Cristian Stellini believes Tottenham Hotspur must be 'perfect' to win against a team like Manchester City on Sunday. 

The Lilywhites only played the Premier League champions a few weeks ago at the Etihad Stadium. The North London side lost 4-2, despite being 2-0 up at half-time. Stellini believes they have analysed the holders 'deeply', and will have to be at their best to beat them. 

The assistant manager took Antonio Conte's usual place for the press conference, with the former Chelsea manager recovering from surgery earlier in the week.

He provided an update on the manager, but it remained unclear if Conte would be at the match on Sunday. 

  • On Team News

Spurs look set to have every player available for their crucial clash against Pep Guardiola's men on Sunday. 

The Lilywhites were unable to use Richarlison or Lucas Moura in the FA Cup last week, but Stellini believes both will be available to be selected.

He said: "Like we said after the Preston game, Richarlison had a small problem, and now he is available. He's been training this week."

"No injuries to any new players. We've also recovered Lucas and we are happy, because he's been training this week. He played 45 minutes with the under 21's, and he's back."

Stellini was asked about a potential debut for Pedro Porro, and the Italian believes the Spaniard could feature at the weekend.

He said: "He could. He's young, but he has great experience. He's played in a similar system that we play. He's a player that is available and we could use him in two days. We have another session, and he can improve. He's a great player technically. We were impressed by his performance against us [in the Champions League]." 

  • On Conte's health

It came as a shock to everyone when it was announced on Wednesday that Conte would need to surgery to remove his gallbladder. It's thrown Stellini into the deep end at Hotspur way, and it is still unclear about when Conte will return.

The assistant provided an update on his health, and how they have they worked around the challenging situation.

Stellini stated: "We don't know yet when Antonio is coming back. Everything is possible. The surgery was good; he is recovering well. At the moment he is at home, so we have two days for the game and everything can happen."

"After the surgery, it is normal you don't have the energy to speak about [the game]. But immediately when he recovered well from the surgery, he called me back and he started to talk about training and the next game."

"We are complaining about the situation and we are upset. When we realised the situation, it was Antonio who called me and explained the situation. Last week he had a problem that we thought was illness, not a problem like this. When he discovered this, it was a surprise and he was so sad about this, but we have to keep going and work."

"We had the time to speak to Antonio before the surgery about how we prepare and the way to prepare for the next game. Then we have lost him for twelve hours [the time for him to have the surgery]. The surgery was not difficult and it is important he recovers well. This is the most important thing."

"I think no one here can keep Antonio calm. So he knows obviously to have surgery and a surprise like he had on Sunday, it's not easy. He’s an intelligent man so he knows very well what happened to him. It’s not the worst surgery you can have, but it’s surgery, so you have to be careful and Antonio has to be."

When asked about Conte's potential involvement at the match on Sunday, Stellini was unsure about where Conte would be.

He said: "We don't know yet, the decision will be made tomorrow. Antonio and probably the doctors that did the surgery for him have to decide. But we have 48 hours, we have two days to decide. We have time."

It's very rare for two teams to face each other in quick succession. Due to Queen Elizabeth II's death in September, Spurs' visit to Manchester was postponed as a mark of respect. The rearranged fixture in January saw Guardiola's men complete a remarkable comeback to win 4-2.

Stellini believes his side have learnt from that match, but Guardiola's team will have as well.

He stated: "It is an advantage for both teams, not just us. They are a big team, a big beast for everyone. We must do our best to challenge them and to win the game."

"You have to be perfect to want a possibility win this type of game against this type of team. You have to be perfect in their box, and in our box. In this position of the pitch, you decide the game. We have to be perfect in both."

"We analyse every team deeply. So if you take a look only at the results, you have an answer. But if you go deeply, you can feel that every time they are a big beast."

"Maybe the results are not what you expect, but they are Manchester City. It is no different from the past. When a big beast has a problem, you have to be more aware because they react. We know it'll be difficult, but we feel we can do it."

  • On a challenging new experience

Stellini has only ever taken charge of one match whilst in N17. He managed Spurs away to Marseille in November due to Conte's suspension, but he still believes it is a new experience for him.

However, Stellini understands the importance of significant matches and believes a season can change with just one win.

The Italian said: "This is not a normal situation, I've never lived a situation like this. At Inter Milan, we had games which changed the season. There is normal games and then there is games which change the season."

"At Inter Milan, I remember we had a possibility to progress in the Champions League against Barcelona. We did not reach the target, but we had another very important game against Juventus."

"We won this game [2-0], and everything changed. But we fight every time to reach that target. A big game can create this. We had examples last season, and there was a moment we changed. We realised we can now reach the target, and this could be a moment. We do our best to reach this target and to try and change the season."

Spurs face Manchester City at 4:30 PM on Sunday at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The hosts know they need a result to improve their hopes of a top four finish, whilst the visitors need a win to keep pressure on Arsenal at the top of the table.