Europa League: Tottenham v Dnipro match preview

A look ahead to this week’s Europa League fixture at White Hart Lane

Ondrej Mazuch (L) of FC Dnipro and Andros Townsend (R) Tottenham Hotspur FC vie for the ball

Tottenham will return to White Hart Lane this week when they take on Dnipro in the second leg of their Round of 32 Europa League tie. After suffering their first defeat in nine Europa League games, Tottenham have much to do in order to secure their place in the last 16 of the competition.

Tottenham, who are currently placed fifth in the Premier League, have now lost two games in a row following their defeat to Dnipro last week and a 1-0 loss to Norwich at the weekend. Despite this, they remain the favourites to triumph on Thursday due to their dominating form in Europe this season. Tottenham won every group match, scoring a total of 23 times across those games.

Missed opportunities is what cost Tottenham victory in Ukraine last Thursday, something they will have to remedy if they are to progress in the competition. Despite the task ahead, Dnipro remain in a comfortable position going into the fixture after their 1-0 victory at home in Dnipropetrovsk . With the violence in Ukraine dominating headlines recently, Dnipro will have reason to celebrate on Thursday if they are to knock out one of Europe’s top teams.

KICK-OFF: Thursday, 8.05pm

PAST MEETINGS:

Dnipro 1 (Konoplyanka) Tottenham 0, Europa League, Round of 32, February 2014

STATS:

Yevhen Konoplyanka has scored in each of his last four Europa League games for Dnipro.

Tottenham’s failure to score in the first leg was the first time in 14 Europa League matches they have drawn a blank (excluding qualifiers).

The previous five times Dnipro have won a first leg in European competition knockout stages they have progressed to the next stage

The only time Tottenham have been eliminated in the last 32 of this competition, they faced Ukrainian opposition – they lost 3-1 on aggregate to Shakhtar Donetsk in 2008/09.

ODDS:

Tottenham to win: 1.53

Dnipro to win: 6.0

Draw: 4.0

TV: Live on ITV 1 at 8.05pm