After a successful start to their Premier League campaign this past Sunday (a 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park), Spurs get their Europa League campaign underway on Thursday with a long trip to Georgia to face Dinamo Tbilisi. The Georgians play their home games at the 54,549 all-seater Boris Paichadze National Stadium - also simply known as the Dinamo Arena - and will be looking to cause an upset against their Premier League opponents in the first leg of the tie. Spurs may see the match as a mere inconvenience at this stage of the season but, with the quality they've added to the squad this year (and with more signings supposedly to come), they could be serious contenders to win the Europa League this season. With that in mind, here are five things we expect to see when Tottenham Hotspur take on Dinamo Tbilisi in Georgia this Thursday...
5. A Much Changed Spurs Side
Spurs will likely give a host of first-teamers the night off on Thursday, what with it being so early in the season, having played out a tough match at Selhurst Park on Sunday and with Swansea coming up at the weekend. Expect Brad Friedel to deputise in goal, expect Jan Vertonghen to be rested (he looked exhausted by the end on Sunday) and expect the likes of Paulinho and Soldado to be replaced with the likes of Capoue and Defoe - with the former pair starting from the bench. Sandro might make his competitive return following a long-term injury as well. Expect youngsters like Andros Townsend, Tom Carroll and even my namesake Kevin Stewart to be given run-outs. Spurs have a strong enough squad to be competitive in all competitions now, even with this level of rotation, so we should fully expect wholesale first team alterations in Georgia.
