Notebook – Vitesse v Spurs | OneFootball

Our Europa Conference League group stage campaign continues in earnest this evening as we head to Vitesse (5.45pm kick-off UK).

Here in the Notebook, take a look through the game’s key points…

1 - Friendly encounter

While tonight’s fixture will mark our first-ever competitive meeting with Vitesse, we have faced the Dutch side once before in a friendly. We travelled out to eastern Holland in August, 2000, to take on the Vites for our final pre-season friendly ahead of our 2000/01 campaign. Up to that point in our summer preparations, we had remained unbeaten - and that continued in the Netherlands against the men in yellow and black. Second-half strikes from Steffen Iversen and Darren Anderton proved to be the difference in Arnhem against a side managed by now Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman, who was taking his first steps into management.

2 - Home run

Vitesse are more than comfortable in European games at the GelreDome. They may have lost their first home game of their group campaign this term – a 2-1 defeat to Stade Rennais – but they rarely lose back-to-back home games. In fact, since returning to European competition in 2012, they haven’t lost consecutive home games, while they have won three of their last six such fixtures. However, it must be noted that, in that period, they made it to the group stages of a major European competition just once and have kept just one clean sheet in their last 16 home games.

4 - Frustrations on the continent

While Vitesse have held firm at home in Europe in recent years, our trips to the continent over the last year have been rather frustrating. In our last seven trips across the channel to mainland Europe, we have tasted victory just twice (drawing two and losing the other three). Our last win came in the first leg of our Europa League round of 32 clash with Wolfsberger, who we defeated 4-1 in Budapest.

4 - Holland hits

Despite our recent struggles on the continent, the Netherlands is a nation we have enjoyed travelling to this century. Since the turn of the millennium, we have made the journey across the North Sea five times and remained unbeaten – winning three and drawing two. We haven’t been beaten there since 1992. In fact, in our history – and as part of a run that stretches back to our first European campaign in 1961 - we have lost just two of our 10 trips to face Dutch sides.

5 - Last time out in Holland

Our last trip to the Netherlands is one Spurs fan will never forget. Trailing 1-0 to Ajax after the first leg of our Champions League semi-final tie in 2019, we headed to the Johan Cruyff Arena knowing we had a huge task ahead of us if we were to make it to the Madrid showpiece – that task became even more arduous as the Dutch side grabbed two more goals with just 35 minutes played and we required a footballing miracle.

We didn’t down tools though; we grew into the tie after the break and then went on to enjoy one of the greatest nights in the Club’s history. A brace from Lucas Moura put us right back into the game by the hour mark before, in the final seconds of added time, the Brazilian nipped through the Ajax defence once more to complete his hat-trick and send us through to our first-ever Champions League Final in the most dramatic of circumstances.

6 - Shooting from distance

Something we will have to watch out for during the game will be Vitesse’s instinct to shoot from distance. So far this season, the Dutch side have attempted 21 shots from outside of the box – the most of any team in the Europa Conference League – although, none of their three goals in the competition so far have come from outside the box. It is also worth noting that, as well as their long-range attempts, they have also had 25 shots inside the box in their European campaign thus far and are the only team to have attempted 20+ shots outside and 20+ shots inside of the box.

7 - Dangerman Wittek

The man who sets the tempo for Vitesse is their left winger, Maximilian Wittek. So far this term, the midfielder has been directly involved in 18 attempts in the Europa Conference League, with 10 efforts himself and eight chances created – the most of any player in the competition. He has also played the most passes into the box of any player in the competition this term (28) while he has been involved in two goals in his two appearances so far (one goal, one assist).

8 - Build-up play

A notable quality of our European performances this season has been our focus on playing out from the back and building on our possession. No team has played more sequences of 10+ passes in the Europa Conference League than us (43) this season. Meanwhile, only Roma (12) and AZ Alkmaar (10) have put together more build-up attacks than us (7) in the competition. We have also played the most passes in the competition this term (1323) while we are also boasting the highest pass completion rate (90 per cent).

9 - Korst paths

Only one player has worn the colours of both sides – that is Willem Korsten. A Dutch winger born in Boxtel in the south of Holland, Willem signed for us from Vitesse in the summer of 1999 and made his Spurs debut in the December. Best remembered for scoring a brace in a 3-1 win over Manchester United in May, 2001, he made 27 appearances for us in total before being forced to retire from the game in the following October due to injury at the age of just 26.

Team news – changes afoot

Nuno Espirito Santo has confirmed that we can expect alterations tonight to the team that defeated Newcastle United 3-2 on Sunday.

In his press conference ahead of our clash with Vitesse, Nuno revealed that our outfield players who started at St James’ Park would not travel across to the Netherlands, meaning we will see a raft of changes made to the starting XI at the GelreDome. Our Head Coach also provided an update on the fitness of Matt Doherty and Ryan Sessegnon. Both will miss this evening’s game through injury.