Tottenham face Swedish side Elfsborg tonight as Ange Postecoglou’s side aim to secure a spot in the last 16 of the Europa League.
Spurs come into the final night of the group phase in sixth position, and victory here would guarantee them a top-eight finish and automatic qualification to the knockout rounds. But a draw or defeat could see them knocked down from one of the top eight spots and sent into the play-offs, meaning an extra two fixtures for an injury-ravaged squad to navigate in order to reach the last 16.
Elfsborg are currently in their off-season after finishing seventh in the 2024 Swedish top flight. They have plenty to play for too, lying 20th as they aim to finish in the top 24 and qualify for the play-offs.
Follow the score and all the action from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium below, and keep up with FCSB v Man Utd here.
Tottenham v Elfsbrog
-
Spurs host Swedish visitors at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium | 8pm GMT kick-off live on TNT Sports 2
-
Win would book Spurs spot in last 16; Elfsborg 20th and chasing play-off place
-
Tottenham XI: Austin; Porro, Gray, Van de Ven, Davies; Sarr, Bentancur, Bergvall; Son, Richarlison, Moore
-
Elfsborg XI: Petterson; Yegbe, Holmen, Henriksson; Hedlund, Zeneli, Thomasen, Hult; Qasem, Abdullai, Rapp.
Tottenham Hotspur FC 0 – 0 IF Elfsborg
Tottenham 0-0 Elfsborg
20:10 , Lawrence Ostlere
9 min: Son dribbles down the left side of the box and coaxes a foul from his marker, earning Spurs a free-kick on the edge of the area from a tight angle. Son tries to shoot but his low effort towards the near post is easily cleared by a waiting defender.
Spurs then get a corner, but Ben Davies can’t steer a close-range header on target.
Tottenham 0-0 Elfsborg
20:08 , Lawrence Ostlere
7 min: Spurs have their first serious foray forwards and Richarlison can’t quite stretch enough to get his head on to a deep cross. A moment later Mikey Moore dribbles purposefully into the box but loses it under his feet surrounded by defenders.
Tottenham 0-0 Elfsborg
20:06 , Lawrence Ostlere
5 min: A bright start by the visitors, who come forwards via a surging run by Hedlund. Spurs manage to deal with a ball into the box and get the ball clear.
Tottenham 0-0 Elfsborg
20:03 , Lawrence Ostlere
2 min: Tottenham are wearing all white, while Elfsborg are in yellow shirts, black shorts and yellow socks, looking more than a little Dortmundish.
Kick-off! Tottenham 0-0 Elfsborg
20:00 , Lawrence Ostlere
We’re underway on the Europa League group phase’s final night.
Tottenham v Elfsborg – Europa League
19:56
It’s a chilly night in north London as the players emerge on to the field at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Let’s see if Spurs can earn the win that would book their spot in the last 16.
Tottenham chase Munich’s Tel
19:50 , Lawrence Ostlere
News coming through this evening that Tottenham are in talks with Bayern Munich over the potential signing of forward Mathys Tel, the PA news agency understands.
Spurs are in desperate need of reinforcements due to a lengthy injury list, which includes key attackers Brennan Johnson, James Maddison and Dominic Solanke.
Ange Postecoglou has repeatedly stated the current threadbare squad need help and Tottenham have stepped up their pursuit of Tel, who is eager to leave Bayern after only four starts this season.
Tel, 19, moved to the Bundesliga club in 2022 from Rennes after he become the youngest player to represent the Ligue 1 outfit at the age of 16.
After the versatile forward scored 10 goals in all competitions last season, he has found chances limited under new Bayern boss Vincent Kompany and is expected to move on during the final days of the winter transfer window.
While Tottenham will be eager to wrap up a deal which could be worth a reported £50m, they face competition from various rival Premier League clubs before Monday’s deadline.
What Spurs need to qualify for last 16
19:43 , Lawrence Ostlere
Tottenham come into the final game of the group phase in a good position, sixth in the table, and well placed to qualify as one of the eight automatic clubs through to the last 16.
Victory will guarantee their place but a draw may well be enough if results go their way. But defeat will almost certainly mean dropping outside the top eight and into the play-offs.
