Picking the Right Tottenham XI to Face Dinamo Tbilisi in Europa League

After getting its Premier League campaign off on a successful note on Sunday, Tottenham is gearing up for the opening of their Europa League campaign on Thursday.

The interest in the lesser continental tournament spiked in North London last season, as Spurs made a deep run through some tough competition before falling to Basel on penalties in the quarterfinals.

However, Tottenham enters this season's competition a round earlier than they did last season, meaning the club must get through a two-legged playoff to even make it to the group stage.

Spurs' opponents for this home-and-away clash will be Dinamo Tbilisi, the reigning champions of the Georgian Umaglesi League who fell into this competition after losing to Steaua Bucuresti in the third round of Champions League qualifying.

While the Georgian side should not be taken lightly, Spurs could use the first leg in Tbilisi to experiment with their newest signings, test those just returning from injury and try out a few tactical shifts.

So what's the optimal setup for Tottenham heading into Thursday's match with Dinamo Tbilisi?

Here is a good option for Spurs' starting XI ahead of the first leg of their Europa League playoff.

GK: Brad Friedel

The starting goalkeeper position at White Hart Lane may belong to Hugo Lloris, but manager Andre Villas-Boas has done a good job at keeping his No. 1 fresh.

To do so, the Spurs boss has given his French starter league matches and rested him for cup ties, turning to the ageless American Brad Friedel in his stead.

Friedel performed admirably in the Europa League last season, making some big saves that kept Tottenham alive on a few occasions.

There's no reason the 42-year-old will have this playing time taken from him this season.

RB: Kyle Naughton

With normal right-back Kyle Walker putting in a fairly good 90 minutes against Crystal Palace to open his third season as the Tottenham starter, this seems like a good time to rest the Englishman before next Sunday's league match with Swansea.

Luckily, Spurs have a very capable backup in Kyle Naughton to turn to in just this situation.

The young Englishman filled in competently on both sides of the defense last season, getting starts at both full-back positions as needed.

Naughton will hope to put in a good performance on his preferred right flank and start to challenge Walker by season's end.

CB: Younes Kaboul

Younes Kaboul made his competitive return to Tottenham in Sunday's victory over Crystal Palace.

The center-back came on late as a substitute and looked decent in his few minutes on the pitch.

This Europa League tie will be a perfect way for Kaboul to shake off any cobwebs still lingering from the injury that held him out of almost all of last season, while giving Andre Villas-Boas the opportunity to assess his progression.

CB: Michael Dawson

With Jan Vertonghen getting a slight knock in Sunday's opener, captain Michael Dawson looks like the probable starter in the center of defense.

The Englishman has been putting in fine performances for over a year and seems to be fit heading into the season.

With Dawson's history of injury concerns, though, it wouldn't be that surprising to see Andre Villas-Boas rotate his captain out if he sees a way to do so.

LB: Danny Rose

After Danny Rose's successful stint on loan at Sunderland last season, expectations have been high for the young left-back heading into this season.

Rose put in a decent display for Tottenham in Sunday's match with Crystal Palace, but showed some room for improvement in his 86 minutes on the pitch.

Thursday's Europa League match should provide a good opportunity to get the 23-year-old more minutes and settled in with his teammates.

LM: Nacer Chadli

Nacer Chadli's debut for Tottenham on Saturday inspired some excitement in supporters hoping to see a new threat on the wings.

The Belgian was elusive down the left flank, combining well with Danny Rose behind him.

With Gareth Bale still hurt, this is a good opportunity to allow Chadli to prove himself and gain some confidence at his new club.

CDM: Etienne Capoue

Much of the buzz around White Hart Lane, following Tottenham's victory over Crystal Palace Saturday, has been about new signing Etienne Capoue.

Just days after inking a deal with Spurs, the Frenchman was brought on as a substitute in the club's first match of the season.

In just over half-an-hour on the pitch, Capoue was so impressive that he had many supporters almost giddy at the thought of the potential to what he could bring to the club.

Now, as any buzzkill would love to point out, one should keep a cool head about the 25-year-old's performance, as it was just a small sample.

However, if Capoue can keep playing like that, he could easily be the Premier League signing of the season.

Villas-Boas should give the Frenchman the start here and start planning on his place in the regular starting XI.

CAM: Gylfi Sigurdsson

Aside from some woeful finishing that saw him waste a few perfect opportunities, Gylfi Sigurdsson put in a decent performance for Tottenham against Crystal Palace, moving well and creating chances.

Unfortunately, it is tough to overlook the finishing.

Still, Sigurdsson put in some good performances in the Europa League last season and should be a fixture in the campaign ahead.

With Lewis Holtby still hurt, the Icelander is a great option for Spurs heading into this match.

Then again, giving the young Tom Carroll a chance to shine is also a very good choice.

CDM: Mousa Dembele

Sunday's win didn't see Mousa Dembele put in a vintage performance, as the Belgian didn't control the tempo quite as well as he usually does and was subsequently replaced before the hour-mark.

The early substitution should leave Dembele relatively fresh heading into Thursday, allowing him another chance to make a good start to the season.

After his performances in the Europa League last season, Dembele should be a good choice here.

RM: Andros Townsend

Andros Townsend's fine performances on loan at QPR last season have him returning to White Hart Lane with momentum.

The young winger was a rare bright spot on a sinking ship at Loftus Road and will hope to make an impression at Tottenham this season.

Thursday's match will be a great stage for Townsend to prove himself at Spurs.

If he performs well, a few minutes in league matches could be thrown his way quite soon.

F: Jermain Defoe

With Roberto Soldado coming in as a record signing for Tottenham, the second choice, Jermain Defoe, is likely to get the start Thursday.

The striker came on late for Soldado on Sunday and had a clear chance to put in a match-clincher, yet he was unable to hit the target, despite facing a one-on-one opportunity.

Spurs will hope that Defoe is able to recapture his early-season form from a year ago, when he netted four goals in his first five matches.

If he stumbles at all in Tblilisi, though, Emmanuel Adebayor will be waiting in the wings to make an impression and earn some playing time.

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