Football.London

Ange Postecoglou had to make a big call when it came to announcing his Tottenham squad for the 2024/25 Europa League campaign.

Given UEFA's regulations and Spurs' lack of club-trained players after the departures of Harry Kane, Harry Winks and Oliver Skipp, Spurs could only name a 23-man squad for the newly-expanded league phase. With only Brandon Austin and Alfie Whiteman as club-trained players in the squad, Spurs had to reduce their squad size by two.

UEFA rules stipulate of your homegrown players, four must be club-trained and if you do not have four, the size of the squad is reduced accordingly.

That meant two senior players had to be left out. Sergio Reguilon was one easy choice, given he does not have a future at the club, but the other was up for debate. The suggestion was it would be between the rejuvenated Djed Spence and back-up keeper Fraser Forster.

Forster got the nod, meaning Spence has to sit at home and watch. And in the opening game of the league phase, that decision is already being called into question.

Postecoglou has named his team for the match with Qarabag at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Forster is on the substitutes' bench, alongside Brandon Austin. Guglielmo Vicario starts in between the sticks.

You could argue this is one of Spurs' easier fixtures in the league phase, so if Forster were to get a chance, it would be in this fixture. However, that is not the case.

Given Spurs can choose from seven players to play at the back, having Spence as an eighth option would seem to make sense, particularly if you're not going to start Forster.

This is, of course, the first time Spence has really grabbed a chance to shine in the Spurs side with both hands, having had a couple of less than impressive seasons already in north London. And he can play in the knockout stages of the tournament, should Spurs make it through.

It remains to be seen if Forster will play in the subsequent Europa League games, but had Spence been in the squad, you would think he might have started tonight's match against the Azerbaijan side, either at right-back or left-back.

Joker Ange

Ange Postecoglou was in high spirits ahead of the game, despite the delay to the kick-off time and not knowing what was going on.

He made a joke about Peter Crouch and Glenn Hoddle having to have a bit of a sing-song..

Read all about it here.

Qarabag have arrived

Spurs have an opposition team at least. They had to get across from Stratford with plenty of road closures and problems. Now to get them ready to play.

Kick-off delayed

Spurs have not said exactly when the game will start yet but the match has been delayed, because of the transport issues. Trains around the stadium have been down for most of the evening due to a person getting hit by a train at Tottenham Hale. There are also traffic problems on the A10. You can find out more by heading right here.

Ange not using all his subs

The Spurs boss could have selected 12 subs this evening but he's only gone for 10. Tyrese Hall and Luca Gunter were called up to the B list, but have not been given spots on the bench and neither has Alfie Whiteman. There are already two goalkeepers on there so that makes sense at least for him and Gunter to not be on there but you have to wonder why a couple of young outfield players aren't at least given the experience alongside Mikey Moore and Will Lankshear.

Djed Spence decision

So, Ange Posrtecoglou made the decision to omit Djed Spence from the Europa League squad in favour of Fraser Forster.

And in the first match of the campaign he's picked Guglielmo Vicario in goal instead.

Interesting...

Those previous matches

Tottenham and Qarabag went head-to-head in two group games in the 2015/16 Europa League group stage.

Spurs won both games that season, 3-1 at home thanks to a Son Heung-min double and an Erik Lamela strike, and then 1-0 away with Harry Kane getting the only goal of the game.

Qarabag coach

The Qarabag coach has been speaking about how difficult it will be to face Spurs at the Tottenham hotspur Stadium tonight.

Gurban Gurbanov said: "I remember our game with Tottenham [in the 2015/16 Europa League]. They also had good personnel and a strong head coach at the time. But, today, football is more dynamic and faster. In particular, Tottenham have become one of the fastest pressing teams in the English Premier League since their current head coach arrived. Today's Tottenham is very different compared to 2015."

Mikey Moore

The big question around Ange Postecolgou's team will be whether or not Mikey Moore gets his chance or not.

There has been a lot of talk about the teenager ahead of tonight's game and there are rumours he could be given a first senior start.

Captain Son Heung-min has been talking about the wonderkid this week. Here's what he had to say.

The odds

Here are your odds for tonight's match, brought to you by Bet365.

