05.09.2013. Tottenham Hotspur have been drawn into Group K of the UEFA Europa League alongside Moldovan side Tiraspol, Russian outfit Anzhi Makhachkala and Tromso of Norway in a group the English Premier League side will be strong favourites to progress from.
Europa League – Group Stage: Group K
Tottenham has high expectations this season in the Premier League and the Europa League. The Spurs brought in some world class talent, but also lost one Bale to Real Madrid. However, Tottenham spent over £100m and brought in quality players like Lamela, Soldado and Chadli. The Spurs are the clear favorite to win the Group stage against FC Tiraspol, Anzhi Makhachkala and Tromso.
Tottenham vs FC Tiraspol
Tottenham will face the barely known FC Tiraspol in this season’s UEFA Europa League and will be expected to claim three points home and away against the Moldovan minnows. Tiraspol had to face Latvian club Skonto to progress into the group stage of the competition and their team is largely made up of Moldovan players who are unheard of in European football. The meeting between Tottenham and FC Tiraspol in this year’s Europa League will be the first meeting between the two clubs in their history.
Tottenham vs Anzhi Makhachkala
Without doubt the toughest opponents in Tottenham’s group will be Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala. The wealth of Anzhi Makhachkala has come to an end recently to the delight of Tottenham fans meaning the London club will not have to face the likes of Brazilian forward Willian, Russian trio Aleksandr Kokorin, Igor Denisov, and Yuri Zhirkov as well as centre back Christopher Samba and Cameroonian striker Samuel Eto’o who have all recently left the club for financial reasons. The trip to Russia will not be easy for Tottenham not only due to the large amount of travel involved in getting to Russia, but also Anzhi still have a squad capable of winning which includes Ivorian striker Lacina Traore. Although Anzhi and Tottenham have never met before the Russian club are no strangers to English opponents having faced both Liverpool and Newcastle in last season’s Europa League in which the club made it to the last 16.
Tottenham vs Tromso
Finally, the 2013/14 Europa League gives Tottenham the chance to play the most Northern top-level football club in the world in Norway against Tromso. Tromso are currently struggling in their domestic league which takes place from March through to November with the Norweigen club sitting 4th from bottom. This will be disappointing for supporters of Tromso who qualified for the Europa League by finishing 4th in the Tippeligaen in 2012 and winning the fair play award. Tromso have faced one English club in their history; losing 9-4 on aggregate to Chelsea FC in 1997/98 and Spurs fans will be expecting a similarly comfortable victory.
No shows booked at the moment.
from £Europa League – 2012/13
Europa League – Round of last 32
Tottenham has drawn Lyon in the Round of 32 of the Europa League. It will be one of the toughest games in the Round of 32 and certainly could be a Champions League match. The first leg will be at White Hart Lane on Thursday, February 14 with the away leg at Lyon’s Stade de Gerland a week later on Thursday, February 21.
Tottenham
Tottenham is currently in great shape and moved in the top three of the Premier League with 5 wins in a row. In the Europa League, Tottenham finished second in Group J only 2 points behind Lazio Rome. Certainly, the expectations at Tottenham are high to succeed on the international stage. Jermain Defoe is playing one of the best seasons for the Spurs and scored 4 goals in 6 games in the Europa League and 10 goals in the Premier League.
Lyon
The Spurs will face one of toughest opponents left in the Europa League – Olympique Lyon. Lyon, won the French league title seven times, finished top of Group I unbeaten with five wins and a draw against Sparta Prague. They are also in the leading group of the French league with Paris St. Germaine and Marseille and battling for the French title. Andre Villas-Boas said: “It’s an exciting game so early in the competition, against a top team, and it will fuel the excitement of a big, big fixture.
Europa League – Group J
Without a doubt, Tottenham Hotspur will play in the toughest group of the Europa League 2012/13. The team of Andre Villas-Boas will play in Group J and face Lazio, Panathinaikos and Maribor. After 2 ties and 1 loss in the Premier League, the Spurs are only 14th in the Premier League after 3 games. Tottenham has to compensate for the loss of van der Vaart and Modric who left the club before the transfer window closed. However, Spurs still has a promising team with Bale, Dempsey, Defoe and Adebayor and will compete for the next round of the competition.
Lazio
Lazio is one of the favourites to advance to the next stage. The team of Manager Petković had a great start in the Serie A and won their first 2 games without conceding a goal. Klose, Mauri and Hernanes are the players to watch. It has been years since Lazio has been successful on the national and international stage. This year, the team accumulated some of the best European players and is motivated to bring a trophy back to Rome. The Stadio Olimpico, nevertheless, will be filled with excitement at every home game.
Panathinaikos
Panathinaikos is one of the top teams in Greece. They finished 2nd in the past Super League season just behind Olympiacos. However, the team of manager Ferreira had to sell 6 of their main squad players to cover losses of the past season and the start of the new season is a disappointment so far. The player to watch is Sissoko, who came on a loan from VfL Wolfsburg. However, with Lazio and Tottenham, it will be hard for Panathinaikos to qualify for the next stage.
NK Maribor
NK Maribor is one of the most successful Slovenian teams. The team won their 10th league title and their 7th domestic cup in the past season. This season, Maribor lost against Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League qualifier which gave them a spot in the Europa League. Brazilian forward Marcos Tavares is the main player to watch. However, Lazio and Tottenham remain the top favourites of the group because of Maribor’s inexperience on the international stage.
The group stage starts on September 20th and ends in December. Each of the first two of the twelve groups qualifies for the second round. The draw for the next stage will be on December 14th and the final will take place on May 15th in Amsterdam.
