Besiktas vs Tottenham Hotspur: Preview

A game with more significance than you might think, but still an unwanted one for Tottenham Hotspur.

The UEFA Europa League has been linked to Spurs’s poor league form, so a game which still has meaning ahead of the Christmas schedule is particularly annoying.

If Tottenham win or draw, they will advance as group winners, facing one of the group runner ups or unseeded sides from the UEFA Champions League. However, a Tottenham defeat means Besiktas will top the group and it will be Spurs pitted against a group winner or seeded Champions League dropout.

We can complain about the arrival of Champions League sides all we want, but those are the rules. If we want to be competing in Europe’s premier club competition, we have to beat these sides.

Source: tottenhamhotspur.com

People may be writing off the Europa League, but winning it secures qualification to next year’s Champions League, making it the easiest route into it- we must top this group.

The good news is that Kyle Walker is expected to make his first start since March. The right back was one of our best players last season, putting to bed the idea he can’t defend. However, the main worry is that his injury will leave a similar after effect to that of Younes Kaboul and Sandro.

Before long term injuries, Kaboul and Sandro were amongst the finest players at the club, with the latter well on the way to becoming one of the world’s leading defensive midfielders- let’s hope injury hasn’t stunted Walker’s growth.

Pochettino has taken a strong team to Turkey, but he is willing to give youth a chance, with reports suggesting Josh Onomah and Harry Winks will feature and even start.

Still sidelined are Etienne Capoue and Andros Townsend, whilst Emmanuel Adebayor has returned home for undisclosed personal reasons.

The treatment of the towering Togolese forward has been disgusting, with many replies to Tottenham’s twitter announcement being abuse. If it were someone like Soldado with personal issues, then he would be backed to the hills, it shouldn’t be any different with any other player, including Adebayor.

Back to team news, and Demba Ba is set to miss out through injury for Besiktas. Thank God. The Senegalese striker ran riot at White Hart Lane in the reverse fixture, and I’m sure the backline we field will be relieved he’ll take no part.

Let’s not kid ourselves, Turkish atmosphere is overrated and Tottenham are superior to Besiktas- we should be advancing as Group C winners.

Predicted XI: