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Jose Mourinho takes his Tottenham side to Austria on Thursday evening to face LASK in Europa League Group J. Spurs can guarantee a place in the last 32 with a win, although their spot in the knockout stage does already seem fairly secure.

While Antwerp host Ludogorets in the other Group J fixture, Tottenham will look to see off their Austrian opposition, who they comfortably beat 3-0 on matchday one.

The hosts come into the tie sitting second in the Austrian Bundesliga, having won 20 points from just nine games so far this season.

Back on ?#THFC ⚪️ #COYS pic.twitter.com/4BZ0Vpy89N

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) November 29, 2020

Meanwhile, the firm favourites for the three points on Thursday evening will be Mourinho’s men, who sit top of the pile in the Premier League and come into the tie in fantastic form.

When is Kick-Off? Thursday 3 December
What Time is Kick-Off? 17:55
Where is it Played? Stadion Der Stadt Linz
TV Channel? BT Sport 2
Referee? Pawel Raczkowski

The hosts will have to do without defender Gernot Trauner who was shown a red card in their last Europa League match against Antwerp. Australian midfielder James Holland is back from suspension, however, having missed that game, but will likely start on the bench.
Petar Filipovic is out of contention due to a hip injury, also sustained against Antwerp.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho says he expects Toby Alderweireld to be sidelined for two to four weeks:

? “He has a muscular injury but not as bad as we initially thought. He will be out, but not for a month like we suspected. I would say 2 to 4 weeks.” #COYS pic.twitter.com/hIzf3VnCRL

— Talking THFC (@TalkingTHFC) November 25, 2020

Spurs will be without Toby Alderweireld who is still suffering from a groin injury, which means the return of Japhet Tangana will be more than welcomed by Mourinho. Matt Doherty also returns having fully recovered from Covid-19.

LASK: Schlager; Andrade, Wiesinger, Cheberko; Ranftl, Madsen, Michorl, Renner; Gruber, Karamoko, Eggestein

Tottenham: Hart; Doherty, Sanchez, Tangana, Davies; Winks, Lo Celso; Bale, Alli, Lucas; Vincius

The hosts have enjoyed a very good start to the season domestically, currently finding themselves in second spot in the Austrian Bundesliga. They have won five of their six competitive home fixtures so far this campaign, and look tough to play against on their own turf.

It hasn’t been as plain sailing in the Europa League, but LASK have done well to accumulate six points thus far, and are still well in contention to progress into the knockout phase of the competition, provided they pick up a result against Tottenham.

However, the visitors are one of the form teams in Europe. Spurs have been a real force since their shock defeat to Antwerp in October, and have subsequently won five and drawn one in all competitions.

Spurs in November:

BHA (H) 2-1
WBA (A) 1-0
City (H) 2-0
Chelsea (A) 0-0

P 4
W 3
D 1
L 0
GF 5
GA 1
GD +4
CS 3
Points 10/12

José Mourinho for Manager of the Month? pic.twitter.com/wsSfeptq0k

— stevie ?? (@donsteviee) November 30, 2020

Tottenham come into this one on the back of a well-earned point at Chelsea, a thumping of Ludogorets, and most notably a Mourinho masterclass to see off Manchester City 2-0 – they will be brimming with confidence.

Here’s how each side has fared in their last five games…

LASK:

LASK 3-0 Altach (29/11)
LASK 0-2 Antwerp (26/11)
Hartberg 1-1 LASK (21/11)
LASK 4-0 Flyeralarm Admira (8/11)
Antwerp 0-1 LASK (5/11)

Spurs:

Chelsea 0-0 Spurs (29/11)
Spurs 4-0 Ludogorets (26/11)
Spurs 2-0 Manchester City (21/11)
West Brom 0-1 Spurs (8/11)
Ludogorets 1-3 Spurs (5/11)

Although LASK have been good at home this season and Mourinho will rotate his Spurs team for the tie, it really is tough to see how the Austrian outfit can come away with a result.

The north London side have faltered already at the hands of inferior opposition in Europe this year, but they come into Thursday night’s fixture in imperious form, and will be fully expecting the three points to build upon a comfortable showing in their last Europa League game.

The proven firepower of Gareth Bale, Dele Alli and Lucas Moura behind Vinicius should be enough to see Mourinho come away with the win he will be demanding.

Prediction: LASK 0-3 Tottenham

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West Ham have opened talks with David Moyes over a new contract, less than a year after he was re-appointed as the club’s manager.

