Tottenham Hotspur welcome Dinamo Zagreb to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the first leg of their Round of 16 tie in 2020-21 Europa League.
Tottenham comfortably dispatched Wolfsberger in the Round of 32 to advance to this stage, whereas Zagreb saw off a tough challenge from Krasnodar to qualify for this stage.
Team News
Serge Aurier could return for Tottenham after missing their last two matches with a calf injury.
Giovani Lo Celso is still absent but now with a back injury suffered in training as he recovered from a thigh injury.
Dinamo will be without Sadegh Moharrami as the defender remains absent with a knee injury.
Stat Attack
- Tottenham won their only previous meeting against Dinamo Zagreb, winning 4-0 at White Hart Lane in November 2008 in the 2008-09 UEFA Cup.
- Dinamo Zagreb are winless in eight previous away trips to English opposition (D2, L6).
- Spurs are unbeaten in three previous meetings against Croatian opposition at home (W3).
- Carlos Vinicius has scored four goals in his last three Europa League home appearances for Spurs.
- Bruno Petkovic has scored four goals in his last three away Europa League appearances for Dinamo Zagreb.
Prediction
Tottenham were absolutely ruthless on Sunday against Crystal Palace with a strong attacking performance, so I am expecting another impressive display here despite Jose Mourinho confirming that he will make various changes.
Dinamo Zagreb however are a well drilled team in great form defensively which should provide Spurs with a challenge if they sit deep and are organised when it comes to defending, given that the North Londoners aren’t exactly stable in their own defence despite keeping two clean sheets in the last week.
I therefore wonder if Mourinho would of been wise to name an unchanged lineup and look to get the tie done early on given the form of their main front three, although the likes of Steven Bergwijn and Carlos Vinicius should have enough fresh intent to cause issues and force a win here.
Prediction: Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 Dinamo Zagreb
Result: Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 Dinamo Zagreb