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Antwerp welcome Tottenham Hotspur to the Bosuilstadion in Antwerp, Belgium for a UEFA Europa League fixture on Thursday night.
In matchday two of the competition, the top two teams from Group J will go head-to-head in order to consolidate their grip on the top spot. Both Antwerp and Tottenham won their opening fixtures by a margin of 2-1 and 3-0 against Ludogorets and LASK respectively.
Both clubs are heading into the continental competition in fine form and are unbeaten in their last seven fixtures, so this matchup between these two in-form sides should make for an interesting and entertaining encounter.
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Antwerp vs Tottenham Hotspur Head-to-Head
The game at the Bosuilstadion will be the very first meeting between Antwerp and Tottenham Hotspur in European competition.
Royal Antwerp have faced English opposition on two previous occasions and ended up losing both games.
Spurs are winless on their travels to face Belgian opponents but, given their form, they are expected to change that with a win in this game.
In terms of form, The Great Old are on a five-game winning streak across all competitions, while Spurs are unbeaten since their loss to Everton in the first game of the 2020-21 campaign.
Antwerp Brugge form guide: W-W-W-W-W
Lazio form guide: W-W-D-W-W
Antwerp vs Tottenham Hotspur Team News
For Royal Antwerp, there is some good and bad news. Coach Ivan Leko welcomes back defenders Jordan Lukaku and Abdoulaye Seck, as they both tested negative for COVID-19 in their latest round of testing and are allowed to resume training.
The bad news is that two other players have since tested positive, namely, Dylan Batubinsika and Manuel Benson. Bruny Nsimba will be out of the game due to an adductor injury. There are no suspension concerns for the Belgian club heading into the fixture.
Injured: Dylan Batubinsika (COVID-19), Manuel Benson (COVID-19), Bruny Nsimba (thigh)
Doubtful: Jordan Lukaku, Abdoulaye Seck
Suspended: None
Jose Mourinho's side have struggled with only minor injury concerns since the start of the season and do not have any serious concerns heading into the fixture.
As per the latest reports, only Japhet Tanganga and Eric Dier are out of the game, but we expect to see some changes in the starting XI from their win over Burnley.
We expect Gareth Bale to start, as he was on the bench against Burnley alongside striker Carlos Vinicius.
Injured: Japhet Tanganga (thigh), Eric Dier (thigh)
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Antwerp vs Tottenham Hotspur Predicted XI
Antwerp predicted XI (3-5-2): Jean Butez; Ritchie De Laet, Jérémy Gélin, Abdoulaye Seck; Simen Juklerød, Martin Hongla, Faris Haroun, Koji Miyoshi, Pieter Gerkens; Lior Refaelov, Dieumerci Mbokani
Tottenham Hotspur predicted XI (4-3-3): Hugo Lloris; Matt Doherty, Toby Alderweireld, Joe Rodon, Sergio Reguilon; Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Harry Winks, Moussa Sissoko; Erik Lamela, Carlos Vinícius, Gareth Bale
Antwerp vs Tottenham Hotspur Prediction
Jose Mourinho's side look like the clear favorites in this game given their form and the Portuguese manager's immaculate record in the competition. Mourinho is unbeaten in his last 15 matches in the UEFA Europa League.
Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son are in red-hot form at the moment and are combining wonderfully in front of the goal. That combination is capable of making an impact even if they make an appearance from the bench, which seems likely.
Antwerp should not be underestimated. They are on a five-game winning streak and can cause problems for Tottenham Hotspur, if they show any kind of weakness in defence, but Mourinho will be mindful of this and will prepare his team well, leading to an away victory for Spurs in this game.
Prediction: Antwerp 1-3 Tottenham Hotspur
