Preview: Tottenham Hotspur v Royal Antwerp and I got a ticket!
Yes, I finally got a ticket for this match. I was unfortunate for the Arsenal game, but this game I got one. After 10 months of being starved of Spurs, I am finally going.
I hadn’t missed a home game in over 30 years, that is until the virus took over the world; it came, it saw, and it conquered (as we hope to do to the Premier League). With any luck, that is with the new vaccine, we might be seeing the beginning of the end of COVID-19. Let us keep our fingers crossed.
Initially, this blog was set up to chronicle my Spurs travels; home, away and abroad… unfortunately the last 10 months I was unable to put it to that use. Hopefully, I’ll have a brighter future where that is concerned.
Anyway, we are currently sitting at the top of the Premier League and second in the Europa League Group J, but we can go second if we beat Royal Antwerp. I am in two minds over this. We’ve got an important game on Sunday (aren’t they all?) so Jose must be thinking, “Should I jeopardise a full squad for a competition that we’ve already qualified for?” My suspicion is that he will probably put a similar team out that played against LASK but have some big guns on the bench, just in case the team struggles. I expect Bale and Alli to play. Even though Mourinho has questioned his players attitude on the night of the LASK game, I think players will go for it and beat Antwerp by something like 2-0 or 3-1.
My Prediction: 2-0 or 3-1
Whatever the score line I am expecting us to go top of Group J.
The Europa league
Yesterday (Tuesday) Manchester United got knocked out of the Champions League by RB Leipzig 3-2. Just a matter of interest, the last game I went to before the lock-down was against Leipzig in Germany. On that night, we were the victims of the German team. Nevertheless, it was a brilliant day and evening we had—an enjoyable trip (part from the result). Anyway, Mourinho has said that United are “one of the top favourites” for the Europa League.
United plunged into the Europa competition after their Tuesday’s defeat to finished third in Group H. United won the Europa League in 2017 under our current manager. Mourinho’s response to United dropping down, “The teams that drop down are always strong teams, teams that normally don’t belong to that level.” He went on and added, “Manchester United are one of the top teams. The group was very hard – Paris St-Germain, Manchester and Leipzig, very hard. We all knew it was not going to be easy for any one of them, and we all knew from that group a top team would drop into the Europa League.”
Mourinho has taken us to the top of the Premier League, and victory in Thursday’s final Europa League group match at home to Royal Antwerp will guarantee us top spot.
Team news
Spurs
We will be without full-back Serge Aurier who suffered a knock in Sunday’s game. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg will be rested, but Frenchman Tanguy Ndombele is fit enough to return.
The stats
We lost 1-0 to Royal Antwerp in our away encounter in Belgian.
Royal Antwerp’s last away European match in England was back in September 1994, a 5-2 defeat at Newcastle United in the Uefa Cup.
Including qualifiers, none of our past 17 home European matches have ended as a draw, and we have won 12 of them, including the past three.
Including qualifiers, Mourinho has won 14 of his past 16 home matches in the competition.
So, that is it, folks. I am looking forward to my return to the Tottenham Stadium, sadly (as far as I know) my friends didn’t get a ticket. Which wasn’t a great misery to them as they were hoping for a much more substantial game. Me; I am just happy to be back and feel and smell the area, club and soak in the atmosphere, even though it will have only 2,000 singing and joyous supporters there. The first thing I shall do when I arrive is to go to the Spurs shop. I am sure they’ve missed me as much as I’ve missed them (or missed my money).
Until we meet again, enjoy the match tomorrow and be safe (I’ll wave from the stands).
Glenn
My name is Glenn Renshaw.
I am currently a Premium Season Ticket holder (West Stand) in the new stadium. Before that – at White Hart Lane – a season ticket holder in various parts of the ground (mainly in the North stand).
Before becoming a season ticket holder, I stood on the shelf and various other parts of the ground since the 1950s. In 1987 I became one of the first to hold a Spurs Membership card. I was also a life long member of the Spurs supporters club (now defunct).
I go to all home, away and abroad matches.
I was born in 1955, Edgware, London (it was in the late 50s – as a baby – that my dad took me to Spurs to initiate me). I currently live in Berkshire.
I also collect all Spurs books (and have everyone printed), Spurs handbooks (from 1920s onwards, Spurs programmes (since the 40s).
Previously, I wrote for Spurs Fanzines: The Spur, Spur of the Moment, My Eyes have seen the Glory and various other Spurs fanzines’. I also wrote for the SpursWeb app & its website.
I currently write and work for spursnetwork.com and its website. I write its Reviews & Match reports and a lot more.
My other interests are; reading, history, social history, Politics, going to the gym, wine, going out for a meal, music (all sorts), writing, theatre, concerts, going on holidays, socialising etc.
I have been writing blogs/ articles since 1989
If you wish to read more of my blog, please click “here”
