, Gabbia, Saelemaekers, Mirante, De Ketalaere
06:53 PM
Like much of the country, it is pretty damp in North London
03:46 PM
Son hopes Spurs win can get season back on track as Conte returns
Tottenham attacker Son Heung-min believes victory over AC Milan can be the catalyst for the club to get their faltering season back on track.
Spurs are set for another campaign without silverware after they were knocked out of the FA Cup by Championship side Sheffield United last week.
While Tottenham have had to deal with the absence of boss Antonio Conte for five matches over the past month following his gallbladder surgery, their inconsistency dates back to when the Italian was in good health, with Spurs winning seven times and losing the same number from their last 14 fixtures.
Defeat on Wednesday would mean only Champions League qualification is left on the table for a side that back in September had lofty ambitions.
Son said: “[This] could be our most important game of the season because it’s the Champions League knock-out stage.
“We are looking for it [progress], obviously. Everyone dreams of playing in the Champions League. Words are not enough. We have to prepare well today.
“I think this game, if we turn it around, I think it could be a changing of the season and give us a little bit more confidence and a boost.
“We don’t want the fans to be disappointed. I think it was painful last week to get out of the FA Cup obviously.
“To be a good season, obviously we have to do our best things in what we still have at the moment. We are still in the Champions League and we are fighting for top four.
“I think we can have a good season with the goals that we set up for the team and only going for that way, so otherwise it is going to be really, really poor and very sad.”
Tottenham will have Conte present for the first time since the 1-0 loss in Milan on February 14 and Son, who has scored in only five of his 34 appearances this term, believes it will lift the group.
“I am glad to have him sitting next to me,” Son added with a smile.
“He is back and bringing good energy for the team. When he was not here the staff did a good job but obviously when the boss is not here it is different.
“Yesterday we could feel the energy and his passion again. With him on the touchline, the players will be more comfortable and he will give us an amazing boost and an amazing energy.”
AC Milan manager Stefano Pioli believes Conte’s return will boost Spurs but warned his team would not sit back in their efforts to reach the last eight.
“Well, yes a coach being in the dugout is always important,” Pioli said.
“Conte, there is no doubt will represent some added value by being present, but in any case we are playing against a tough opponent, who will be well prepared and very motivated.
“We expect Spurs to put our ball carriers under more pressure compared to what they did in Milan.
“I think they will be tough, strong and Tottenham if you look at their data, particularly in the second half, are a top, top team so we need to be really careful playing them.
“We do prepare our game from a tactical point of view, a strategic point of view but certain episodes determine the outcome of a game.
“We have a slender lead but we can’t just sit back and manage the game. We need to try to score through our game.”