Soccer: Spurs looking for strong start in UEFA Europa League

Having come through back-to-back defeats to Newcastle United and Arsenal, Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham Hotspur appear to be on the up as they prepare for their UEFA Europa League opener against FK Qarabag on Friday morning.

Spurs head into this game on the back of an EFL Cup win over Coventry City and a comprehensive 3-1 victory against Brentford in the Premier League last time out.

Starting to be more clinical in front of goal, Postecoglou will be hoping his side can take their chances once again when they face Azerbaijan outfit Qarabag this week.

. What: Tottenham v FK Qarabag
. Where: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
. When: 05:00 (AEST), Sunday 27th September
. How to watch: Optus Sport
. Odds: Tottenham 1.14, Draw 8.50, Qarabag 17.00

Spurs handed double boost after Bees battle

Not only was it important for Tottenham to get back to winning ways in the Premier League against Brentford but it was a significant game for a couple of individuals.

Dominic Solanke finally got off the mark for his new club following his big-money move from Bournemouth over the off-season.

Before the story grew bigger, it was important for Solanke to open his goalscoring account for Spurs and, with that monkey now off his back, hopefully the goals will start coming for the English striker.

The Brentford win was also important for James Maddison, as the midfielder ended his wait for a goal in a man-of-the-match performance over the Bees.

Both Solanke and Maddison will have to play big roles if Spurs are to be a success in the UEFA Europa League this season, a competition they are the current 5.50 favourites to win.

Solanke is 1.95 to score anytime against Qarabag on Friday, while Maddison is 3.00 in the same market to find the back of the net.

Qarabag out to cause an upset

Out at 17.00 to win Friday’s game in north London, Qarabag are clearly heavy underdogs for this UEFA Europa League clash.

The Baku outfit are on a run of three straight wins in the Azerbaijan Premier League going into this game but they will know they face a much sterner test against Spurs in the English capital.

Qarabag have caused big teams problems on the road in this competition, beating Braga in Portugal last year, while also running runners-up Bayer Leverkusen close in a 3-2 defeat in Germany.

It took two last-gasp goals from Patrik Schick to deny Qarabag a famous win at BayArena and Spurs will have to be wary of what this Qarabag side will bring to the party on Friday.

Scoring three goals in the last two games for Qarabag, Leandro Andrade is a player Spurs will have to keep tabs on.

The 31-year-old attacking midfielder is a man in form and the Cape Verde international is available at 10.00 to score anytime on Friday and 29.00 to score the opener.