MX23RW : Thursday, July 4 06:44:48| >> :120:31468:31468:
[monks data]
Europa League | Second Qualifying Round
Sep 17, 2020 at 5pm UK
Stadion Lokomotiv
Spurs logo

L. Plovdiv
1 - 2
Spurs

Minchev (71')
Karagaren (51'), Almeida (67'), Masoero (87')
Karagaren (79'), Almeida (79')
FT(HT: 0-0)
Kane (80' pen.), Ndombele (85')

Bruno Akrapovic determined to upset Tottenham in Europa League

The Bulgarian side take on Jose Mourinho's men in the Europa League.

Lokomotiv Plovdiv manager Bruno Akrapovic hopes to prove his son wrong when Tottenham visit in the Europa League second qualifying round on Thursday.

Spurs travel to Bulgaria hoping to win the first of three qualifying rounds before they make it to the group stage.

Jose Mourinho's men are heavy favourites to progress, not least in Akrapovic's own house.

"Tottenham is a big name, my little son, who is 10 years old, he told me we didn't have any chance," Akrapovic said. "I asked him why, he said 'Because of Harry Kane'.

"I asked him what was so special and he said only the name tells you everything. Harry Kane, like hurricane.

"It is nice. I hope we have a good game, a special situation for the whole of Bulgaria, it is a big game for everyone. First of all I hope everything goes positive."

Mourinho has labelled this as a tough tie, especially as it is played over one leg, and Akrapovic is hoping his side can surprise the Premier League outfit.

"For us this game is very important, not only for us all of Bulgaria, especially Plovdiv," he said. "It is a special game. We try to do our best in every game.

"It is not so easy tomorrow with how big a club Tottenham are. For us it is important that we play to our style and maybe we can surprise the opponent in some situations.

"We want to play in our style that we play all the time in the Bulgarian league, it is not so easy but our team is prepared for the game. We want to do the best to get the result for us."

The 52-year-old, who used to manage the Bosnia national team, is particularly excited about coming up against a man of Mourinho's standing in the game.

"It is a special day for me, not only for the club it is also a special day for me," he said. "I learn so much, I learn so much from him.

"I watched his training session when he was at Real Madrid and it is a pleasure for me to be on the line in the same match as such an elite coach."

ID:414585: cacheID:414585:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:11432:No Data Analysis info
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho pictured on August 22, 2020
Read Next:
Europa League qualifying draw: Tottenham to face Bulgarian side
>
rhs 2.0
Euro 2024 fixtures header
Friday, July 5
 
5pm
Quarter-Finals
Spain
vs.
Germany
 
8pm
Quarter-Finals
Portugal
vs.
France
Saturday, July 6
 
5pm
Tuesday, July 9
Wednesday, July 10
Sunday, July 14
Tables header RHS

Group A

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Germany Germany32107
Q Switzerland Switzerland31205
3 Hungary Hungary31023
4 Scotland flag Scotland30121

Group B

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Spain Spain33009
Q Italy Italy31114
3 Croatia Croatia30212
4 Albania national flag Albania30121

Group C

TeamPWDLPTS
Q England flag England31205
Q Denmark Denmark30303
Q Slovenia Slovenia30303
4 Serbia Serbia30212

Group D

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Austria Austria32016
Q France France31205
Q Netherlands Netherlands31114
4 Poland Poland30121

Group E

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Romania Romania31114
Q Belgium Belgium31114
Q Slovakia Slovakia31114
4 Ukraine Ukraine31114

Group F

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Portugal Portugal32016
Q Turkey Turkey32016
Q Georgia Georgia31114
4 Czech Republic Czech Republic30121


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!