Pos Team PldGDPts
1SS Lazio 71319
2E Frankfurt 7616
3Ath Bilbao 7616
4Man United 7515
5Lyonnais 7814
6Tottenham 7514
7Anderlecht 7314
8Steaua Buc 7314
9Galatasaray 7413
10Bodø/Glimt 7313
11Vik Plzeň 7312
12Olympiacos 7312
13Rangers 7511
14AZ Alkmaar7111
15Union St-G 7111
Van de Ven set to make comeback from injury
19:37 , Lawrence Ostlere
Tottenham centre-back Micky van de Ven is set to make his comeback from the bench tonight.
Van de Ven has not featured for Spurs since a 4-3 loss to Chelsea on December 8, which was his first appearance in five weeks following a hamstring strain.
The absence of the Dutch defender to another hamstring issue alongside a number of other key players for Ange Postecoglou over the last two months has seen the club slip to 15th in the Premier League, but stay in contention for success in the Carabao Cup, Europa League and FA Cup.
“Micky is good. He is good to go and we will try to get him some match minutes tomorrow,” Postecoglou revealed.
“We’ve done everything in our power and we did last time too. Last time he probably played more than he should have in that first game (against Chelsea) but again hindsight and the circumstances around that game without rewriting history were pretty challenging anyway.
“But he’s ticked every box, worked awfully hard and been given clearance by the medical team. Invariably when you’ve had one injury it means you are always going to take a conservative approach, which we have and at some stage he has to play.
“What we’ve got to make sure is to just manage his minutes now to give him every chance to grow into it, but he’s enormous for us because A, he is a fantastic player, and B with a lot of these guys who will come back, they are just champing at the bit to help.”
Elfsborg ‘not scared’ of Tottenham’s talent
19:26 , Lawrence Ostlere
Elfsborg enter this match following a 1-0 win over Nice last week, which has kept alive their hopes of qualifying for the knockout phase.
Goalkeeper Isak Pettersson told reporters: “We know that Tottenham have many very skilled players.
“At the same time we will not be scared. We know how high our highest level is and we will do everything to win.”
Kulusevski shrugs off Spurs fans’ frustrations
19:15 , Lawrence Ostlere
Frustration has increased among Spurs’ supporters in recent months, especially since the January transfer window opened with the club yet to sign an outfield player.
It has led to Tottenham fans creating a new chant about under-fire chairman Daniel Levy, which includes a reference to their love for Kulusevski and has been regularly heard during the last six weeks.
“I’m just playing. I’m just playing football. If they see what I give, everything I give, if they appreciate it, it’s even better,” Kulusevski responded when quizzed on the song. “I’m happy that I’m getting love from them. That’s it.”
Elfsborg line-up v Tottenham
19:12 , Lawrence Ostlere
And here is how Tottenham’s Swedish opponents line up this evening. The 21-year-old winger Ahmed Qasem is a key threat, while attacking midfielder Simon Hedlund is a Swedish international with goalscoring instincts.
Elfsborg XI: Petterson; Yegbe, Holmen, Henriksson; Hedlund, Zeneli, Thomasen, Hult; Qasem, Abdullai, Rapp.
Tottenham team news
19:01
So Micky Van de Ven comes straight back into the starting XI after his recent injury. That didn’t end well when he started against Chelsea in his previous outing after an injury layoff, so Ange Postecoglou must be confident that the defender is fully fit and ready to go.
Van de Ven for Radu Dragusin is one of three changes following the defeat by Leicester at the weekend. Goalkeeper Brandon Austin comes in for Antonin Kinsky, and Mikey Moore starts in place of Dejan Kulusevski.
Tottenham line-up v Elfsborg
18:50 , Lawrence Ostlere
Here is how Spurs line up this evening:
Tottenham XI: Austin; Porro, Gray, Van de Ven, Davies; Sarr, Bentancur, Bergvall; Son, Richarlison, Moore.
Subs: Forster, Whiteman, Hardy, Dragusin, Cassanova, Bissouma, Olusesi, Kyerematen, Ajayi, Kulusevski, Scarlett, Lankshear
Tottenham v Elfsborg – Europa League
18:43 , Lawrence Ostlere
The teamsheets will be dropping very shortly…
Kulusevski backs Postecoglou to turn Spurs’ season
18:38 , Lawrence Ostlere
When Kulusevski provided a defence of Postecoglou’s credentials, he referenced impressive away wins at Manchester United and Manchester City earlier in the campaign before the squad became depleted.
The Sweden attacker, who has arguably been the club’s most consistent performer this season with nine goals and eight assists, has helped Spurs reach the Carabao Cup semi-finals and be on the verge of the last 16 in the Europa League.