Tottenham 1/6, Draw 7/1, FK Qarabag 14/1

Result/Both Teams to Score:

Tottenham – Yes 7/5, No 1/1

FK Qarabag – Yes 20/1, No 25/1

Draw – Yes 15/2, No 22/1

To Score:

Heung-Min Son – First – 10/3, Last – 10/3, Anytime – 4/5 Dominic Solanke – First – 15/4, Last – 15/4, Anytime – 10/11 Brennan Johnson – First – 11/2, Last – 11/2, Anytime – 7/5 Bet Boosts + Bet Builder Boosts:

Heung-Min Son to be First Goalscorer @ 7/2

Tottenham 2-0: Correct Score @ 8/1

Match result will be Tottenham + Timo Werner Over 1.5 Shots on Target + Dejan Kulusevski Over 1.5 Shots on Target @ 15/2 Over 2 Goals + Dominic Solanke Over 1.5 Shots on Target + Heung-Min Son Over 1.5 Shots on Target @ 3/1 Over 2 Goals + Match Result will be Tottenham + James Maddison to Score Anytime @ 11/4 Match Result will be Draw or FK Qarabag + Juninho to Score Anytime @ 12/1

Brand new Gold and Guest Talk Tottenham

The latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham is out now.

On this week's episode our Spurs reporters discuss the brilliant win over Brentford, Rodrigo Bentancur's form, Dominic Solanke's goal and a sublime James Maddison performance.

The European game against Qarabag is also a talking point, with Ange Postecoglou's team selection high up on the agenda.

You can watch the latest episode on YouTube by clicking here or listen to the podcast right here.

Every word from Ange

Ange Postecoglou was in front of the media at Hotspur Way on Wednesday afternoon to preview Tottenham's game against Qarabag.

It was a busy press conference for the Australian as he answered questions on the team's return to Europe, player welfare, the new Europa League format and James Maddison.

You can read a full transcript of the press conference by clicking here.

Four players added to Tottenham squad

Ange Postecoglou has added four players to his Tottenham squad for tonight's European encounter against Qarabag.

Having named a 23-man squad for the competition earlier this month, Spurs also have the benefit of submitting a B list and they have done exactly that for their Europa League opener with four of the club's youngsters given the nod.

Read here.

Predicted team

So does Ange Postecoglou make wholesale changes as he did at Coventry last week or does he only make a couple of alterations here and there?

The Spurs boss certainly faces some important decisions as the north London club look to make a winning start to life in the Europa League.

Our Tottenham correspondent Alasdair Gold has named his predicted team right here.

Agree?

Welcome

Hello and welcome to football.london's live coverage of Tottenham's Europa League clash against Qarabag.

It is a big evening for Ange Postecoglou and his Spurs team as they return to Europe after one year away.

We'll be bringing you all the latest over the next few hours ahead of the game against the team from Azerbaijan which kicks off at 8pm in north London.

Stay tuned!

Ange Postecoglou has named a strong team to take on Qarabag in Tottenham's first Europa League game of the 2024/25 campaign. But the Australian has made six changes from the side that beat Brentford in the Premier League on Saturday.

Spurs will want to get their Europa League campaign off to a winning start as they take on the Azerbaijan league leaders at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The six changes all come in the defence and midfield, with Postecoglou giving the front three that beat Brentford 3-1 a run out again.

The interesting piece of team news it that Guglielmo Vicario starts in goal. Fraser Forster was chosen to occupy a Europa League squad place at the expense of Djed Spence, but it is Vicario who gets the nod in the first game of the camapign.

Radu Dragusin comes in, as expected, with Cristian Romero suspended, while Archie Gray gets a start at right-back, with Ben Davies playing instead of Destiny Udogie at left-back.

Then the midfield is completely different to that which faced off against the Bees. Yves Bissouma comes back in to start for the first time since his injury setback, with Pape Matar Sarr alongside him. Lucas Bergvall also gets another chance to impress in an attacking midfield role.

Tottenham vs Qarabag kicks off at 8pm and you can follow live coverage of the match right here in our live blog.

Tottenham Hotspur will play host to Qarabag on Thursday evening. The fixture will mark Ange Postecoglou's first European game in charge of Spurs.

Supporters could expect a changed line-up from the weekend's victory over Brentford at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Despite both managers and players of other clubs mentioning the intense schedule, the Spurs boss voiced his thoughts on having extra games on his side's schedule: "I said last year there was a gap in our calendar that didn't help us at certain times of the year - not having that regular football and the challenge of playing different types of opposition and exposing the squad.

Before the Spurs boss added: "The worst thing was sitting around watching other teams. It didn't sit well with me - so I'm a big backer of European competitions."

