Tottenham travel to Portugal to take on Pacos de Ferreira in the first of their two-legged play-off round, as they look to book a spot in the inaugural Europa Conference League group stage.
The north London club, now guided by Nuno Espirito Santo, were placed into the play-off round after finishing seventh in the Premier League last season.
Having become accustomed to Champions League football, Europa League as a minimum, the new format is somewhat of a step down for Tottenham.
However, it represents a real opportunity for Nuno to win a trophy in his debut season, while it’s also a chance for the likes of Bryan Gil, Cristian Romero and Pierluigi Gollini to get up to speed.
In a major boost for Tottenham, Harry Kane is now back in training, but has been left out of the travelling squad.
They come up against Pacos, who finished fifth in the Primeira Liga last season and have a win and a loss in their two league games to date in the current campaign.
With the match-up swiftly approaching, Sportsmail takes you through the all-important details.
Nuno Espirito Santo is looking to win a trophy in his first season as Tottenham’s new manager
Tottenham claimed a 1-0 victory over Manchester City in their Premier League opener
What is the Europa Conference League?
First, a quick reminder as to what the Europa Conference League actually is.
The format comes in as a new tournament, running alongside the pre-existing Champions League and Europa League competitions.
UEFA are determined to give more clubs the opportunity to play European football, which is why they have introduced the new format.
The group stages of the newly-formed competition start in September, with the knockouts getting underway in March and the final in May
‘The new UEFA club competition makes UEFA’s club competitions more inclusive than ever before,’ UEFA president Aleksandr Ceferin said of the tournament.
‘There will be more matches for more clubs, with more associations represented in the group stages.’
When is Pacos de Ferreira vs Tottenham?
Tottenham take on Pacos de Ferreira in the first leg of their Europa Conference League play-off round on Thursday, August 19.
The match, which will be played at Estadio Capital do Movel in Pacos de Ferreira, will kick-off at 7.30pm BST.
The return leg at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will then take place a week later on Thursday, August 26.
How to watch the Europa Conference League clash
Pacos de Ferreira vs Tottenham will be televised live on Premier Sports, which costs £11.99 a month.
Sportsmail will also be running a live blog, so you can keep up-to-date with us.
Team news
The big news for Tottenham is that Kane is back training with the first-team, though he has been left out of the travelling squad.
The England captain was absent entirely for Tottenham’s opening-day 1-0 win over Manchester City, having returned from holiday late.
Sportsmail understands City tabled a whopping £125million bid for Kane last week, which is below Tottenham’s £150m valuation.
Harry Kane is back in Tottenham training and was named in their 25-man squad, but is not expected to travel to Portugal for Thursday night’s game
In addition to Kane, Tanguy Ndombele’s absence is set to continue, having been left out of the squad, alongside Serge Aurier.
Ryan Sessegnon has also stepped up his recovery from injury in an U23s encounter against Chelsea, but he also won’t be involved.
Meanwhile, new signing Cristian Romero made his debut with a brief cameo against City and could once again be involved, while Bryan Gil could also feature.
Pacos de Ferreira vs Tottenham: The odds
Tottenham have been more familiar to higher level competition in recent years, having reached the final of the Champions League in 2019 and the last 16 of the Europa League last season.
It therefore comes as no surprise that the north London outfit are the overwhelming favourites to come out on top on Thursday night.
They are favoured at 40/85 to get the win, with the home side the major underdogs at 9/2, Meanwhile, a draw is at 16/5.
*Odds as per Betfair and correct at the time of publication.
What are the Europa Conference League dates?
| Match day | Match date |
|---|---|
| Match 1 | September 16 |
| Match 2 | September 30 |
| Match 3 | October 21 |
| Match 4 | November 4 |
| Match 5 | November 25 |
| Match 6 | December 9 |
| Round | First Leg | Second Leg |
|---|---|---|
| Knockout play-offs | February 17 | February 24 |
| Round of 16 | March 10 | March 17 |
| Quarter-finals | April 7 | April 14 |
| Semi-finals | April 28 | May 5 |
| Final | May 25 | N/A |