Tottenham tonight host Elfsborg in a big Europa League game. Spurs are currently on course for a top-eight finish in the Europa League table but know they must beat the Swedish side in order to absolutely guarantee they will be there. Given the relentless nature of this season’s schedule, that will be a big boost to manager Ange Postecoglou.
Postecoglou is under pressure this season after a nightmare Premier League campaign but cup competitions remain his saving grace. One of the favourites for the Europa League as a whole, the fact that Spurs could yet taste silverware success perhaps sums up the divisive nature of their season.
Micky van de Ven is back in training for Spurs and could feature tonight. That will be a huge boost to Postecoglou, who has seen his squad wrecked by injury all season. Follow all the action LIVE with Standard Sport’s dedicated match blog! Dan Kilpatrick will be providing expert analysis from the ground!
Tottenham vs Elfsborg latest news
Kick-off time and venue: 8pm GMT; Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
TV channel and live stream: TNT Sports 2
Prediction: Spurs to win
Confirmed Tottenham lineup
Confirmed Tottenham lineup
19:06 , Jonathan Gorrie
Tottenham XI: Austin; Pedro Porro, Van de Ven, Davies, Gray; Bergvall, Sarr, Bentancur; Son, Moore, Richarlison
Subs: Forster, Whiteman, Dragusin, Bissouma, Kulusevski, Lankshear, Scarlett, Kyerematen, Cassanova, Ajayi, Olusesi, Hardy
Dejan Kulusevski launches Ange Postecoglou defence and says Spurs problems are 'bigger than that'
18:40 , Jonathan Gorrie
Dejan Kulusevski has launched an unequivocal defence of Ange Postecoglou and says Tottenham’s poor form is down to bigger factors than the Australian or his players.
Postecoglou is under pressure with Spurs down in 15th in the Premier League after a run of one win in 11 top-flight matches, though they will reach the Europa League knockouts with a victory over IF Elfsborg on Thursday and are still in both domestic cups.
Tottenham in advanced talks with Bayern Munich over £50m Mathys Tel deal
18:21 , Jonathan Gorrie
Tottenham are in advanced talks with Bayern Munich over a permanent deal for forward Mathys Tel, with optimism a fee of around £50million can be agreed.
Spurs are still waiting for the green light from the 19-year-old, who is attracting interest from a host of other Premier League clubs including Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal and Aston Villa.
Tottenham handed biggest January boost amid push for new signings
17:59
As January draws to a close, Ange Postecoglou's mid-winter selection crisis is finally showing signs of easing – not in the form of new signings, but with Micky van de Ven's return to the squad for Thursday's Europa League finale against IF Elfsborg.
"Let’s see how much we can get out of him," Postecoglou said. "He's had a good week, 10 days training with the team and is in good condition, so he is fine."
Tottenham vs Elfsborg: Latest Europa League odds today
17:53 , Jonathan Gorrie
Tottenham – 2/7
Draw – 19/4
Elfsborg – 15/2
Odds via Betway and subject to change.
Tottenham vs Elfsborg: Europa League score prediction today
17:32 , Jonathan Gorrie
Injury crisis or not, anything less than a win would be considered another nadir for Spurs this season. Postecoglou’s side will again be down to their bare bones, but there is enough quality - tired or not - to see off the fifth-best team in Sweden.
Spurs will hope to build a comfortable lead in the first half so Postecoglou can rest some of his exhausted players ahead of a trip to Brentford on Sunday.
Spurs to win, 2-0.
Tottenham team news vs Elfsborg today
17:31 , Jonathan Gorrie
Spurs’ injury woes have somewhat improved with Richarlison being passed fit after being forced off early against Leicester. Pape Matar Sarr is also expected to be “OK” after Ange Postecoglou confirmed the midfielder should not have played during the loss on Sunday.
Brandon Austin will again play in goal with Antonin Kinsky ineligible, sitting out the game along with Djed Spence and Sergio Reguilon. Will Lankshear could get the nod up front, though Heung-min Son is the more obvious choice to lead the line despite being clearly in need of a rest.
James Maddison has been ruled out of the game for Tottenham, although Micky van de Ven is back in Spurs training. Cristian Romero has been back in training for a week too but is unlikely to be risked.
Tottenham vs Elfsborg: TV channel and live stream for Europa League tonight
17:31 , Jonathan Gorrie
TV channel: In the UK, the game will be televised live on TNT Sports 2. Coverage starts at 7.30pm GMT ahead of an 8pm kick-off time.
Live stream: Fans can catch the contest live online via the Discovery+ app and website.
Live blog: You can follow all the action on matchday via Standard Sport’s live blog, with expert analysis from Dan Kilpatrick at the ground.
Welcome
16:58 , Jonathan Gorrie
Good evening and welcome to Standard Sport’s LIVE coverage of Tottenham’s Europa League clash with Elfsborg.
Kick-off from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is at 8pm GMT tonight.
