Tottenham Hotspur will be targeting a positive start as they host Qarabag in their opening Europa League fixture. Spurs are currently on a good run of form and will be confident of coming out on top.
Spurs are in the Europa League having last featured in the competition in 2021. Ange Postecoglu did not have to go through the qualifying stage and reached the main competition automatically.
Although things have not been particularly smooth for Tottenham Hotspur, they will head into Thursday’s clash with plenty of confidence having won their last two matches. First they claimed a 2-1 victory over Coventry City in the League Cup before beating Brentford in the Premier League last weekend.
Unlike Spurs, Qarabag dropped into the Europa League after crashing out of the Champions League. Their record in the competition is not the best as they are winless in their last three matches in the competition.
Qarabag will still be feeling confident heading to Tottenham having won their last three matches. Qurban Qurbanov's men triumphed 4-0 over Neftchi Baku in a domestic league fixture last weekend.
How the bookies view it: Tottenham overwhelmingly favoured
Tottenham are considered overwhelming favourites among the bookies and are priced at 1/7 by Betfred to claim the win. An unlikely victory for Qarabag is valued at 16/1 while Betfred is also offering 7/1 for a draw.
Head to head: Unblemished Spurs
Tottenham Hotspur did the double the last time they faced Qarabag during the 2015-16 Europa League. They claimed a 3-1 victory in the home fixture with Son Heung-Min netting a brace.
Players to watch: Son to fire Spurs
Son is often involved in most of Tottenham’s attacking plays and could be the one to watch on Thursday. The South Korean forward netted a brace the last time he faced Qarabag and is priced at evens with Betfred.
Qarabag often spread their goals across the team but Juninho has been particularly impressive. The Brazilian forward has two goals this season and is priced at 4/1 by Betfred to score anytime.
Probable line-ups
Midfield duo Pape Matar Sarr and Yves Bissouma should return to the starting line-up after coming off the bench last weekend. Radu Dragusin is also pushing for a start at the back.
Juninho should feature in attack once again with Abdellah Zoubir and Yassine Benzia providing support. Matheus Silva is also expected to continue at the back.
Tottenham Hotspur: Vicario, Porro, Romero, Dragusin, Spence, Sarr, Bissouma, Son, Maddison, Kulusevski, Solanke
Qarabag: Kochalski, Silva, Mustafazadə, Hüseynov, Cəfərquliyev, Bayramov, Benzia, Patrick Andrade, Julio Romao, Zoubir, Juninho
Anything else catch the eye?
Tottenham Hotspur saw over 3.5 in their previous fixture and a repeat is priced at 10/11 by Betfred. The Premier League side is likely to be dominant on Thursday and could be backed to win both halves at 21/20 by Betfred.
Given the gulf in quality between both teams, Tottenham Hotspur could be backed in the -2 handicap market at 23/20 with Betfred.
This UEFA Europa League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Qarabag will be played on Sep 26, 2024 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Tottenham Hotspur vs Qarabag prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
