Tottenham vs Besiktas: Europa League match preview

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

Mauricio Pochettino wants to emulate the impact made by his local rival Arsène Wenger (Getty Images)

Mauricio Pochettino will be hoping that his side can remedy their patchy recent form to secure a win that could see them go top of Group C. The manager rested several players as Tottenham battled their way to a 0-0 draw at Partizan in their opening fixture in the group stages, but the team’s only win in their last six matches in all competitions was a 3-1 victory against Nottingham Forest in the Capital One Cup.

Besiktas have mixed experiences in the capital. Their manager Slaven Bilic and striker Demba Ba both represented West Ham with distinction, but the team’s record in London is mixed – most recently, they lost 1-0 to Arsenal in this season’s Champions League qualifier at the Emirates.

Like Spurs, Besiktas drew their opening fixture in the competition, a late equaliser from Asteras Tripolis’s striker Facundo Parra cancelling out Gokhan Tore’s opener. The Istanbul-based side currently lies second place in the Turkish Super Lig.

KICK-OFF: Thursday, 8.05pm

PAST MEETINGS…

Besiktas 0 Tottenham 2 (Ghaly, Berbatov), UEFA Cup, October 2006

Demba Ba in action against Arsenal (Getty Images)

STATS…

Besiktas have won two out of seven European matches in London – they lost the other five.

Spurs have won 10, drawn two and lost just one of their last 13 European fixtures at White Hart Lane.

Despite struggling in the league, Roberto Soldado was Spurs’ joint-top scorer in last season’s Europa League, with five goals in seven appearances.

Besiktas’s best ever season in the competition came in 2002/3, when they reached the quarter finals.

ODDS…

Tottenham to win: 1.6

Besiktas to win: 5.5

Draw: 3.9

TV: Live on ITV4 at 8.05pm, highlights on BT Sport 1 Friday at 7.30am.