· This season's away game - Royal Antwerp 1 Spurs 0 - 29.10.20
· Royal Antwerp (A) Match Preview First game
· See the current injury list for all Premier League Teams
· All the Spurs Stats you could hope for here! THFC6061 Sports Stats

Spurs' record in Europe:-

U.E.F.A Champions League
 
 P  W   D   L   F - A
45 19   9  17  82 - 68

(Finalists 2019)
 
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
148  84  37  27  301-130 
 
(Winners 1972, 1984
 Finalists 1974)

Total
 P   W   D   L   F - A
234 127 52  55  469-245

Europa League Group J

               P  W  D  L   F-A   GD   Pts

 1. Antwerp    5  4  0  1   8-3    5   12
 2. Spurs      5  3  1  1  13-5    8   10  
 3. LASK       5  2  1  2   8-11  -3    7 
 4. Ludogorets 5  0  0  5   6-16 -10    0  

Let's be top of two leagues this week!

We already know that our progress to the round of 32 is assured after last week's draw in Austria. That is because placings in these groups are firstly decided by head-to-head results against another team on the same number of points. Therefore our 3-0 home win against LASK assures our place in the knock-out stages in the New Year.

The compacted programme for qualification and the Group phase along with the late start to the Premier League has been arduous. Already, Spurs are playing their 21st game of the season, 9 of which have been European games. This is Antwerp's 21st game too. They have only had 6 European games (including this match) but their League programme started a month earlier than ours.

Since losing our opening game of the season against Everton, Spurs lost only one of the subsequent 19 games, and of course that was in Antwerp. We've won 6 of our 8 games since then and drawn just two. Those were the 0-0 at Chelsea and last week's 3-3 in Austria. Those two European results have been our most disappointing performances of the season really, and after last week's game, Jose was questioning the attitude of most of the players he selected against LASK.

No doubt Sunday's game at Selhurst Park and the ensuing Premier League programme will be at the forefront of Jose's mind, but whoever plays tomorrow needs to be focussed on winning and securing the most favourable circumstances in the Round of 32. The benefit of winning the group would be seeded status, along with the top four Champions League group phase "drop-outs", thus we would avoid those four teams, and an away match in the first leg. Let's be top of two leagues this week!

Our last home European game against a Belgian side was at Wembley in February 2017 against K.A.A Gent. We had lost the away game 1-0. Over 80,000 turned up at Wembley, but we drew 2-2 and were eliminated. Being seeded did us no good that time. A Harry Kane own goal and a Dele Alli sending-off didn't help either. The scores were level at half-time and we had a 2-1 lead. We still needed another goal, because of the away goals rule, and our hopes were well and truly dashed by Perbet's 82nd minute goal. Our goals had been scored by Christian Eriksen and Victor Wanyama.

Victor Wanyama's last game for Spurs was almost a year ago to the day, when we played a dead rubber game in Munich. Victor has settled in with Montreal Impact who are ninth in the Major League and managed by Thierry Henry. That's a 14-team competition. Maybe Thierry and Arsenal can share some ideas regarding climbing up their tables! Incidentally Montreal also have a former Spurs Academy centre-back Luis Binks, although he was signed by Bologna and loaned back to the Canadian club.

Antwerp's form has been mixed since our last game. At that time they sat top of their league and, of course, their form was reflected in the fact they beat us. Since then the Belgian side has lost at home but beaten LASK away, and last week they beat Ludogorets away. They've played 5 league games since our first meeting, losing two, drawing two and winning just once. On Sunday they lost 4-2 away to Racing Genk. Refaelov, who scored against Spurs, hasn't scored in the last three games. Antwerp have had seven different scorers in their last three games, in which they've totalled 8 goals.

Spurs on the other hand have not lost since the trip to Belgium. We won our next five games, drew two, then of course beat Arsenal on Sunday. Judging by Jose's press conference remarks, our team tomorrow is still likely to resemble that of last Thursday than that which beat Arsenal. Serge Aurier will miss this game. His absence relates to the slight problem he had before the LASK game. I suspect he will play on Sunday at Selhurst Park. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has played more minutes than any other squad member and has been rested.

Erik Lamela is still not available, although he is training "progressively" and Jose hopes to have him back for some of the busy December/January spell of games. Japhet Tanganga took part in the Tottenham press conference, so he could be partnering Davinson Sanchez again. Tanguy Ndombele is also fit to start, so the team could be:- Hart; Doherty, Sanchez, Tanganga, Davies (Capt.); Dele, Winks; Ndombele; Bale, Vinicius, Lucas Moura.

I'll go for a close win for Spurs and say 2-1. Once again, 2,000 lucky ballot winners will be in the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to cheer on our lads. That might just make the difference.

The Europa League Round of 32 Draw takes place next Monday lunchtime. In usual times, I'd be anxiously opening Internet windows in an effort to secure the cheapest travel to our away game, but of course Covid-19 has affected the lifestyle of ardent away fans. I wonder when we will be allowed to travel to any away game?

The match referee Jesus Gil Manzano and his assistants are all from Spain. Senor Manzano is 36 years of age and once again he is a new man in the middle for Spurs. Recent European asssignments have included Champions League games in Lleipzig and Marseilles; England's Nations League defeat to Denmark, and a home game for Wales against Finland.

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