Asked why Postecoglou is the right man, Kulusevski insisted: “Because we had games when we showed perfect football – football that not many teams can play in the world.
“We played beautiful games against United, against City 4-0, so I think he is the right man. We play for him. We want to win for him and to be honest we have similar ideas.
“I am very positive as a guy and I always want to play the football he wants. I have to fight for him because I believe in that football too. Yes, I think he’s the right man.
“The league (position) is very bad and the game on Sunday was tough to lose but you have to stay clear-minded and focus on the goals. We have done mistakes, don’t get me wrong.
“We have done a lot of mistakes. We are 10 to 11 fit players in four competitions and that’s not OK and that’s why the team is paying that price in the league especially.
“You can look at the manager and the players but it’s bigger than that, it’s everything involved.
“We play three games a week with nine or ten players. That’s all I need to say, it’s nothing more than that.
“I think everybody has got to watch the picture and ask themselves how we came this far. That’s it.”
Kulusevski backs Postecoglou to turn Spurs’ season
18:29 , Lawrence Ostlere
Dejan Kulusevski is convinced Ange Postecoglou is the right man for Tottenham and will fight to help his under-pressure head coach achieve “big things” during the rest of the season.
Spurs slipped to a sixth loss from their last seven Premier League fixtures on Sunday, with a dismal 2-1 defeat at home to Leicester increasing the scrutiny on Postecoglou.
Postecoglou has battled with an injury crisis over the last two months and will be without 12 players for Thursday’s Europa League game against Elfsborg, but the Australian has repeatedly stated his belief that Tottenham – well placed in three cup competitions – can enjoy a special season.
“Yeah, I agree with him,” Kulusevski said. “Three cups, we’re doing really well in the cups so it’s easy to focus on league, but we’re doing really well in the cups.
“This is an important game and if we win we go to the next round, so I think we can do big things in these last four months.”
Predicted line-ups
18:18 , Lawrence Ostlere
Here is how the two sides could line up tonight:
Tottenham: Austin; Porro, Dragusin, Davies, Gray; Bissouma, Bentancur, Bergvall; Kulusevski, Moore, Son.
Elfsborg: Petterson; Buhari, Holmen, Yegbe; Hedlund, B Zeneli, Ouma, Hult; A Zeneli, Abdullai, Rapp.
Tottenham team news
18:06 , Lawrence Ostlere
Tottenham centre-back Micky van de Ven will make his comeback in the game. Van de Ven has not featured for Spurs since a 4-3 loss to Chelsea on December 8, which was his first appearance in five weeks following a hamstring strain.
James Maddison will be absent for two to three weeks with a calf injury, but Yves Bissouma trained on Wednesday and will be available alongside Pape Sarr. Richarlison also featured in training after he was forced off on Sunday.
Guglielmo Vicario was involved in the session alongside his fellow goalkeepers, although is not expected to be in contention yet. Cristian Romero was described as a “slow burner” amid an expectation he could be back for this weekend’s trip to Brentford.
How to watch the game on TV
17:52 , Lawrence Ostlere
The Europa League game kicks off at 8pm GMT tonight, Thursday 30 January, at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on TNT Sports 2, with coverage on the TV channel from 7.30pm GMT. Subscribers can stream via discovery+.
Tottenham v Elfsborg – Europa League
17:41 , Lawrence Ostlere
Tottenham take on Swedish side Elfsborg tonight as Ange Postecoglou’s side bid to book their place in the last 16 of the Europa League.
Spurs come into the final night of the initial league phase in sixth place and victory would guarantee them a top-eight finish and therefore automatic qualification to the knockout rounds.
However, a draw or defeat could see them knocked down from one of the top eight spots and sent into the play-offs, meaning an extra two fixtures for Postecoglou’s injury-ravaged squad to navigate before reaching the last 16.
Elfsborg are currently in their off-season after finishing seventh in the 2024 Swedish top flight. They have plenty to play for too, lying 20th as they aim to finish in the top 24 and qualify for the play-offs.
Tottenham v Elfsborg – Europa League
17:30 , Lawrence Ostlere
Good evening and welcome along to live coverage of Tottenham v Elfsborg in the Europa League.
We’ll have all the team news and build-up to kick-off before updates from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as Spurs aim to book their place in the last 16.
Read the full article here