Some decent teams falling out of the CL into the Europa. We will probably have to wait til the last 16 for the interesting ties (I assume UEFA rig the last 32 so these teams won't face eachother anyway) .
Seeded: SSC Napoli, SL Benfica, FC Shakhtar Dontesk, FC Basel 1893 Group Winners Spurs, Valencia, Ludogorets Razgrad, FC Red Bull Salzburg*, Rubin Kazan, Fiorentina*, Eintracht Frankfurt, KRC Genk, Sevilla, Lyon**, Trabzonspor/Lazio, PAOK Salonika/AZ Alkmaar Unseeded: AFC Ajax, FC Porto, Juventus, FC Viktoria Plzeň Runners up Swansea*, PSV/FC Chornomorets Odesa, Esbjerg fB*, SV Zulte Waregem*, FC Dnipro*, Maccabi Tel Aviv*, Dynamo Kiev**, Sport-Club Freiburg/Slovan Liberec, Real Betis **, Trabzonspor/Lazio, Anzhi Makhachkala, Salonika/AZ Alkmaar *Almost certainly **likely So reading up, it is the seeded CL teams and 12 group winners are seeded and the non seeded 4 CL teams are joined by the 12 runners up. In the next round we can't play Swansea, but only for one round. Relatively few worthwhile games tonight. Some interesting teams left though. Any of AFC Ajax, FC Porto, Juventus, Lazio, PSV or Real Betis could be drawn against us on Monday.
Ouch, Juventus would be a bum draw. Surprised they went out the CL, haven't they won 7 out of 7 in the league without conceding or something like that?
I doubt Juve will be too up for the Europa so I wouldn't mind facing them. Porto and Ajax would be the two I'd want to avoid on a footballing level. Though I'd love to go the Amsterdam Arena again, especially if it means Spurs will be there.
I think AVB won't field too many youngsters tonight. My reasoning is that we are still suffering from the high turnover during the summer so we need to give the core squad more time to play together.
However pointless the match, winning is important. It keeps up momentum. You don't want to go into the Liverpool game with commentators saying we lost a few days ago against a team very few can pronounce. But going into the next round with a 6 out of 6 record goes before you and may give the edge psychologically against another team.
It's an opportunity to get Soldado scoring, if nothing else. Lamela, Townsend, Sigurdsson and a few others could benefit from the game time, too.
With every first team centre back bar Daws injured, the odds are Fryers might be getting a game - either at centre back (although we might play Capoue there) or left back.
According to BBC we have a provisional squad for tonight Tottenham provisional squad: Lloris, Friedel, Gomes, Walker, Fredericks, Rose, Naughton, Dawson, Fryers, Sandro, Capoue, Dembele, Paulinho, Lamela, Lennon, Eriksen, Dombaxe, Townsend, Chadli, Sigurdsson, Holtby, Kane, Defoe, Soldado, Coulthirst. In bold is my team. In formation and right to left; Friedel Naughton Fryers Capoue Rose Siggy Sandro Lamela Eriksen Townsend Soldado
How can Gomes be in the provisional squad for this evening when he isn't in our Europa squad? Lloris, Friedel, Archer and Miles are the keepers listed.
Tim Sherwood picking the squad seems most likely, he has form for that. Playing a unregistered player is about the only way we can fail to qualify having already won the group.
Tottenham starting XI: Friedel; Naughton, Capoue, Fryers, Rose; Dembele, Holtby; Lamela, Sigurdsson, Townsend; Soldado OK in my opinion
I'd enjoy that, proper European ties like last year. It's just not quite the same playing some obscure team and beating them comfortably.
Brad Friedel; Kyle Naughton, Etienne Capoue, Ezekiel Fryers, Danny Rose; Lewis Holtby, Mousa Dembele; Erik Lamela, Gylfi Sigurdsson, Andros Townsend; Roberto Soldado Subs: Jordan Archer, Ryan Fredericks, Michael Dawson, Laste Dombaxe, Christian Eriksen, Nacer Chadli, Shaquile Coulthirst
Rose is back \o/ Pretty much as expected elsewhere although Capoue and Fryers looks like a pretty dodgy pairing.
Really risky defence, but we don't need a result and we need to avoid picking up any silly, unnecessary injuries for Sunday. Might end up being a high scoring tie, if Anzhi go for it.
Starting 11 most would have predicted, I hope AVB with gives game time to a couple of the youngsters later on, think its a given that Eriksen will get a few minutes.
