Tottenham Hotspur welcome Azerbaijani outfit Qarabag, who have made a 4,000km voyage to north London for their Europa League curtain-raiser.
All eyes will be on Ange Postecoglou’s side as they look to make a statement after a miserable start to the season.
Spurs wanted to banish the memories of their late-season capitulation that saw Aston Villa pip them to the final UEFA Champions League spot but started the new campaign with an underwhelming draw against Leicester City.
A 4-0 win over the hapless Everton didn’t do much to paper the cracks and assuage the fans, as they lost 2-1 to Newcastle United a week later.
Another defeat followed, and this one was even more painful. Spurs had conceded defeat to their north London rivals Arsenal, putting in a hapless display.
The Gunners have now won three consecutive matches at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium, something that hadn’t happened before.
Tottenham huffed and puffed but were ultimately toothless up top, and Arsenal, set-piece experts, took advantage of Spurs’ set-piece woes.
Bukayo Saka put in an in-swinger, and Cristian Romero was easily shoved aside by Gabriel Magalhaes, who planted a bullet header beyond Guglielmo Vicario in between the sticks.
Tottenham got the perfect chance to rebound from the loss but left it late against Coventry City to win 2-1 and advance beyond the Third Round of the EFL Cup via goals from forgotten man Djed Spence and much-maligned Brennan Johnson.
With every disappointing display, the noose tightens around Postecoglou’s neck, and the Australian’s recent comments defiantly claiming that he has always won trophies in his second season have not done him any good.
Postecoglou knows they must make the perfect European start to quell the fan outrage brewing and fans keen to see what Spurs have in store have already started buying their tickets from Seatsnet.com.
They face the Azerbaijani Premier League champions, who sit second on the domestic league table with four wins and a loss in their first five league games.
Qarabag find themselves in the Europa League after losing their Champions League play-off clash with Dinamo Zagreb.
The Horsemen dominated the contest possession-wise, creating a reasonable amount of clear-cut chances, but could not breach Dinamo goalkeeper Ivan Nevistic.
Dinamo took advantage of Qarabag’s profligacy and bagged three goals in the first leg before going to Azerbaijan to finish them with a 2-0 win (5-0 on aggregate).
Qarabag need to bounce back from such a demoralising defeat, but it won’t be a cakewalk travelling to face Tottenham.
Key Stats
Spurs come into the tie with only two wins in all competitions this season (D1, L2) and are up against a side boosted by two consecutive league wins. However, the Premier League side remains the overwhelming favourite to emerge victorious.
Tottenham won their previous two encounters with Qarabag in Group J of the Europa League in 2015.
In the first leg in London, Qarabag quickly took the lead, but a brace from Son Heung-Min and a late Erik Lamela strike helped Spurs claim the victory.
Their most recent meeting also ended in a Spurs win, with Harry Kane bagging a 78th winner created by Son.
The two-time UEFA Cup winners will be eager to make it a treble of victories over their Azerbaijani counterparts.
Unlocking Spurs’ Central Creativity
Spurs have been vibrant in attack but continue to struggle to break down their opponents due to the lack of creativity in the centre.
They barely made an inroad into the Arsenal box last weekend and didn’t register any shot in the first 45 minutes of their clash with Coventry City.
Playmaker James Maddison has not started this season in his usual blistering hot form, and they have missed his ability to unlock the most watertight backlines.
The England international was already racing clear on the assist chart at this point last season, but he has had a more subdued influence this term.
Tottenham need Maddison at his best, unpicking defences for their rapid attackers to pounce. He is the key to unlocking £65 million man Dominic Solanke, who is struggling to find his feet.
The Chelsea Cobham academy graduate joined Spurs from Bournemouth this summer in a big money deal but has yet to open his account for his new club.
Apart from one clear-cut chance he missed during the Leicester City game, Solanke has been starved up top, left isolated on that lonely island where strikers scrap for their opportunities.
Postecoglou needs to finetune his attack to start firing on all cylinders soon as they look to make a deep run into the Europa League.
Team news & potential line-ups
Spurs will be without centre-back Romero due to a red card he picked up in the Champions League against AC Milan 18 months ago. He had picked up two yellow cards and eventually a red card in the second leg of the round of 16 tie.
Romero is a massive miss for Spurs as they embark on their Europa League campaign. He is an influential presence and arguably the best pound-for-pound defender at the club.
Radu Dragusin will fill the void as he did against Newcastle United and Coventry City in the EFL Cup.
The Romanian centre-half had given an excellent account of himself in both games and is expected to bring that fantastic form to Europe.
Midfielder Yves Bissouma is still recovering from an ankle injury picked up while on international duty with Mali and will miss the match. Also, Richarlison remains on the treatment table and could be there for a while, as Postecoglou hinted.
Young attacker Wilson Odobert picked up a knock during the win over Coventry just 17 minutes into the game. Timo Werner also suffered an injury during the clash, and Postecoglou will be sweating on their fitness.
Tottenham potential starting line-up:
(4-2-3-1): Guglielmo Vicario; Pedro Porro, Radu Dragusin, Micky Van de Ven, Destiny Udogie; Rodrigo Bentancur, Pape Matar Sarr; Son Heung-min, James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski; Dominic Solanke.
Qarabag potential starting line-up:
(4-2-3-1): Fabijan Buntic; Matheus Silva, Behlul Mustafazade, Kevin Medina, Elvin Cafarguliyev; Julio Romao, Leandro Andrade; Toral Bayramov, Yassine Benzia, Abdellah Zoubir; Juninho.
Prediction
Tottenham have the upper hand in this clash. Despite their recent struggles, the Premier League outfit has the quality and experience to overcome their Azerbaijani opponents.
While Qarabag have been impressive domestically, they face a significant challenge against a Tottenham side capable of producing moments of brilliance. The Horsemen will need to be at their best to stand a chance.
Son, Maddison, Solanke, and Kulusevski should prove too much for Qarabag’s defence. Overall, Tottenham are expected to secure a comfortable victory in their Europa League opener.
Prediction: Tottenham win 3-1
