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Spurs record in Europe:-
U.E.F.A Champions League
P W D L F - A
12 5 3 4 25 -19
European Cup
P W D L F - A
8 4 1 3 21 - 13
(Semi-Finalists 1962)
European Cup Winners Cup
P W D L F - A
33 20 5 8 65 - 34
(Winners 1963)
UEFA Cup/Europa League
P W D L F - A
99 56 26 17 201-78
(Winners 1972, 1984
Finalists 1974)
Total
P W D L F - A
152 85 35 32 312-144
Europa League Group J Table (after 5 games)
Pos P W D L F-A GD Pts
1. Lazio 5 2 3 0 5-1 4 9
2. Spurs 5 1 4 0 5-3 2 7
3. Panathinaikos 5 1 2 2 3-8 -5 5
4. Maribor 5 1 1 3 5-6 -1 4
Results to date:-
Maribor 3-0 Panathinaikos
Spurs 0-0 Lazio
Panathinaikos 1-1 Spurs
Lazio 1-0 Maribor
Maribor 1-1 Spurs
Panathinaikos 1-1 Lazio
Spurs 3-1 Maribor
Lazio 3-0 Panathinaikos
Pamathinaikos 1-0 Maribor
Lazio 0-0 Spurs
Still plenty for Spurs to do
Panathinaikos come to White Hart Lane for this last game in Group J with all to play for. They know that if they can beat Spurs, they will qualify for the "Round of 32" of the Europa League in February. Spurs still need a point to ensure they go through. This will be Spurs' 100th UEFA Cup/Europa League game.
In theory, Spurs could still top the group with a win, if Lazio were to lose in Maribor, but such a result is unlikely in my view. If we win and Lazio draw, then firstly goal difference, then goals scored would come into the equation. Spurs are on +2 and Lazio on +4 at the moment. Both tonight's matches kick off at the same time.
Wins have been hard to come by in this group, with 5 of the 10 games played so far drawn. Spurs have been involved in 4 of those draws, and the only team they have beaten was Maribor on November 8th, when Jermain Defoe got a hat-trick on a night when AVB opted for a 4-4-2, with Adebayor teaming up with Jermain. That's an option available for tonight's game, but AVB could equally play Adebayor with Dempsey, keeping Jermain's powder dry for Sunday's Premier League game at Goodison Park.
With Gareth Bale and Michael Dawson unavailable after their injuries on Saturday, changes in the team are inevitable. Yago Falque was on the bench on Saturday, and he may get the nod to replace Bale ahead of Andros Townsend, who has not had a first team outing since failing to impress in the first half in Maribor in October. Townsend has been on fire though for the under-21s at club and International level, and he is a naturally left-sided player. Dempsey did move to the left after Bale was injured at Craven Cottage, so he could also fill that position.
Spurs under-achieved in the opening group game against Panathinaikos in the Olympic Stadium, Athens, taking a 35th minute lead through Michael Dawson's header, only to see Toche equalise in the 77th minute.
Panathinaikos have a vociferous and volatile support, who could be present in numbers at The Lane. Not all of them will necessarily have travelled from Greece of course. There may be a few gaps in the crowd though, as tickets have been on restricted general sale, available only to those already on the club's database. This is due to the worry of locally based Greek fans gaining access to home areas. We had a problem in recent years when Wisla Krakow came to town!
That Panathinaikos support can be excitable to say the least. We did encounter one or two problems in Athens after the game, and I heard tales of a few skirmishes before the game by random pockets of fans. Panathinaikos actually started their domestic season with two points deducted due to crowd violence in their Derby game last season. Without the deduction, the Greek team would be fourth in their league, instead of 6th.
Our opponents have been in quite good form recently. Since losing in Rome 3-0, they've only lost one of 6 games, away to a lower placed side - Platanias. They have won four of these last six games, including the 1-0 win at home to Maribor, which meant that the Slovenian team cannot go through, even if they were to beat Lazio.
The Greek team's squad includes one former gooner, Quincy Owusu-Abeyie, who played in the away game, and wears number 61. Unfortunately for him, he has been ruled out of the game with a knee injury. Panathinaikos have had a change of coach since we last met. Jesualdo Ferreira was booed by the home fans when the teams were announced before our game, and they are now coached by Juan Ramon Rocha, who previously looked after Panathinaikos's under-20 team.
Spurs ought to be going all out for a win, as there is a distinct benefit in winning the group, if possible. Otherwise, as runners-up the opposition for the "Round of 32" comes from the third placed teams dropping down from the Champions League. After last night's final Champions League games, we now know these to be Dynamo Kiev, Olympiacos (Panathinaikos's local rivals!), Zenit St. Petersburg, Ajax, Chelsea, BATE Borisov of Belarus, Benfica, and CFR Cluj, of Rumania. We would avoid Chelsea at this stage, and a long distance away trip looks on the cards, should we qualify as runners-up!
First though, Spurs must get the right result tomorrow. I think they will win by two clear goals.
The referee for tonight's game is Mr. Pawel Gil, from Poland. He is certainly not shy of issuing cards, and 6 yellows seems to be the norm when he referees European or International games.
The draw for the next phase of the Europa League will be held on 20th December. Let's hope that Spurs are in it!
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