And on Qarabag Postecoglou added: "We've had a very good look at them. We had someone fly out at the weekend and watch them play. They are a very good team, they dominate the local competition, but just as importantly in Europe they've always made an impact. We had a good look at their two games against Bayer Leverkusen (in the Europa League Round of 16 last season), they did very well and pushed Leverkusen all the way.

"We all know how good Leverkusen were last year, so it's not about individuals, it's about understanding and making sure we reach the level of performance we do against a very good, experienced European opponent. I think experience in Europe counts and Qarabag have been consistent whether it's Champions League or Europa League and always made an impact. We'll be ready for that."

Thursday's match will be the third between the teams after Spurs won the two previous fixtures during the 2015/16 edition of the competition. The visitors have also lost all six of their previous meetings with English clubs. Below football.london has all the details on how to follow the match...

When is Spurs vs Qarabag and what time is kick off?

Spurs face Qarabag on Thursday, 26 September, with kick off set for 8pm in north London (BST). The game will take place at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Is Spurs vs Qarabag on TV?

Yes, there will be a live broadcast of the Europa League fixture for UK views with TNT Sports 1 providing coverage from 7pm. International streams are listed below.

US - CBS Sports

Australia - Stan Sport

Canada - DAZN

Nigeria - Super Sport

India - Sony Sports Network

Spain - Movistar Plus+

How else can I follow Spurs vs Qarabag?

Tottenham fans were no doubt expecting the worst when the draw for the fourth round of the Carabao Cup was made on Wednesday evening. Paired against Man City at home so early in last season's FA Cup, many believed that another tough encounter was just around the corner with the team desperate to end their long wait for a trophy.

It perhaps came as no surprise at all then that Ange Postecoglou's side were once again drawn to face the reigning Premier League champions in round four. Tottenham will have home advantage, as was the case back in January, with the tie in the calendar for week commencing Monday, October 28.

Very much a nightmare draw for Tottenham with Postecoglou intent on bringing silverware to N17 and carrying on his impressive record of winning trophies in his second season with a club, Spurs look like they are going to have to do it the hard way if they are to go all the way. As much as people would rather not face Pep Guardiola's team, Spurs at some stage are going to have to beat the Premier League's best if they are to lift the Carabao Cup at Wembley in the middle of March.

What could play into Tottenham's hands in next month's fourth round tie is that Guardiola has already made his stance for the competition clear following City's 2-1 win over Watford on Tuesday evening. Tending to heavily rotate his team in the Carabao Cup anyway and give an opportunity to the club's youngsters and those on the periphery of the team, the Spaniard stated in his post-match press conference that City are "not going to waste energy on this competition for sure".

Already facing a packed schedule even before you take into consideration that they had to play their Carabao Cup tie with Watford just 49 hours after their draw with Arsenal, Guardiola has revealed that he will be using the competition to rest his senior players.

"The next round, I announce you now: I will play the players who play the less minutes or play the second team," he declared, as reported by Manchester Evening News. "We are not going to waste energy on this competition for sure.

"I don't know what will happen, if we have a lot of injuries we play the second team. If we have all the squad ready it's a good competition to play the rhythm."

He added: "The schedule is the schedule, we cannot handle it anyway differently. Today for [James] McAtee, Matheus [Nunes], Jack [Grealish] who didn't play [vs Arsenal]. For Phil [Foden] who didn't play two or three months. Nico [O'Reilly], Rico [Lewis] played a lot of minutes but didn't play minutes vs Arsenal, John [Stones], for the young lad [Kaden Braithwaite], 16 years old, for Stefan [Ortega] it's perfect.

"I saw players who didn't play lately how they feel, how they are physically, the rhythm. That's why it's good the competition, otherwise we wouldn't win four [Carabao Cups] in a row if we didn't take it seriously. Last season at Newcastle we played really good [in the third round defeat].

"We play, everybody saw it, to go through, we never throw a competition game. Never. But of course we play 50 hours ago, players play a lot of minutes, absolutely I am not going to play a risk in this competition with the Premier League and Champions League."

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham! Click here for in depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

The Europa League presents Ange Postecoglou with an opportunity to blood a number of the club's talented youngsters in his Tottenham first team. Going without European football during the 2023/24 season, Spurs return to Europe on Thursday night with a home encounter against Qarabag.

