Tottenham Hotspur are in deep, deep trouble, in the Premier League, but at least they’re looking pretty good in the UEFA Europa League. IF Elfsborg come to town on Thursday, and this match provides a good chance for a win for the very much under-fire Ange Postecoglu.
And at this point, Tottenham will take any win they can get, in any way shape or form.
UEFA Europa League Matchday 8 of 8
Tottenham Hotspur vs IF Elfsborg
Kickoff: Thurs. Jan. 30, 8pm, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, UK
Tottenham Preview Material: Team News Starting XI Prediction
UCL Standings, Form: Tottenham Hotspur 6th, 14 pts, WLDDW IF Elfsborg 20th, 10 pts, LDLWW
Postecoglu will no doubt be given the chance to manage the team in the EFL Cup semifinals, regardless of what happens to the side in other competitions.
Spurs are up on the mighty mighty Liverpool FC in that one, 1-0 after the first leg, so with a realistic chance at a trophy, which doesn’t happen at THFC very often, it’s doubtful they’ll make a change before the second leg.
Spurs are currently slotted to go through to the next round of the UEL, without a playoff. But they’ll need a result here in order to stay in that position. Meanwhile IF Elfsborg are in the UEL playoff qualification slots, but they’ll need a result here in order to stay there.
So this should be a fiercely contested battle, as there is a lot on the line.
Tottenham Hotspur Starting XI Prediction vs IF Elfsborg
Antonin Kinsky, Pedro Porro, Radu Drăgușin, Archie Gray; Will Lankshear; Rodrigo Bentancur, Lucas Bergvall, Pape Matar Sarr; Mikey Moore, Dejan Kulusevski; Heung-Min Son
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.