UEFA CUP GROUP G: Anderlecht - Tottenham

This UEFA cup group match features two classic teams from the competition. If memory serves me right this will be a repeat of the 1983-84 final, where Tottenham beat the Belgium side in a thrilling penalty shootout. Anderlecht shouldn’t really have been in the final at all though, as it later became known that they had bribed the referee in the semi final clash which sent then European giants Nottingham Forest out of the competition. That was twenty three years ago and neither team has meet with much success since then.

Coach Juande Ramos is looking to get a victory here which would put the London club through to the next round, although a point would do after winning the last two group games. They are now at the top of Group G and are in a very comfortable position. If Juande Ramos can lead his squad through to the final and win the trophy again, it would mean a record third UEFA cup for the Londoners and an amazing third consecutive UEFA cup winner’s medal for Ramos. Whether the English team are able to pull it off though, is another matter. Tottenham lost at the weekend to Birmingham, and although they were unlucky not to get a point, it was Ramos’ first defeat in charge of the club after seven games, only dropping points in two draws. There is no doubt that the Spaniard has revolutionized the team, but the club’s owners are still demanding European football next year. Whether he can take them from sixteenth in the league and a whopping eighteen points from a UEFA spot, or win this year’s UEFA cup trophy and classify that way isn’t known, but after what he did with Sevilla rule nothing out.

Anderlecht are currently fifth in their domestic league and have only suffered one defeat in the last ten games in all competitions. They are in second place in group G but have played a game less than Tottenham, so could still finish the group as leaders. Spurs have some injury worries and Juande Ramos has opted to leave some of his players out, especially in defense. Ledley King, