90min
·3 de octubre de 2024
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Yahoo sports90min
·3 de octubre de 2024
An in-form Tottenham Hotspur continue their Europa League campaign in Hungary on Thursday night as they take on Ferencvaros.
Ange Postecoglou has Djed Spence to thank for sparking Spurs' recent revival after the forgotten full-back netted a late equaliser at Coventry in the Carabao Cup. Brennan Johnson went on to win that cup tie for the Lilywhites and Postecoglou's side are now heading into this fixture having won four on the bounce in all competitions.
They produced perhaps their best performance of the Postecoglou era thus far on Sunday, wiping the floor with a dire Manchester United side at Old Trafford in a 3-0 victory. That came after a gritty home win against Qarabag on Matchday 1 of the league phase, with Spurs having to play 83 minutes with ten men after Radu Dragusin's sending off.
Ferencvaros were beaten in their league phase opener by Anderlecht last week and the Hungarian giants, who secured their sixth domestic title on the bounce last season, are expected to be among the poorest in the competition this time around.
They've started the season well after yet another busy summer, but Pascal Jansen's side are likely to find Europa League points hard to come by.
Here is 90min's guide to Ferencvaros vs Tottenham.
This is the first competitive fixture between Ferencvaros and Tottenham.
Matheus Saldanha scored 16 goals for Partizan Belgrade last season / Srdjan Stevanovic/GettyImages
The hosts have a relatively clean bill of health heading into this fixture, with Cebrail Makreckis the only injury doubt.
Jansen shuffled his pack for Ferencvaros' triumph over Puskas Akademia at the weekend, with several players expected to return to the starting XI for Tottenham's visit.
Hungaria international Barnabas Varga got the nod last week against Anderlecht but Jansen could opt for summer arrival Matheus Saldanha, who scored 16 league goals for Partizan Belgrade last season and has started the domestic season in fine form, up top.
Ferencvaros predicted lineup vs Tottenham (4-2-3-1): Dibusz; Botka, Cisse, Szalai, Ramirez; Abu Fani, Rommens; Kady, Zachariassen, Traore; Saldanha.
Radu Dragusin is suspended for Thursday's game / Visionhaus/GettyImages
Dragusin is suspended after he was sent off last week, but Postecoglou can call upon Cristian Romero again. The Argentine was banned for the win over Qarabag after seeing red during Tottenham's previous European appearance against Milan in early 2023.
Micky van de Ven will have to partner Romero with Ben Davies forced to fill in for Destiny Udogie at left-back. The Italian picked up a knock at the weekend.
Wilson Odobert and Richarlison remain sidelined, while Son Heung-min is unlikely to be risked. Mikey Moore could make his first competitive start for the club down the left.
Tottenham predicted lineup vs Ferencvaros (4-3-3): Vicario; Gray, Romero, Van de Ven, Davies; Bissouma, Sarr, Bergvall; Johnson, Solanke, Moore.
While Ferencvaros are projected to be merely fighting for a top-24 berth, they won't be a pushover on Thursday evening.
Tottenham sides have struggled in contests of this nature time and time again over the years and it wouldn't be a surprise if a rotated team endures a familiar fate in Budapest.
However, Spurs boast impressive strength in depth and Thursday's team should be laden with stars desperate to prove something to the manager. Postecoglou has done an excellent job of ensuring his entire squad is on board with his principles, not just his strongest XI, as was the case under previous managers.
A coherent Tottenham side should earn all three points on the road.