Tottenham vs. Gent: Team News, Live Stream, TV Info for Europa League Leg 2
Tottenham Hotspur will be battling to overcome a 1-0 deficit when they host KAA Gent in the second leg of the UEFA Europa League last 32 at Wembley Stadium on Thursday.
Spurs were stunned when Jeremy Perbet scored in Belgium a week ago but will feel confident of turning things around on home soil. Their confidence will be increased by Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino welcoming back some key regulars, including right-back Kyle Walker.
Here are the schedule and viewing details, before a look at the team news:
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Date: Thursday, February 23
Time: 8:05 p.m. GMT. 3:05 p.m. ET.
TV Info: BT Sport 2.
Live Stream: BT Sport App.
Preview
Walker will come back into a defence still set to miss Danny Rose at left-back, according to Sam Long of the London Evening Standard. More significantly, Long also noted how centre-back Jan Vertonghen is expected to start "having come through 90 minutes at Fulham unscathed."
Vertonghen featuring during the recent 3-0 FA Cup win over Fulham is ideal preparation for a player vital to Tottenham's strength at the back. Vertonghen's partnership with fellow Belgian centre-back Toby Alderweireld will prove crucial for a team routinely exposed on the break last week.
Alderweireld revealed Tottenham's squad challenged each other to improve after losing in Gent, per the London Evening Standard's Alex Young: "[We] talked to each other after the game in the Europa League and said 'Yeah, we have to change.'"
Of course, it's going to be more important for Spurs to score and score early. Fortunately, star striker Harry Kane proved he's back in form by netting a hat-trick against Fulham in the cup.
Kane's returning confidence could see the home side overwhelm Gent early on. Much will depend on the quality of supply Kane receives, so the onus will be on Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli to thrive between the lines.
The latter was also on the scoresheet at Craven Cottage, and his late runs into the box truly make Spurs click in the final third. Just like Kane, Alli can only boss matches if Eriksen is supplying him with the right passes between gaps.
The Dane hasn't been at his best recently, but did he tee up two of Kane's goals in the cup. Eriksen boasts the technical ability to expose any team in Europe's second-tier competition. Now Tottenham really need the former Ajax ace to turn on the style.
Tottenham are too talented to waste what was a favourable draw in the Europa League. Yet Spurs won't progress without their big players at both ends of the team returning to form.