The Scot is enjoying his second spell in charge at the club after taking over the reins from Manuel Pellegrini last December – the manager who had replaced him in the Hammers’ hot seat after the conclusion of the 2017/18 season.

Moyes led West Ham to safety after picking up 20 points from the club’s final 19 Premier League games, and his side have started off this season in fine form – currently sitting fifth in the Premier League table.

Five wins and two draws from their opening 10 games, a run that has included comprehensive victories over Leicester and Wolves, a remarkable comeback against Tottenham and a point against Manchester City at the London Stadium, has now led the club to open discussions over an extension to the 18-month deal he penned upon his return.

Sky Sports report that talks are already underway between the two parties, as the club finally look to tie down Moyes for the long term. First time around, Moyes was only offered a six-month contract, which was not renewed, while the start of his second stint in charge saw him afforded an additional 12 months.

On both occasions, Moyes has transformed the fortunes of the club and he’s gradually begun to win the support of the club’s fans after initial skepticism about his return.

Key to the Hammers’ revival has been Moyes’ solid recruitment. New arrivals Tomas Soucek, Jarrod Bowen, Vladimir Coufal and Said Benrahma all appear to be good acquisitions and the 57-year-old is understood to have played a significant role in acquiring and targeting of all the players.

He’s also got the best out of Michail Antonio after converting him into a bustling centre forward, much like he did with Marko Arnautovic during his first tenure.

If David Moyes was given more time as Manchester United manager, would he have been successful? ? pic.twitter.com/96cDQ3A86n

— 90min (@90min_Football) July 22, 2020

Next up for the Hammers is a tough fixture against one of Moyes’ former clubs, Manchester United. This is followed by tricky trip to Elland Road to face Leeds, before back-to-back London derbies against Crystal Palace and Chelsea – managed by former academy graduate, Frank Lampard.

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AC Milan will be hopeful of securing qualification for the Europa League knockout stages when they host an already eliminated Celtic at San Siro.

Stefano Pioli’s side currently sit in second place in the group, having given up top spot after disappointing back-to-back results against Lille.

Celtic come into the game in poor form, leaving the future of manager Neil Lennon firmly in the balance. The Bhoys do have an opportunity to restore some pride here, but it will take a monumental effort to overcome a side who are flying high in Serie A.

Here’s 90min‘s preview of the game.

When Is Kick Off? Thursday December 3rd
What Time Is Kick Off? 17:55 (GMT)
Where Is it Played? San Siro, Milan
TV Channel/Live Stream? BT Sport (UK)
Referee? Ricardo de Burgos Bengoechea (ESP)

Milan have been in fantastic form so far this season, with legendary veteran striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the form of his life.

Unfortunately, I Rossoneri will be without the Swede for this one, as he’s been ruled out with a thigh injury. Defender Mateo Musacchio and striker Rafael Leao are also expected to miss out.

Celtic’s only injury worry is midfielder James Forrest but their poor form could see Lennon ring the changes. Callum McGregor, Olivier Ntcham and Mohamed Elyounoussi could all start after being benched for the weekend defeat to Ross County.

Predicted Lineups

AC Milan: Donnarumma; Dalot, Gabbia, Romagnoli, Hernandez; Tonali, Bennacer; Hauge, Diaz, Krunic; Rebic

Celtic: Bain; Frimpong, Jullian, Ajer, Laxalt; Brown, McGregor; Christie, Ntcham, Elyounoussi; Edouard

Stefano Pioli’s men have enjoyed a fantastic season so far, and currently sit pretty at the top of Serie A, five points clear of city rivals Inter.

They have endured a minor blip in form of late though, picking up just two wins from their last five games in all competitions. In Ibrahimovic, they have one of the most in-form strikers in world football, and his absence will certainly be felt at kick off.

? “We need to go to the San Siro and defend well. We know what a good team Milan are and we need to start getting results and performances for the Manager.”

Exclusive @CelticTV interview with #CelticFC captain @ScottBrown8 ? pic.twitter.com/Hj2sXmbpl5

— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) December 1, 2020

Celtic, meanwhile, are in the midst of one of their worst runs of form in recent history. Just two wins have been picked up in their last ten games, although Lennon maintains that he’s the right man to lead the club forward despite the mounting pressure on his shoulders.

