Tottenham Hotspur will look to continue its strong Europa League start when it takes on Anzhi Makhachkala on Thursday.
Tottenham opened its tournament with a 3-0 destruction of Tromso while the Russian side managed a 1-0 victory over Sheriff Tiraspol. However, this Anzhi side is no longer considered a top contender after making a tremendous amount of changes in the last year.
The Russian side reportedly saw its 116 million euro budget reduced to 32 million euros; this led to a fire sale of players that included Samuel Eto'o, Willian and Christopher Samba among others. Additionally, Coach Rene Meulensteen was fired after just 16 days on the job.
"They are radically different from what Anzhi built in these past years," Tottenham Coach Andre Villas-Boas said, according to ESPN. "The changes are so radical and dramatic that you find it hard to recognize the team and the project they set out to do in the beginning."
However, he did note that the team was still a huge threat that should be taken seriously.
"They've got one point out of the game against Sheriff so it's going to be a difficult game with difficult conditions," Villas-Boas added. "We don't want to come here and play with the competition - we want to be serious about the project in that way."
Prediction: Tottenham is the favorite and will win 1-0 despite being on the road.
Start Time: 12 p.m. EST
Watch Live Stream HERE at ESPN3.
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