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Match Threads Lokomotiv Plovdiv vs Spurs - Match Thread - Europa League

Match Prediction

  • Spurs to Win (Including penalties after a draw) and move on to the next round

    Votes: 123 79.4%
  • Spurs to Lose (Including penalties after a draw) and drop out of Europe

    Votes: 32 20.6%

  • Total voters
    155

Bulletspur

The Reasonable Advocate
Match Thread Admin
Oct 17, 2006
10,690
25,246
LOKOMOTIV PLOVDIV 1-2 SPURS
Minchev KANE, NDOMBELE
Spurs: Lloris (C), Doherty, Dier, Sanchez (Moura), Davies, Hojbjerg, Sissoko (Ndombele), Bergwijn, Lo Celso, Son, Kane.
Subs: Hart, Carter-Vickers, Sessegnon, Lamela, Winks.

Lokomotiv Plovdiv: Lukov, Petrovic, Masoero, Dinis Costa, Karagaren, Vitanov, Umarboev, Tsevtanov, Salinas, Aralica, Iliev (C).
Subs: Pirgov, Muslimovic, Pugliese, Ilic, Minchev, Nikolaev, Mihaljevic.


Official Site Match Centre
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TEAM FORM === Lokomotiv WWWWL====Spurs WWWLL===(All Competitions)
We begin our
Europa League campaign in the second qualifying round with a 2,500km-long midweek journey to the Stadion Lokomotiv in Plovdiv, Bulgaria to face Lokomotiv Plovdiv. Jose will be looking for a response from our team after our listless performance in the 1-0 loss to Everton in our opening Premier League fixture. Our clubs have not played each other yet. Thursday night's Europa League encounter will be the first time that we do so.
After last season's sixth-placed finish, Jose will be under pressure to deliver a trophy and will view the Europa League as a good opportunity to do so. Our opponents Lokomotiv Plovdiv belong to the First Professional Football League in Bulgaria and are also entering the midweek match on the back of a league defeat to Ludogorets.
With both teams looking to bounce back after a disappointing outing over the weekend, the match should possess an inviting edge to it. For us, it is a must win should we harbour hopes of adding weight to our trophy cabinet this season.
Lokomotiv Plovdiv may be coming off a loss but there will be no doubts that the Bulgarian side, sitting fifth in the league, will relish the challenge of taking us on in midweek. In fact, Plovdiv's chairman was quoted as saying, as soon as the draw was announced, that he was confident of his team's chances against us. It is a confidence that Plovdiv's coach Bruno Akrapovic apparently shares, as he too claimed he welcomes the challenge that we would pose. Additionally, Lokomotiv Plovdiv have enjoyed a good run in home games this season, having won two out of two. They appear to be a fairly settled side, five games into their domestic league campaign.
Jose Mourinho has important decisions to make ahead of the match following our lacklustre performance against Everton in their opening Premier League fixture. With Giovani Lo Celso possibly available to play after missing the weekend's game due to a thigh strain, he tactician has to decide if he is fit enough to play the entire ninety minutes, or if necessity dictates it.
Alternatively, the game could also present the embattled Tanguy Ndombele a chance to earn some brownie points with Mourinho by putting in a solid shift. Dele was whisked off at half time against Everton after an anonymous showing. It will be interesting to see if he will start against Plovdiv too.
Kane and Son will be keen to open their respective goal-scoring accounts for the season and should lead the line, alongside Lucas. Japhet Tanganga is the only player definitely ruled out due to injury.
Banner Courtesy of
@chrissivad
 
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Bulletspur

The Reasonable Advocate
Match Thread Admin
Oct 17, 2006
10,690
25,246
On paper, this is definitely our game to lose. Worryingly for us though, we have made a habit of losing games we weren't meant to. Expect Jose to field a full strength squad against Plovdiv. He will be all too aware that the hosts are up for the game. The midweek Europa League fixture has all the makings of a riveting encounter but Mourinho like me, undoubtedly, will happily take a boring 1-0 win.
 

Trotter

Well-Known Member
Jan 30, 2009
2,169
3,312
These guys are Cup specialists, they qualified not through League position but by winning the National Cup (actually retaining it) after overcoming CSKA Sofia, and beat regular Champions League team Ludogorets in the Bulgarian SuperCup last month.