Here’s how both have got on specifically in their last five:

AC Milan

AC Milan 2-0 Fiorentina (29/11)
Lille 1-1 AC Milan (26/11)
Napoli 1-3 AC Milan (22/11)
AC Milan 2-2 Verona (08/11)
AC Milan 0-3 Lille (05/11)

Celtic

Celtic 0-2 Ross County (29/11)
Sparta Prague 4-1 Celtic (26/11)
Hibernian 2-2 Celtic (21/11)
Motherwell 1-4 Celtic (08/11)
Celtic 1-4 Sparta Prague (05/11)

With Celtic’s current troubles, it’s hard to look past a comfortable Milan win here. They know a win here will seal their passage into the last 32, providing Sparta Prague fail to beat pacesetters Lille.

Without Ibrahimovic, Milan will rely on Ante Rebic for goals but Brahim Diaz has been in decent form and will be the head creator in the midfield. Celtic are up against it, and with confidence on the floor after recent results, it could be another night of misery.

Prediction: AC Milan 3-0 Celtic

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Mauricio Pochettino is the favourite to take over from Zinedine Zidane as Real Madrid coach, with the Frenchman’s job hanging in the balance off the back of another humiliating defeat to Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday night.

The 48-year-old has been out of work following his sacking by Tottenham Hotspur in November 2019, and he has been linked with some of the biggest jobs in world football ever since. The Argentine’s stock remains high despite his dismissal, having taken the north Londoners to the unprecedented heights of a Champions League final, and transforming them into top-four regulars.

And Spanish outlet El Mundo reports that the ex-Spurs man is the heavy favourite to take over from Zidane at Madrid, with the Spanish giants’ season already in jeopardy of becoming a disaster.

The other man who is said to be vying for the Bernabéu hot seat is Madrid legend Raul. The former forward is currently in charge of the club’s Castilla youth side, and he may be promoted to steady the ship in Zidane’s potential absence.

The Frenchman led Los Blancos to La Liga glory last season, but the capital city club have failed to carry that form into the new campaign. The champions lie in fourth position in the league table, seven points off top spot with a game in hand, and a shock 2-0 defeat to Shakhtar Donetsk in Tuesday’s Champions League clash has left their European hopes in the balance and deepened their coach’s woes.

The man at the helm of Los Merengues is not willing to go quietly into the night, however. Speaking after Madrid’s disastrous loss to Shakhtar – a result which puts them on the brink of an unthinkable drop into the Europa League – Zidane maintained he has no intention of leaving his post as manager.

“There’s no chance whatsoever of me standing down. We’re going to keep going,” he said.

Real now sit in third place in their group, behind Borussia Monchengladbach and Tuesday’s victors, Shakhtar. Europa League football is simply not an option for Florentino Perez, who reportedly believes the club’s history will be tainted by participation in the secondary tournament.

So, let’s watch this space with interest. We may finally be seeing Pochettino back in action – sooner rather than later.

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Jordan Henderson was full of praise for Liverpool’s young guns following the Reds’ 1-0 Champions League win over Ajax.

Jurgen Klopp’s side are in the midst of an injury crisis, leading to several youth academy graduates getting their chance to impress on Tuesday evening. Two of them, Neco Williams and Curtis Jones, combined to score the game’s only goal in the second half, while goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher made several important saves to deny Ajax.

Kelleher ?❌

A BIG save from the #UCL debutant in the 88th minute! pic.twitter.com/nvHBJxvTCC

— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) December 1, 2020

Speaking after the game to Liverpool’s website, captain Henderson was quick to praise all three players for their contribution.

“Unbelievable, isn’t he? Outstanding, some of the saves he made, important saves,” he said of Kelleher. “His distribution was excellent, coming out and commanding his area. I thought he was outstanding and a real plus for us.

“I’m delighted for Curt because he’s worked really hard. He listens, he wants to learn all the time and I think over the last few weeks you’ve seen the maturity in his play and he’s been outstanding. He deserved his goal. 

“A great ball from Neco – I thought he overhit it, so I might have given him a bit of stick when he hit it! But it was a fantastic ball in the end. So I’m delighted for both of them.”

The victory confirmed Liverpool’s progression to the round of 16, and Henderson said that the result provided further evidence of the Reds’ strong character.

“We knew it would be a tough game and there’s things we can be better in and, of course, we probably could have scored two or more goals, especially in the second half,” he added.

“But I’m really delighted with the performance and the character of the team with the setback of injuries that we’ve had of late. But to keep fighting and to get the three points and win the group is massive for us, so I’m delighted with that.”

Attention now turns back to Premier League action, with Jurgen Klopp’s side hosting Wolves at Anfield on Sunday.

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