Preview: Andre Villas-Boas in comfort zone after first leg Blitzkrieg
After beating the Georgian giants 5-0 last Thursday, Andre Villas-Boas has the luxury to field a second string squad , in order to rest key players for the North London Derby to be played on Sunday.
The Georgians have been left with a mountain to climb after last week’s drubbing and know that they need nothing short of a miracle in order to progress to the group stages of the Europa League.
Villa-Boas won the competition back in 2011 with Porto and despite the impending move of star winger Gareth Bale, is satisfied with how the rest of the squad has responded.
"We have a very, very strong team. If this transfer happens, it will give [players] the opportunity to step up their game, step up the responsibility and I think we have seen that in the last couple of games," he said.
"There hasn't been any disruption. We've been working well and the team is training very, very well."
One of the players who have taken the chance to replace Bale is young Englishman Andros Townsend who scored one goal and set up two others in the first leg and was the player to watch during Spurs’ 1-0 win over Swansea City on Sunday. Due to his performances, Townsend has been called up by Roy Hodgson for national team duty for the upcoming World Cup qualification games.
Aaron Lennon missed out on training this Wednesday due to injury and has not been named in the provisional squad while Benoit Assou-Ekotto and Emmanuel Adebayor are unlikely to feature as they seek to secure moves away from the club.
One player who is expected to start is summer signing from Valencia, Roberto Soldado who has scored four goals in his first three games for the Londoners.
One of the players to watch out for will be French international Etienne Capoue, who has seamlessly adjusted to his new side.Despite being very new to a league of high intensity drama, the former Toulouse man has played with aplomb and has been the driving force for his side while going forward. Not one to be physically dominated, Capoue has also shown the ability to dribble all over the park while also serving as a link between the defence and attack.
It is however, in defence where the midfielder has shone the brightest. Playing deep in his own half against Swansea, the Frenchman made six tackles and four passes which does not bode well for the Georgians whose task is already so tough.
Where to watch the match – live stream, start time, TV channels, Live Scores
Watch Tottenham Hotspur vs Dinamo Tbilisi on Thursday, August 29, 2013 live in:
In USA at 15:05 ET on ESPN3
In UK at 20:05 BST on ITV 4
Fans in other parts of the world can watch the match live on their local channels. Those in Australia can watch the match live on ESPN Australia, whereas fans in the Middle East can watch the match live on Al Jazeera Sport HD5.
For complete details of match listings and live score visit the Tottenham Hotspur vs Dinamo Tbilisi match page.
