Jermain Defoe
Reuters

Andre Villas-Boas takes his men to Russia as Tottenham Hotspur take on Anzhi Makhachkala for Group K clash of the UEFA Europa League on Thursday. The game between the two clubs will be held at the Saturn Stadium in Moscow.

Where to Watch Live

Kick-off is set for 5pm BST. Live coverage of the game will be available on ITV 4 in the UK.

Overview

Anzhi come into this game after they escaped the previous tie against FK Amkar Perm with a narrow draw in the Russian Premier League. Gadzhi Gadzhiyev's side opened the scoring with Alan Gatagov giving the hosts a lead just before the half time from the spot kick.

However, Maksim Kanunnikov equalised for Amkar Perm before Igor Picusciac gave them the lead two minutes from time. Anzhi were facing defeat until the Russian forward Pavel Solomatin's strike in the closing moments of the match saw them settle for a point.

In the domestic competition, Anzhi are yet to register a win and they sit at the bottom of the table with six points from 11 games. The first game of the Europa League against Sheriff Tiraspol ended in a goalless draw.

Paulinho
Reuters

Meanwhile, Spurs enter this game after ending the last league fixture 1-1 against Chelsea. Gylfi Sigurdsson gave the north London club an early lead and dominated the first half at the Lane. However, Chelsea bounced back after John Terry equalised from a header, which came from Juan Mata's freekick in the second half.

The result left AVB made to wait for his first victory over his former employers since Chelsea showed him the exit door. Spurs' first game in the Europa League against Tromso saw the English outfit register a 3-0 win at home.

What Managers Say

Gadzhi Gadzhiyev: "Tottenham have spent £100m? The parallel is that we sold £100m!"

Andre Villas-Boas: "We re-strengthened well, mostly with creative players who possess great ability on the ball. Our objective is to progress."

"We know we have to make a big, big effort regarding the trips, but we will be ready and we have learned from last season that we can't use the Europa League as an excuse. We have to use it as an example and the players will be fully motivated to do it this season too."

Team Form

Anzhi Makhachkala

  • Last Five (all competitios, most recent first): D D L D D
  • Last Result: Anzhi Makhachkala 2-2 FK Amkar Perm

Tottenham Hotspur

  • Last Five (all competitions, most recent first): D W W W W
  • Last Result: Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 Chelsea

Team News

Anzhi Makhachkala

  • Injured: Lacina Traore (shoulder), Alexandru Epureanu (knee), Ilya Maksimov
  • Doubtful: N/A
  • Suspended: N/A

Probable Lineup: Kerzhakov; Angbwa, Ewerton, Tagirbekov, Adeleye; Agalarov, Akhmedov, Sobolev, Jucilei; Burmistrov, Solomatin

Tottenham Hotspur

  • Injured: Etienne Capoue (knee), Aaron Lennon (knee)
  • Doubtful: Younes Kaboul (groin), Danny Rose (ankle)
  • Suspended: N/A

Probabale Lineup: Friedel; Walker, Vertonghen, Dawson, Naughton; Holtby, Sandro; Kane, Paulinho, Lamela; Defoe

Russia London