Shkendija vs Tottenham Preview:
Possible starting lineups:
Shkendija:
Zahov; Murati, Pavic, Bejtulai, Krivak, Nafiu, Dita, Ahmedi, Totre, Ibraimi, Doriev
Tottenham:
Lloris; Doherty, Sanchez, Alderweireld, Davies; Sissoko, Winks; Bergwijn, Lo Celso, Son; Kane
Shkendija will host Tottenham at the National Arena "Tose Proeski" in Skopje. Both teams will try to secure a place in the play-off for the group stage of Europa League. Maccabi Haifa from Israel or Russian side FK Rostov will be the last opponents. The Spurs are huge favorites, but Shkendija will try to make a miracle. The Black and Reds are football club based in Tetovo. Their home stadium is Ecolog Arena in Tetovo, so the empty stadium in Skopje wont represent some significant home advantage. Shkendija play in Macedonian First Division and currently sit on the top of the table, having recorded four wins and two draws in their opening six matches.. They have already eliminated two sides in the previous stage of this competition. First they beat Sumqayit from Azerbaijain with 2:0, while then won 1:0 against the Romanian side Botosani. Besart Ibraimi and Ljupco Doriev were scorers in the first round, while Besart Ibraimi netted in the second match. Coach Ernest Gjoka has one big problem ahead of this match - midfielder Armend Alimi is suspended as he was sent off in Romania.
Tottenham players will enter the match in Skopje not too tired after their league-cup fixture at Leyton Orient was postponed. So, the high victory over Southampton during the weekend was their last match. The Spurs won 5:2 at St Mary and Jose Mourinho was pleased with the performance of his men. Son Heung-min was the hero as he scored four goals. The best scorer Harry Kane should also be mentioned as he scored the remaining one, but more, he assisted the previous four. The atmosphere in the squad is much better now, while the players confidence is higher. Tottenham were also successful in the Europe League qualifications. They managed to eliminate Bulgarian side Lokomotiv Plovdiv in the previous round. The Spurs were one goal down until the 80th minute, but Kane and Ndombele turned out the result and secured progress. In the meantime two new players arrived at White Hart Lane - Gareth Bale and Sergio Reguilon. They both came as Real Madrid players, although the later spent the last season on loan at Sevilla, winning the trophy in Europa League. Nevertheless, Bale is not ready, while Reguilon could make his debut in the white shirt. Japhet Tanganga is sidelined due to a thigh injury.
Shkendija vs Tottenham Prediction:
Tottenham are big favorites in this match, however, Shkendija will try to make a miracle. And I think they are able to cover the handicap, meaning they won't lose with three goals. Mourinho will play mostly with the reserves and this is the key reason for my pick.
Shkendija vs Tottenham Pick: Shkendija +2.5 @ 1.72 with BetVictor