The game at home to the team from Azerbaijan is the first of eight fixtures in the new-look Europa League league phase after UEFA decided to move away from the traditional group stage. Tottenham's increase in fixtures means that Postecoglou will have to rotate his team as there is simply no way he can field his strongest XI in every single game.

As part of their return to Europe, Tottenham confirmed their playing squad for the Europa League earlier this month but they were unable to name the full complement of 25 players. This was mainly due to a blend of their lack of club-trained players, number of association-trained players and UEFA's rules in regards to Under-21 players differing from Premier League's regulations.

As a result, Djed Spence was one of the unfortunate players to miss out on selection and Sergio Reguilon, as expected, was also not part of the final squad. In addition to their main list, clubs involved in UEFA competition also have a B list which increases the options available to a manager on a game day.

Club-trained players who were born on or after January 1, 2003 are allowed to be considered for selection but they must have been with Tottenham for an uninterrupted period of a minimum of two years to be eligible. Europa League participants are allowed to register an unlimited amount of players on the B list during the campaign, with the necessary paperwork having to be completed no later than midnight (CET) on the day before a game.

With Tottenham commencing their Europa League campaign on Thursday evening at home to Qarabag, Spurs have added four players to their squad via the B list, as confirmed on UEFA's official website. The four players in question are Luca Gunter, Tyrese Hall, Mikey Moore and Will Lankshear.

The quartet will add to Postecoglou's options to face Qarabag as Richarlison and Wilson Odobert remain out injured, Cristian Romero is suspended and Spence and Reguilon are ineligible. Whereas Tottenham have only named four players on their B list for the Qarabag fixture, Manchester United named seven B list players for their Europa League showdown against FC Twente and north London rivals Arsenal added an incredible 41 players to their list for last week's Champions League draw against Atalanta.

As per UEFA's official website, Tottenham's squad for the Qarabag fixture is as follows:

Goalkeepers: Guglielmo Vicario, Fraser Forster, Brandon Austin, Alfie Whiteman, Luca Gunter*.

Defenders: Pedro Porro, Radu Dragusin, Micky van de Ven, Ben Davies, Destiny Udogie.

Midfielders: Yves Bissouma, James Maddison, Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall, Pape Matar Sarr, Rodrigo Bentancur, Dejan Kulusevski, Brennan Johnson, Son Heung-min, Mikey Moore*, Tyrese Hall*.

Forwards: Timo Werner, Dominic Solanke, Will Lankshear*.

*B list

Players not available

Injured: Wilson Odobert, Richarlison.

Suspended: Cristian Romero.

Ineligible: Djed Spence, Sergio Reguilon.

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham! Click here for in depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

Fixture schedule reaching a 'dangerous level', says Postecoglou

Speaking to reporters ahead of Tottenham's clash against Qarabag in the Europa League on Thursday night, Ange Postecoglou claimed that the number of games is reaching a 'danger level'. The Spurs boss said: "I have spoken already about the fact we're getting to a real dangerous level about what our expectations are around players.

"Instead of focusing on one or two tournaments, it's about the calendar. That is more of an issue. Players don't get a break between seasons any more like they used to. There are more tournaments both at club level, international level and continental level.

"So, it's going to get to a point where we are not going to have the best players out there playing and more even worst them breaking down for various reasons. It's definitely something that needs to be addressed..."

Maresca impressed by Chelsea efforts

Enzo Maresca was pleased with his side's performance in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night. Chelsea defeated Barrow 5-0 at Stamford Bridge.

"Very happy with the performance, with the result," said the Blues boss. "We did many changes, but the idea from the team was exactly the same. This has to be one of our targets, no matter how we are going to play, it is important that the identity of the team is always there.

"This type of game, I'm always worried a lot because they are tricky games. Football is full of these games, where you underestimate the other team; you concede goals and you concede chances but tonight I think the performance was very good and we showed how serious we are."

Arteta heaps praise on Arsenal youngsters

Speaking to reporters following Arsenal's win over Bolton, Mikel Arteta said: "Yes a really positive night in every sense. We gave minutes to a lot of senior players who showed quality. We gave the opportunity to quite a lot of academy players."

When asked if a few of his players will be at school tomorrow morning, the Gunners boss added: "There are a few! They were buzzing and they spoke to the players just to thank them."

Slot faces the media after defeating West Ham

Speaking to Sky Sports after Liverpool's 5-1 win over the Hammers, Arne Slot said: "If you’re facing a team like West Ham, who have a lot of quality, they can press you. Second half they were also threatening on set-pieces.

