Tottenham vs Qarabag preview, H2H, team news, line-ups and prediction

Tottenham Hotspur will kickstart their Europa League campaign with a clash against Azerbaijan side Qarabag, as Ange Postecoglou looks to begin his European adventure with the club on a high.

On their first return to the UEFA Europa League since 2022, the club’s supporters are eager to see the team end their trophy drought and they see the Europa League as another platform to win silverware this season and also secure UEFA Champions League football in case they miss out on top four.

They will face stern tests in their group in the new UEFA format that includes clashes against AS Roma, Rangers and Galatasaray.

Despite their past UEFA Cup success, Spurs have struggled in Europe’s second-tier competition in recent years. Since the Europa League’s rebranding, the North London club have only reached the last 16 once in seven attempts. In the 2020/21 campaign, they topped their group and overcame Wolfsberger in the round of 32, only to suffer a surprising defeat to Dinamo Zagreb in the last 16.

Domestically, Tottenham’s season have been somewhat disappointing, with the team sitting mid-table after five Premier League matches. While they’ve secured wins against expected opponents like Everton and Brentford, they’ve found it tougher against stronger sides.

Postecoglou’s side found it tough against their North London rivals, Arsenal, while missed chances in front of goal saw them come up short against Leicester City and Newcastle United. Their recent 3-1 victory over Brentford could have swung either way, but Spurs ultimately secured the three points, bringing their total to seven.

Postecoglou will be hoping to begin his European adventure at the club with a statement win against last season’s Europa League surprise package.

Qarabag had their most successful European campaign ever, narrowly missing out on a quarter-final spot. They came agonizingly close to eliminating Bayer Leverkusen, leading 2-0 in both legs and being minutes away from advancing, only to concede in the 93rd minute of the second leg.

However, a dramatic late double saw Leverkusen turn the tie around, crushing Qarabag’s dreams as the Germans advanced, leaving the knockout newcomers devastated.

It marked the first time the Horsemen had made it past the group stages in the Europa League after eight attempts, securing 10 points against Hacken and Molde to move forward.

Despite being drawn against Tottenham, one of the favourites, Qarabag have the second-easiest schedule in the league phase based on coefficient rankings. Matches against Malmo, Bodo/Glimt, FCSB, and Elfsborg are all viewed as winnable, with Qarabag targeting a top-24 finish.

Under the new format, 10 points should likely be sufficient for Qarabag to progress to the knockout stages once more, although they have historically found it challenging to advance further in European competitions.

Qarabag have lost all six of their past encounters with English clubs, including two defeats to Tottenham in 2015. Despite taking the lead at White Hart Lane, they ultimately succumbed to a 3-1 loss.

Domestically, Gurban Gurbanov’s side bounced back in September with three consecutive wins, reclaiming the top spot after a disappointing run of results in August.

Concerns arose when they trailed 4-2 on aggregate at halftime against Ludogorets Razgrad in Champions League qualifying, but a sensational comeback saw them win 8-4.

However, their momentum was halted with a heavy defeat to Dinamo Zagreb in the following round, and they unexpectedly lost 1-0 at home to Turan despite being overwhelming favourites.

Nonetheless, their recent victories have placed them a point clear at the top of the Azerbaijan Premier League and they now turn attention to Europe as they look to end a run of two successive defeats to Spurs.

Tottenham Vs Qarabag match details

• Date: Thursday, September 26, 2024
• Location: London, England
• Venue: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
• Kick-off time: 08:00 PM BST, 07:00 PM UTC
• Referee: Willy Delajod
• Assistant Referees: Erwan Finjean, Philippe Jeanne
• Fourth Official: Thomas Léonard
• VAR: Benoît Millot
• Tickets: Fans can buy Europa League tickets through the clubs, UEFA or reseller sites like Seatsnet.com.

Match stats and head-to-head

• This clash will mark the third encounter between Tottenham and Qarabag in a major European competition, with Spurs claiming victories in both of their previous 2015-16 UEFA Europa League group stage meetings (3-1 and 1-0).

• Qarabag have faced defeats in all six matches against English opponents across all competitions, twice each against Spurs (2015-16), Chelsea (2017-18), and Arsenal (2018-19).

• Qarabag are entering their 11th consecutive season in the group stage of a European competition, featuring in the Europa League group stage eight times, including the last two seasons.

• Son Heung-min has netted 24 goals in 61 appearances in European competition for Tottenham.

• Qarabag’s three away fixtures in European competitions this season have produced 10 goals within regulation time.

• Qarabag reached the UEFA Europa League round of 16 last season, their highest progression in a major European tournament, securing four victories, their highest in a single campaign.

• Tottenham have only lost once in their last eight UEFA Europa League matches (W6 D1), with the only defeat coming in their most recent fixture, a 3-0 loss to Dinamo Zagreb in March 2021.

• Qarabag’s Juninho has contributed to five goals in his last six European competition appearances (4 goals, 1 assist), scoring in both round of 16 matches against Bayer Leverkusen last season.

Team news

Postecoglou is expected to field a heavily rotated side due to the big clash against Manchester United coming in the weekend.

Dominic Solanke, who featured in their recent cup victory over Coventry City, is the most likely to retain his spot in the lineup. With limited options available upfront and the opportunity to build confidence following his move from Bournemouth, another goal in this match would be beneficial.

Tottenham’s attack has been hit by injuries, with Richarlison and Wilson Odobert—who was substituted early in last week’s EFL Cup—both sidelined.

Son Heung-min, who netted his first two of 164 goals for Tottenham against Qarabag in 2015, is expected to be rested for this game to stay fresh for the weekend clash.

Qarabag’s Kevin Medina is suspended for this match, serving a one-match European ban following his red card against Dinamo Zagreb in their Champions League playoff.

Marko Jankovic was previously a doubt for the visitors but made a return as a late substitute in their 4-0 victory over Neftci Baku on Friday.

Juninho will join the travelling party to London as Qarabag’s key player in Europe, having scored in both legs against Leverkusen last season, part of the six goals he tallied in the Europa League. The Brazilian also found the net six times during the summer UCL qualifiers.

Azerbaijan international, Richard Almeyda, who scored Qarabag’s opener at White Hart Lane nine years ago, is likely to begin this match on the bench despite his history with the club.

Predicted starting lineup

Tottenham Hotspur predicted starting lineup:

Vicario; Gray, Dragusin, Davies, Spence; Sarr, Bentancur, Bergvall; Johnson, Solanke, Werner.

Qarabag FK predicted starting lineup:

Kochalski; Matheus da Silva, Mustafazada, B Huseynov, Cafarquliyev; Romao, Patrick Andrade; Leandro Andrade, Benzia, Zoubir; Juninho.

Prediction

Tottenham have a tough fixture coming in the weekend and they couldn’t have asked for a more favourable opposition than this.

However, they’re no minnows in football and Qarabag showed their capability in the last Europa League campaign where they were minutes away from knocking out an unbeaten Leverkusen side.

Tottenham’s superiority in quality should prove pivotal in this match and they’re expected to get the job done against a spirited Qarabag side.

We’re predicting a 3-1 win for Tottenham Hotspur.