11′ Ranftl has a probe down the right flank and he sends a low ball towards Raguz in the box, but Reguilon is on hand to clear the danger in the inside channel.
9′ CHANCE! Vinicius should put Spurs ahead. Bale sends Doherty down the right flank and he lifts a cross into the middle for Vinicius to attack. The forward has a free header six yards out, but he places his effort wide of the left post.
8′ Lamela curls a free-kick towards the near post for Davies to attack, but he can only guide his effort wide of the right post.
7′ Bale latches on to a throughball from Doherty down the right flank. He tries to get the better of Andrade, but Renner gets back to knock the ball behind.
5′ Grgic replaces Holland for the visitors in their midfield.
4′ Holland is down on the deck for the Austrian outfit and it does not look good for the midfielder.
3′ The visitors clear their lines from the resulting corner, but Mourinho will be pleased to see his team moving the ball well in the early stages.
2′ Doherty is played into space down the right flank and he cuts the ball back across the edge of the box. Reguilon takes a touch before shooting, and his effort is deflected over the bar.
1′ LASK win an early free-kick on the right flank. Michorl floats a dangerous cross into the box for Andrade to attack. It just soars above the head of the defender and into the grateful hands of Hart.
1′ We’re underway in this Europa League clash.
This will be Spurs’ very first match against LASK; they have faced Austrian opposition on four previous occasions, beating SV Stockerau twice and FK Austria Wien once (D1).
LASK have made three changes to their side that beat Worgl last time out. Michorl, Gruber and Balic all come into the fold as Madsen, Goiginger and Eggestein drop to the bench. Raguz leads the line for the Austrian outfit.
Gareth Bale makes his first start for Tottenham since his return to the club from Real Madrid. The Welshman is one of eight changes that Mourinho makes from the draw against West Ham. Hart starts between the sticks, while Doherty and Davies are called into the back four. Winks gets the nod alongside Hojbjerg, while Lamela, Lucas and Vinicius all start in the final third. Bale plays just behind Vinicius in the forward line.
LASK SUBS: Petar Filipovic, Johannes Eggestein, Christian Ramsebner, Marvin Potzmann, Mads Emil Madsen, Yevhen Cherbeko, Tobias Lawal, Thomas Goiginger, Lukas Grgic, Thomas Gebauer.
LASK (3-4-3): Alexander Schlager; Philipp Wiesinger, Gernot Trauner, Andres Andrade; Reinhold Ranftl James Holland, Peter Michorl, Rene Renner; Andreas Gruber, Husein Balic, Marko Raguz.
TOTTENHAM SUBS: Hugo Lloris, Toby Alderweireld, Son Heung-min, Harry Kane, Moussa Sissoko, Giovanni Lo Celso, Dele Alli, Steven Bergwijn, Serge Aurier, Tanguy Ndombele, Brandon Austin, Jack Clarke.
TOTTENHAM (4-2-3-1): Joe Hart; Matt Doherty, Davinson Sanchez, Ben Davies, Sergio Reguilon; Harry Winks, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg; Lucas Moura, Gareth Bale, Erik Lamela; Carlos Vinicius.
LASK also advanced through the qualifying stage, overcoming DAC before producing a stunning performance on the road to hammer Sporting CP 4-1. The Austrian outfit have form coming into the contest, losing only one match since the start of the campaign. Dominik Thalhammer’s men defeated Worgl last time out in the Stiegl Cup and will be looking for another strong outing.
Tottenham battled through the qualifying rounds of the Europa League to reach the group stage. Jose Mourinho’s men defeated Lokomotiv Plovdiv, Shkendija and Maccabi Haifa to advance. Spurs have played a lot of football in the early stages of the campaign, which may have played a role in their collapse against West Ham United last time out in the Premier League. Leading 3-0, they conceded three goals in the final 10 minutes, spurning a victory on home soil. Mourinho will be demanding a resonse tonight.
Good evening and welcome to the live commentary of the Europa League Group J clash between Tottenham and LASK at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
L. Grgic
J. Holland