"Since I’ve been here it’s never been easy, although sometimes the result looks different, but probably that’s the Premier League. Every team has quality players.

"I do feel like in most parts of the game we had control. We had a large part of ball possession, particularly in the first half..."

Arteta wants to get his hands on some silverware

Speaking to reporters ahead of Arsenal's clash against Bolton, Mikel Arteta was asked whether the Gunners need to start winning trophies to be considered successful. The Spaniard said: "In terms of trophies, success only comes when you win.

"How you measure success and what you associate with that word, we can probably have a deeper conversation. But we are here to win both the big competitions and the ones that aren’t considered as big."

Guardiola leaves the door open for Arsenal, Chelsea and Spurs...

Pep Guardiola, a four-time winner of the competition, has admitted that Manchester City won’t 'waste energy' on the Carabao Cup this year, giving Arsenal, Chelsea and Spurs a huge boost to their hopes of winning some silverware.

"The next round, I announce to you now, I play the second team," said the Spaniard. "We are not going to waste energy on this competition, for sure."

Jose Mourinho, Brian Clough and Sir Alex Ferguson are all also four-time winners of the competition, so Guardiola has the chance to claim top spot and the all-time record for most wins.

When is the final?

The Carabao Cup final is the first piece of domestic silverware on offer for English clubs. However, this season’s final will take place a little later with the Wembley showpiece scheduled for March 16 2025.

The dates for all remaining rounds can be found below…

Fourth round – w/c 28 October 2024

Quarter-finals – w/c 16 December 2024

Semi-finals – w/c 6 January 2025 & w/c 3 February 2025

Final – 16 March 2025

What's to come?

There are still three Carabao Cup third round ties to be played, with two of those games tonight. Arsenal welcome Bolton to Emirates Stadium (7:45pm kick-off), while Liverpool host West Ham (8pm kick-off).

AFC Wimbledon were due to host Newcastle on Tuesday but the match at Cherry Red Records Stadium was postponed on Monday morning following extensive overnight flooding in south London and related pitch damage at the stadium. The game will now take place at St. James' Park next Tuesday.

Tottenham get their Europa League campaign underway later today when Ange Postecoglou's side face Qarabag FK at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

After suffering back-to-back losses against Newcastle United and Arsenal in the Premier League, Spurs got back to winning ways in their last league outing, with the Lilywhites coming from behind to beat Brentford 3-1. Next up for Postecoglou's side is his first taste of European football as Spurs boss, with Azerbaijan side Qarabag the Lilywhites' first opponents of the Europa League league phase.

This season, the Europa League has moved away from the group stage format we've known for so long, with a new league phase replacing it. Now, Spurs will play eight games in the league phase, with the eight highest-ranked teams out of the 36 qualifying automatically for the Europa League round of 16.

So, can Spurs kick off their Europa League campaign with three points? Let's take a look.

We simulated Tottenham vs Qarabag to get a score prediction

To complete this simulation, we used EA FC 25 and updated the squads with the latest injuries and suspensions.

We predict that Tottenham could line up in a 4-3-3 formation, with their starting XI as follows: Forster; Gray, Dragusin, Van de Ven, Davies; Sarr, Bissouma, Bergvall; Moore, Son, Werner.

We predict that the visitors could set up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with their line-up as follows: Kochalski; Silva, Huseynov, Medina, Cafarquliyev; Isaev, Romao; Bayramov, Andrade, Zoubir; Juninho.

Qarabag struck the post six minutes in to hand Spurs an early scare, but captain Son Heung-min eased the home fans with a goal after 12 minutes, finding the bottom right corner after cutting in from the left. With the lead, Postecoglou's side instantly gained some confidence, and four minutes after the opener, they grabbed a second.

Just outside the box, Lucas Bergvall fizzed a pass into the feet of Son, and the forward received the ball on the turn to ease past his defender and break through on goal. The South Korean international quickly got the ball out of his feet before blasting his shot into the roof of the net, putting his side two goals ahead in the early stages.

Just before the break, Spurs were awarded a penalty when youngster Mikey Moore was clipped in the box, and Son stepped up to dispatch the spot-kick, securing a first-half hat-trick as Spurs entered the break 3-0 ahead. In an extremely comfortable position, Spurs played the majority of the second half in first gear, and in the 77th minute, the Lilywhites grabbed a fourth to top off a fantastic evening.

