Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham Hotspur are starting to pick up some momentum and they could have an excellent chance of going top of the Europa League when they take on Galatasaray on Thursday.
By Kaustubh Pandey
Spurs have won their last two games in all competitions, eliminating Manchester City from the League Cup and handing out a 4-1 drubbing to Aston Villa in the Premier League.
They have won all three of their previous games in the Europa League but Galatasaray could prove to be a fresh challenge for the London giants.
Gala reigning supreme in Turkey
Okan Buruk‘s Gala have been very impressive so far this season. They remain unbeaten in the Turkish Süper Lig, they’ve tasted victory over José Mourinho’s Fenerbahçe, all while scoring the most goals and conceding just nine times in 10 games.
In fact, the last time they lost was against Young Boys in the UEFA Champions League qualifiers and it has been smooth sailing since then, with their most recent game yielding a 2-1 win over fierce rivals Beşiktaş.
The side’s setup focuses on pressing high up the pitch and playing through the lines quickly and while Buruk has used a 4-2-3-1 setup, he used a flat 4-2-2-2 shape against Beşiktaş, which suggests that he isn’t averse to adapting.
Tottenham to face some familiar faces
Spurs fans will be familiar with at least a couple of faces during the game against Gala, both of whom have history with Tottenham.
Former defender Davinson Sánchez has been a key performer in the season so far, as he scored against Beşiktaş at the weekend. Ex-Arsenal man Lucas Torreira has also shown some consistency, as he comes up against the Lilywhites years after scoring a winning goal against them during Spurs’ Mauricio Pochettino-era.
The man to be scared of though, is Victor Osimhen. The Napoli loanee is arguably one of the best strikers in the world and like Sánchez, he had also scored against Beşiktaş. So far in the campaign, he has four goals across all competitions while fellow marksman Mauro Icardi has just as many.
It is Osimhen who is expected to start for Gala and both Torreira and Sánchez will also feature. Only Ismail Jakobs is absent for Buruk’s side and keeper Fernando Muslera is back in contention.
Spurs may look to rotate
The last week has seen Postecoglou rotate his side, as James Maddison only came off the bench against Aston Villa and Mikey Moore remained on the sidelines for the weekend clash against Villa. Heung Min-Son and Timo Werner also rotated and it suggests that Tottenham will likely make chan get to keep their side fresh for Thursday.
Cristian Romero picked up an injury at the weekend, days after Micky van de Ven was also injured in mid-week, meaning that Ben Davies will start alongside Radu Drăgușin. Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray should also feature.
Prediction
The Ali Sami Yen Stadium is always a difficult place to go to but Spurs’ run of form should give them confidence, and that, combined with their ability to create constant chances is likely to put them in good stead for a close, yet thrilling away win.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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