Tottenham boss Antonio Conte expects a major test tonight against FA Cup opponents Middlesbrough.
Currently just outside the play-off places in eighth in the Championship, Middlesbrough have lost just four of his 18 matches in all competitions since Chris Wilder took over from Neil Warnock in November, two of which have come in the last three matches.
“You know very well that in England, every game is difficult, especially in this competition when you play away against Middlesbrough, who are having a good season in the Championship,” said Conte.
“Middlesbrough are a good team. When you are able to win against Manchester United – not to forget, Middlesbrough eliminated United from this competition, and they are one of the best teams in this league – it means they have important value. For this reason, it will be very important not to underestimate our opponent and the difficulty of this game.”
Asked if the display at Leeds had reinstalled confidence, Conte told the club’s website: “Our performance (at Leeds) was good, but don’t forget against City it was the same, and before the game against Burnley, we arrived with great confidence and you know very well what happened.
“We have to learn about this type of situation. Yes, we have to be confident because we’re in a good moment of form, but at the same time we have to fight to go through to the next round.
“We have to prepare seriously for this game, because we want to go through. The mentality has to be the same every time. The players have to know that every game has to be a fight, and we have to pay great attention, focus, and not under evaluate the opponent.
“We have to fight a lot in every game to win. For sure, we have to show great desire, great will to win our duels, win second balls and play attractive football but, at the same time, play with great character, great personality, great passion.”
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