2 months ago
63 Tottenham Hotspur’s bid to be successful on all fronts this season continues on Thursday in the Europa League – live on talkSPORT 2 AT 5:55pm.
A short hop across the water sees Spurs take on Belgian side Royal Antwerp and confidence will be high.
Tottenham got off to a winning start in Europe last week with new man Vinicius looking brightgettyA hard-fought 1-0 victory over Burnley on Monday night might have led to fitness concerns in previous campaigns but the depth in Jose Mourinho’s squad means he could potentially make 11 changes.
The team he named last Thursday in the Europa League against LASK, without most of his starting his superstars, were able to ease to a 3-0 win.
Tottenham fans will be hoping for a similar situation but you should never underestimate your opponents.
And this is especially the case when they have former Premier League stars in their ranks.
Dieumerci Mbokani played in the English top-flight for Norwich City and Hull, Ritchie De Laet played for Manchester United, Stoke City, Norwich, and Leicester City, while captain Haris Faroun previously spent two seasons in the Championship with Middlesbrough.
It certainly won’t be a walk in the park as Spurs centre-back Toby Alderweireld heads to his home city, and the likes of Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son will still be on the bench ready to come to the rescue.
Alderweireld will be returning to the place of his birthGetty Images - GettyTottenham team news
Gareth Bale didn’t make it off the bench against Burnley but will definitely start against Antwerp.
Spurs’ assistant coach Joao Sacramento said: “I can tell you that we will make some changes but like in every previous match, the changes don’t mean that the team is weak.
“We believe that with the squad that we have, even with rotation, the team will keep the level and the quality of play.
“Tomorrow, Gareth Bale will start. Gareth is improving a lot – in terms of fitness level, his condition is much, much better, he’s feeling better every day and with the interaction that we have with him, he’s feeling very positive and we believe that soon he will be at his top level again.”
Japhet Tanganga is the only player who is confirmed out due to injury, while Gedson Fernandes, Paulo Gazzaniga and Joe Rodon are ineligible for the Europa League group stage.
Serge Aurier and Steven Bergwijn are also in contention to play after small injuries.
Bale’s second Spurs debut did not go to plan against West Ham as they drew 3-3Getty ImagesPredicted Tottenham line-up against Royal Antwerp
You can listen to live commentary of Royal Antwerp v Tottenham live on talkSPORT 2 at 5:55pm
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