Advertisement

KF Shkendija vs Tottenham: Europa League prediction, TV channel, live stream, team news, start time, h2h, odds

Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty I
Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty I

Tottenham's arduous Europa League qualifying campaign takes them to North Macedonia today as they visit KF Shkendija.

Jose Mourinho's side survived a scare against Lokomotiv Plovdiv last week, coming from behind to win late on as the minnows finished with nine men.

Spurs were due to be playing two games in 48 hours but Tuesday night's EFL Cup clash against Leyton Orient was called off after several members of the O's squad tested positive for coronavirus.

The tight schedule brought about by the delayed start to the season because of the pandemic means Thursday's tie will be played over a single leg rather than the usual two.

Date, time and venue

Shkendija vs Tottenham is scheduled for a 7:00pm BST kick-off on Thursday, September 24.

The match will be played behind closed doors at the Philip II Arena with no fans due to be present due to government guidelines regarding coronavirus.

How to watch

TV channel: The match will be televised live on Premier Sports 1, with coverage starting at 6:55pm.

Live stream: Premier Sports subscribers will be able to stream the match online. Click here for more information.

Team news

Jose Mourinho has laid down the gauntlet for Dele Alli by challenging the 24-year-old to perform, so it would only be fair if the 24-year-old returns to the XI, having been left out of the squad for the last two matches.

Mourinho is not taking the Europa League qualifiers lightly, but the cancellation of Tuesday's Carabao Cup tie against Leyton Orient may prompt the Tottenham boss to rotate his side more than originally planned in North Macedonia.

Joe Hart was in line for his Spurs debut at Brisbane Road, so may be given a chance ahead of Hugo Lloris, while Serge Aurier is also pushing for his first start of the season, even while his future remains uncertain.

Sergio Reguilon is not part of the squad, so Ben Davies is likely to continue at left-back, leaving the Spaniard free to face Newcastle on Sunday.Tanguy Ndombele and Giovani Lo Celso are both struggling to play 90 minutes at present, so the likelihood is that Mourinho will start the Frenchman on Thursday and save Lo Celso for the weekend.

Harry Kane has to play, according to Mourinho at least, while he remains the club's only recognised centre-forward but the manager's other trusted forwards, Lucas Moura and Heung-min Son, will surely be rested.

Tanguy Ndombele and Giovani Lo Celso are both struggling to play 90 minutes at present, so the likelihood is that Mourinho will start the Frenchman on Thursday and save Lo Celso for the weekend.

Harry Kane has to play, according to Mourinho at least, while he remains the club's only recognised centre-forward but the manager's other trusted forwards, Lucas Moura and Heung-min Son, will surely be rested.

Predicted Tottenham XI (4-2-3-1): Hart; Aurier, Sanchez, Alderweireld, Davies; Winks, Ndombele; Lamela, Dele, Bergwijn; Kane

Prediction: Shkendija 0-3 Tottenham

Tottenham struggled past inferior opposition last week, but will surely have learnt from their sluggish approach to that game and looked much sharper in the Premier League rout of Southampton on Sunday.

They will be boosted by the fixture pile-up not being quite as severe as had been planned thanks to the cancellation of the Orient tie and they will be keen to build some momentum with a third successive win ahead of hosting Newcastle on Sunday.

Head to head (h2h) history and results

Unsurprisingly, this will be the first ever meeting between the two sides.

Betting odds and tips

  • Shkendija to win: 26/1

  • Tottenham to win: 2/13

  • Draw: 17/2

Odds courtesy of Betfair Exchange. Click here to find out more.

We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Evening Standard

Read more

Spurs transfer chief ‘spotted in Italy’ amid Skriniar links

Exclusive: Tottenham to get Carabao Cup bye after Orient give up bid

Mourinho 'convinced' Dele Alli won't leave Tottenham