Tottenham Hotspur will host Qarabag FK at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday night, kicking off their European campaign.
Tottenham Hotspur are coming into the game against Qarabag FK on the back of wins over Coventry City and Brentford in their last two outings. Spurs have made a mediocre start to the season by their standards, and they will be expected to put together a winning run now.
The home side will certainly fancy their chances of winning the UEFA Europa League this season, and they need to win these games. They are undoubtedly the better team here, and the home fans will expect a strong performance from the players.
Meanwhile, Qarabag FK have picked up three wins from the last three matches, and they will look to make life difficult for the home team here. The visitors managed to bounce back from their losing streak with three consecutive victories, and they have the confidence and momentum with them. It remains to be seen whether they can pull off an upset here.
Team News & Tactics
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham will be without the services of Richarlison (unspecified) and Wilson Odobert (hamstring). Both players are ruled out with their injuries. The North London club are expected to rotate their squad here, especially with the game against Manchester United coming up.
Spurs are expected to shape up in a 4-3-3 formation, with Fraser Forster in goal. Archie Gray and Djed Spence are likely to be deployed as the full-backs, and they will look to contribute at both ends of the pitch. Radu Dragusin will start at the heart of the defence alongside Ben Davies.
As for the midfield unit, Rodrigo Bentancur will add defensive cover and drive to the side alongside Pape Matar Sarr, who will look to protect the back four and break down opposition attacks. Lucas Bergvall will start as well and he will add creativity to the side. Dominic Solanke will lead the line for Tottenham, with Brennan Johnson and Timo Werner on either side of him.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Forster; Gray, Dragusin, Davies, Spence; Sarr, Bentancur, Bergvall; Johnson, Solanke, Werner
Qarabag FK
Qarabag will be without the services of Kevin Medina, who was sent off against Dinamo Zagreb in the last round. Other than that, the visitors have a fully fit squad to choose from. Mateusz Kochalski will start in goal as the away side line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation.
Matheus Silva and Elvin Cafarguliyev will start as the full-backs. They will look to protect the central defenders and help out during transitions. Badavi Guseynov and Behlul Mustafazade will start as the central defenders here.
Julio Romao and Patrick Andrade will start in the midfield double pivot, and they will look to keep things compact defensively and break down opposition attacks. Yassine Benzia and Abdellah Zoubir will start on the flanks for the away side. Leandro Andrade should reprise the no. 10 role, with Juninho leading the line for Qarabag against Tottenham.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Kochalski; Matheus da Silva, Mustafazada, B Huseynov, Cafarquliyev; Romao, Patrick Andrade; Leandro Andrade, Benzia, Zoubir; Juninho
Key Stats
- Tottenham have won two of their last six matches in all competitions.
- Qarabag have picked up three wins from the last six matches in all competitions.
- Tottenham have conceded at least once in five of their last six matches.
- Qarabag have conceded at least once in five of their last six matches.
- Qarabag have lost all six of their previous meetings against English clubs.
Player to Watch
Dominic Solanke
The Tottenham striker is our key player to watch out for. Solanke has had a mixed start to life at his new club, and he will look to go on a goalscoring spree. The Englishman scored against Brentford in the last outing, and he will look to make his mark in Europe as well. He could cause all sorts of problems for the way defence with his physicality, movement, and link-up play.
Prediction
Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 Qarabag FK
Tottenham are better team here and they should be able to grind out a victory. The gulf in class between the two sides should see the home team get the job done. They are on a winning run after two impressive performances against Coventry and Brentford.
Ange Postecoglou will demand a similar performance from his players here, and they should be able to pick up a comfortable victory at home. The visitors will look to make life difficult for the home team, but they are likely to come up short.