Eriksen reunion a sideshow in top-4 push

LONDON • Tottenham boss Antonio Conte will be "very happy" to see Brentford's Christian Eriksen this weekend after the Denmark midfielder's brush with death.

The Italian manager signed him from Tottenham when he was in charge at Inter Milan in 2020 and the playmaker was a key figure in last season's Serie A title triumph.

Eriksen is now at Brentford, having made an incredible comeback since suffering a cardiac arrest while playing for his country during Euro 2020 last year.

The 30-year-old comes up against his former club for the first time today as Brentford host Tottenham in the Premier League and the reunion will be special for both the player and those who know him.

"I'm very happy to see him play football again. In June, it was terrible, those images were terrible for everybody. We suffered a lot for him and his family," Conte said ahead of today's trip across London.

"To see him for a game will be a pleasure for me. It's incredible because of what happened not long ago. To see him playing again makes me very happy because I know football is life.

"To have this opportunity is great for him and his family because now they come back to have a normal life."

There will be no time for sentiment once the game gets under way, however, with Tottenham desperately needing a win to boost their bid for a top-four finish.

Arsenal's 4-2 victory at Chelsea on Wednesday moved them level on 57 points with fourth-placed Spurs, who are ahead of their north London rivals on goal difference. Manchester United, on 54 points having played a game more, and even West Ham (52), could also join the fray.

With six games left, the race to qualify for the Champions League is set to go down to the wire.

"We have to stay in this race until the end," said Conte. "We know very well the difficulty to compete with other teams. I don't think (third-placed) Chelsea is in this race. Now we have to fight until the end. The last second of the last game, we will see which will be our place in the table."

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

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