Tottenham manager Antonio Conte tests positive for COVID-19

Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur are enjoying a solid run of form in the early days of spring but received some bad news ahead of Saturday's home game versus Brighton & Hove Albion. 

As Charlie Eccleshare and Jacob Whitehead wrote for The Athletic, Tottenham boss Antonio Conte tested positive for COVID-19 after he reportedly experienced mild symptoms of the virus following this past Saturday's 4-0 victory over Aston Villa. Conte has since been distancing from players and staff members, but he is now asymptomatic and, thus, has been cleared to observe training sessions from a distance.

Per Simon Collings of the Evening Standard, Conte will hold his pre-match press conference on Thursday virtually. As long as he stays free of symptoms, he should be good to go to work Saturday's contest versus Brighton in-person. 

Tottenham defeated Brighton 3-1 in February's FA Cup fixture and then notched a 2-0 win over those same opponents in last month's league match. Heading into the weekend, Tottenham are fourth in the Premier League table and three points clear of rivals Arsenal in the race for the Champions League places, but the Gunners do possess a game in hand. 

The Athletic adds that assistants Cristian Stellini and Ryan Mason are running physical training sessions in Conte's absence, while Gianluca, Conte's brother, is handling video analysis this week. 

Tottenham will look to earn their fifth consecutive win ahead of the Easter holiday, ideally with Conte in attendance.