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The Lilywhites have guaranteed their place in the knockout play-off round at the very least following last week’s 3-2 win over Hoffenheim, but need victory at home to Elfsborg to ensure that they directly pass to the last 16.
A draw or defeat would leave a top eight finish out of their hands and they would be reliant on results elsewhere to avoid February’s two-legged play-off.
Confidence is hardly high for Spurs right now following the dismal weekend defeat to Leicester City, with pressure increasing on Ange Postecoglou in the dugout. Injuries have exacerbated their issues and the heat is rising in north London.
Elfsborg’s regular league season finished in November and the Swedish side have only been playing Europa League matches and friendlies since. Successive wins in Europe mean they can still reach the knockout phase, even if a top eight finish is now impossible.
Here is 90min’s guide to a crunch clash for the Lilywhites.
This is the first competitive fixture between Tottenham and Elfsborg.
Tottenham’s injury list is merciless but Postecoglou has at least confirmed that Mikey Moore, Pape Matar Sarr and Yves Bissouma are all available against Elfsborg.
However, that’s where the good news ends. Guglielmo Vicario is still injured and January recruit Antonin Kinsky is ineligible to feature on Thursday, while Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and Detsiny Udogie are all absent in the backline.
According to Postecoglou, Djed Spence and Sergio Reguilon should be fit for the weekend clash with Brentford but are not available against Elfsborg.
James Maddison is missing for the next few weeks with a calf strain, while Timo Werner, Wilson Odobert, Dominic Solanke and Brennan Johnson are all injured in the forward line.
Tottenham predicted lineup …
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