As Qarabag attempted to play out of the back, Yves Bissouma forced Abbas Huseynov into giving up possession after pressing the defender high up the pitch. The midfielder picked up the loose ball and rifled a shot into the far corner of the net, leaving the 'keeper with no chance as Spurs began their Europa League campaign on a high.

Ange Postecoglou has to balance his changes for Tottenham's Europa League clash against Qarabag on Thursday evening.

The Spurs boss made eight changes to his starting XI for the Carabao Cup tie against Coventry and the disjointed performance almost cost the north London side their place in the fourth round. With that in mind, Postecoglou will be wary of making as many alterations for the visit of the Azerbaijani side to N17 even though it is only the first of eight matches at this stage in the large new league format.

Postecoglou could hand minutes to Radu Dragusin, Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall and Pape Matar Sarr and he might also decide to hand 17-year-old Mikey Moore his first start. Yves Bissouma could get minutes from the off after featuring only at the end of the win at Brentford on Saturday following his return from a groin injury.

The Spurs boss must then decide which of the starters from the game against Thomas Frank's side start again, with the trip to Old Trafford to face Manchester United looming on Sunday.

Here's the Tottenham team that reckon Postecoglou could select:

Lucas Bergvall has certainly left Tottenham fans wanting more in his minutes of football since linking up with Ange Postecoglou's squad this summer. Always going to be an interesting first few months for him in a Tottenham shirt as he adapts to life in a new country and also the pace and intensity of the Premier League, the Sweden international has been handed pitch time here and there since making the move from Djurgarden.

Always going to be eased into action following his switch from the Allsvenskan, Bergvall made his first Tottenham start in last week's late 2-1 win over Coventry City in the Carabao Cup. The youngster was a rare bright spot in the game for Spurs as he always looked to get on the ball in midfield and make things happen further forward.

He was replaced after 62 minutes at the CBS Arena and his substitution sparked a reaction from the away end as a number of the travelling fans booed the decision to take off one of their better players on the night. Postecoglou did give a spiky response when asked about it in his post-match press conference but he did state that his midfielder was "outstanding" in his game time.

Getting a few more minutes under his belt in their following game against Brentford as he came on for the last two minutes of the contest, the 18-year-old has so far had to contend with 33 minutes across four substitute appearances in the Premier League. Tottenham fans want to see more of Bergvall right now but they are managing his playing time and getting him used to the demands of the Premier League before he goes on to play a bigger role later down the line.

Opportunities are going to be there for Bergvall over the course of the season due to Tottenham's packed schedule, starting with the Europa League that the team will be involved in from Thursday evening. Qarabag are first up at home for the Lilywhites, with further games to come against Ferencvaros, AZ Alkmaar, Galatasaray, Roma, Rangers, Hoffenheim and Elfsborg prior to the knockout stage commencing in February.

Postecoglou does have the opportunity to rotate his team for the European fixtures due to the size of the squad now available to him in N17. That in turn means that Spurs fans could be about to see more of Bergvall in the weeks ahead with eight European fixtures in the calendar.

While it may be a case of not throwing Bergvall in at the deep end in the Premier League just yet as he needs to adapt to the physical aspect of England's top flight, which Postecoglou mentioned could take a while when speaking in pre-season, the Europa League may suit him down to the ground and see him excel in the Australian's team. After all, coming up against European opposition is perhaps a similar style of football and also pace to what he is already accustomed to after playing in his homeland of Sweden prior to his move to London.

Bergvall is already familiar with one of the teams Tottenham have been paired against as they are set to play Allsvenskan side Elfsborg in their final league phase game at the end of January. Playing the full 90 minutes in a 2-0 win over Elfsborg back in May, the previous season he played in a loss and draw against the side who finished second and level on points with champions Malmo.

At a time when the cup competitions look like Bergvall's most realistic chance of starting games for Tottenham, Spurs have three European games to come before they return to Carabao Cup action week commencing Monday, October 28. Bergvall may not play every single game for Tottenham just yet but the team's stacked calendar means that the ex-Djurgarden man is going to get a healthy amount of minutes in the tank over the course of the season.

Tipped for big things in a Tottenham shirt, the team's involvement in the Europa League could just be the start of things to come in Bergvall's exciting Spurs journey and also the club's vision for the future.

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham! Click here for in depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.