Tottenham fans ‘banned from central Marseille’ as fears raised

Tottenham supporters in Marseille for this evening’s Champions League group stage match will not be granted access to the city centre in order to prevent fan clashes in the streets, according to reports. There is still everything to play for ahead of Tottenham’s final group game, with just two points separating the north Londoners and Marseille at opposing ends of Group D.Around 2,000 away fans are expected in Marseille to witness tonight’s match, although local police have opted to deny them access to the city centre on Tuesday, according to French outlet L’Equipe. It is said that a new decree strictly prohibits ‘any person claiming to be a Tottenham supporter or behaving as such’ from the first, second, sixth and seventh subdivisions of Marseille.The ban was reportedly imposed from as early as Monday afternoon in an attempt to avoid clashes between both sets of fans, with Marseille having already been punished for crowd trouble over the last few months. They were ordered to face Sporting behind closed doors after unruly fan behaviour marred their game against Eintracht Frankfurt back in September, while tonight’s match will be played with one stand, the Virage Nord, closed upon the request of UEFA.Tottenham supporters are expected to be escorted to the Stade Velodrome on coaches and buses under the supervision of local police in order to steer clear of any potential disorder that may arise prior to kick-off. Away fans are also advised to stay away from the vicinity of the stadium on Tuesday afternoon and later in the night after the end of the match.JUST IN: Newcastle have decided their next signing as January priority emerges Tottenham fans will reportedly be prevented from entering certain areas of Marseille (Image: GETTY)Meanwhile, it remains to be seen whether Tottenham will be able to book their place in the knockout stages of the Champions League by getting a result against Marseille and hoping that Group D’s other match between Frankfurt and Sporting also goes in their favour. They will qualify as group winners by claiming all three points in France this evening and would then be set to face one of the second-placed teams from another group in the round of 16.A draw will see Tottenham finish top of Group D if Frankfurt and Sporting also cannot be separated, but they will be bumped down to second place if there is a winner in the other game. A loss, however, will see Tottenham praying for a draw in Portugal to stand any chance of staying in the competition and avoiding the knockout stages of the Europa League.DON’T MISSJuventus have ‘true stance’ on Spurs boss Conte as private chat leakedWhat Arsenal medics ‘believe’ about Bukayo Saka injuryCristiano Ronaldo loses Man Utd dressing room title after record beat The north Londoners are yet to qualify for the Champions League knockout stages (Image: EXPRESS)Tottenham will be without Antonio Conte on the touchline for this evening’s crucial meeting with Marseille after the Italian coach was sent off following last week’s draw against Sporting in north London. He reacted angrily when Harry Kane’s late goal was chalked off after a VAR intervention and will be banned from making direct contact with his players over the course of tonight’s fixture.It will undoubtedly be a difficult task for Spurs to walk away with all three points in Marseille, who will be vociferously backed by their vocal home supporters in a typically hostile atmosphere at the Stade Velodrome. They will be desperately hoping to avoid dropping out of the Champions League in order to keep their European dreams alive, though, with every other English club involved having already qualified for the knockout stages of the competition.Want the latest Premier League news as we publish it on Express Sport? Join our Facebook group by clicking here.