Tottenham vs Elfsborg: Preview, predictions and lineups | OneFootball

Tottenham Hotspur are aiming to secure their place in the Europa League last 16 on Thursday when they face a visit from Swedish outfit Elfsborg.

The Lilywhites have guaranteed their place in the knockout play-off round at the very least following last week's 3-2 win over Hoffenheim, but need victory at home to Elfsborg to ensure that they directly pass to the last 16.

A draw or defeat would leave a top eight finish out of their hands and they would be reliant on results elsewhere to avoid February's two-legged play-off.

Confidence is hardly high for Spurs right now following the dismal weekend defeat to Leicester City, with pressure increasing on Ange Postecoglou in the dugout. Injuries have exacerbated their issues and the heat is rising in north London.

Elfsborg's regular league season finished in November and the Swedish side have only been playing Europa League matches and friendlies since. Successive wins in Europe mean they can still reach the knockout phase, even if a top eight finish is now impossible.

Here is 90min's guide to a crunch clash for the Lilywhites.

What time does Tottenham vs Elfsborg kick-off?

Tottenham vs Elfsborg head-to-head record

This is the first competitive fixture between Tottenham and Elfsborg.

Current form (all competitions)

How to watch Tottenham vs Elfsborg on TV - UK & US

Tottenham team news

Dominic Solanke is one of many absentees / Justin Setterfield/GettyImages

Tottenham's injury list is merciless but Postecoglou has at least confirmed that Mikey Moore, Pape Matar Sarr and Yves Bissouma are all available against Elfsborg.

However, that's where the good news ends. Guglielmo Vicario is still injured and January recruit Antonin Kinsky is ineligible to feature on Thursday, while Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and Detsiny Udogie are all absent in the backline.

According to Postecoglou, Djed Spence and Sergio Reguilon should be fit for the weekend clash with Brentford but are not available against Elfsborg.

James Maddison is missing for the next few weeks with a calf strain, while Timo Werner, Wilson Odobert, Dominic Solanke and Brennan Johnson are all injured in the forward line.

Tottenham predicted lineup vs Elfsborg

Tottenham predicted lineup vs Elfsborg (4-3-3): Austin; Porro, Dragusin, Davies, Gray; Bergvall, Bissouma, Bentancur; Kulusevski, Richarlison, Son.

Elfsborg team news

Oscar Hiljemark is aiming to pull off an upset / Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/GettyImages

Elfsborg have no major injury concerns heading to north London and will be eager to pile more misery on a struggling Spurs side. Oscar Hiljemark's team have not played much competitive football over the past two months and should be well rested.

Elfsborg are likely to field a similar lineup to the one that secured an impressive win over Nice last week but they will be unable to call upon January signings Simon Olsson and Julius Magnusson, neither of whom can be registered until the knockout phase.

Elfsborg predicted lineup vs Tottenham

Elfsborg predicted lineup vs Tottenham (3-4-3): Pettersson; Holmen, Henriksson, Yegbe; Hedlund, B. Zeneli, Qasem, Hult; A. Zeneli, Abdullai, Rapp.

Tottenham are undoubtedly favourites for Thursday's affair and should have enough firepower to undo an Elfsborg side sat 20th in the Europa League table. However, injuries and poor form mean a convincing win seems increasingly unlikely.

The good news for Spurs is that Elfsborg are not prolific scorers, managing just nine in the Europa League compared to Tottenham's 14. They have won recent European matches 1-0 against Nice and Qarabag but are unlikely to keep Spurs quiet in the capital.