They will definitely be up for it, and looking at their stadium I am not sure they can stop a crowd watching the game from just outside, and it was Lokomotiv Plovdiv supporters (well they were with a Plovdiv flag anyway) that were the culprits of the racial abuse in the Bulgaria v. England match last year, however the lack of a hostile crowd will play very much into our hands.
Last season they got beat by Strasbourg (who are a mid-table French League team) 1-0 in both legs, which should show they won't be pushovers, and if we went in light and put out a team like we did at Colchester last season we could very well come unstuck.
Pitch won't be great state, but I would like the team we are likely to put out at Southampton to start the game to iron out any issues and take players off when we hopefully get a couple of goals clear (unfortunately although FIFA allowing 5 subs in all competitions, only 3 are permitted in the Europa) . It is the game against Orient next week where we may need to rest some.
 
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yankspurs

Enic Out
Aug 22, 2013
41,883
71,188
These guys are Cup specialists, they qualified not through League position but by winning the National Cup (actually retaining it) after overcoming CSKA Sofia, and beat regular Champions League team Ludogorets in the Bulgarian SuperCup last month.

They will definitely be up for it, and looking at their stadium I am not sure they can stop a crowd watching the game from just outside, and it was Lokomotiv Plovdiv supporters (well they were with a Plovdiv flag anyway) that were the culprits of the racial abuse in the Bulgaria v. England match last year, however the lack of a hostile crowd will play very much into our hands.
Last season they got beat by Strasbourg (who are a mid-table French League team) 1-0 in both legs, which should show they won't be pushovers, and if we went in light and put out a team like we did at Colchester last season we could very well come unstuck.
Pitch won't be great state, but I would like the team we are likely to put out at Southampton to start the game to iron out any issues and take players off when we hopefully get a couple of goals clear (unfortunately although FIFA allowing 5 subs in all competitions, only 3 are permitted in the Europa) . It is the game against Orient next week where we may need to rest some.
Yeah, call me crazy but i think the team starting vs Saints on Sunday will be very different to anything we could put out here.
 

JimmyG2

SC Supporter
Dec 7, 2006
15,014
20,779
Has Bale been registered for the Europa?
Does he count as home grown?
Where will he play his golf?
So many questions, so few answers.

From the UEFA regulations:
No player can earn more than the Manager and CEO combined whoever pays his wages.
 

Gassin's finest

C'est diabolique
May 12, 2010
37,353
87,816
"Lets go with everything!"

2nd minute:

1600248152778.png
 

freeeki

Arsehole.
Aug 5, 2008
11,836
69,426
Real shame fans can't travel for this one, Plovdiv is a great city.

For those who think it's some fly-blown Bulgarian backwater slum - which isn't entirely unfair of a lot of Bulgaria - Plovdiv is actually the oldest city in Europe and it's believed by many historians to be the 2nd oldest in the world, after Jericho (Some historians put Damascus up there too)

The founding of Plovdiv is thought to have occurred around 6,000BC - so, 8,000 years ago, a full three and a half millenia before the pyramids were built, and roughly twice as old as Athens. Which is nearly as old as some of the relics in A&C's knicker drawer.

Highly recommend a visit if you're ever in that part of Bulgaria for god knows what reason.

Anyway let's hope we fucking win COYS
 

TheGreatOldOne

Well-Known Member
May 2, 2005
857
298
Really nervous about this one.
If we lose, I am not sure even the return of Saint Gareth the Bale will make us happy again
 

wizgell

Park Laner
Aug 11, 2004
5,373
1,722
Have we confirmed our Europa Squad yet? Have seen the B List floating about but nothing to suggest the A list has been
 

Trotter

Well-Known Member
Jan 30, 2009
2,169
3,312
We can change the squad after every game in the qualifying stages, just has to be players registered with our FA so every player we have is available.
 

rabbikeane

Well-Known Member
Mar 29, 2005
6,884
12,675
8 players left home according to Mourinho.
Kane will play both this and in the weekend, Lo Celso is in the squad at least.
Ndombele out. Dele told to stay home, with all that leaves of speculations.
 

DEFchenkOE

Well-Known Member
Feb 13, 2006
10,527
8,052
8 players left home according to Mourinho.
Kane will play both this and in the weekend, Lo Celso is in the squad at least.
Ndombele out. Dele told to stay home, with all that leaves of speculations.

Did he say why Ndombele and Dele not travelled?
 

Laboog

Well-Known Member
Jul 10, 2020
654
1,243
Did he say why Ndombele and Dele not travelled?
I didn't hear about Ndombele not traveling. I saw where Jose said he is not ready to start or play 90 minutes due to fitness. I was thinking he would travel and be a sub but maybe Jose said he isn't traveling either?

After today's presser I'm guessing we go with;
Hart
Doherty - Sanchez - Dier - Cirkin
Sissoko - Winks
Lamela - GLC - Sessegnon
Kane
 
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