The match against Maribor is a crucial one for favourites Spurs. Lately, everything was going right for the Londoners who won four of their five matches before their defeat to Chelsea.
Thursday night appears as a moment for Andre Villas-Boas to demonstrate his potential. He needs to put his players together to react after conceding four goals against the Blues. The manager himself must prove that he can overcome the disappointment of losing to his former club in his own backyard, White Hart Lane.
Maribor have the upper hand over Tottenham Hotspur in Group J. The former have three points while Spurs have only two. The latter first stumbled to a goalless draw at home to Italian contenders Lazio. Against Panathinaikos in Greece, a first-half goal by M. Dawson could not give Spurs all three points as Toche snatched a late equalizer for the hosts.
Ahead of Thursday's clash, NK Maribor are brimming with confidence after successfully ending a run of two consecutive 1-0 defeats in all competitions. Last Saturday, the Purples defeated second-placed Ol Ljubljana to open a nine-point lead at the top of the PrvaLiga table. The Slovenians could rocket to the top of Group J in the UEFA Europa League if Lazio drop points against Panathinaikos.
However, Thursday’s hosts will have to face Tottenham Hotspur without Jovan Vidovic who received a red card on Matchday 2. Nejc Potokar may also be missing in defence due to injury. Meanwhile, Spurs could welcome Gareth Bale who missed last weekend’s match to assist his partner in labour. Another player in contention for a starting berth is goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.
The table
| UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE: GROUP J 2012/2013 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
Lazio | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 4 |
| 2 |  |
Maribor | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 3 |
| 3 | Tottenham Hotspur | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | +0 | 2 | |
| 4 | Panathinaikos | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | -3 | 1 | |
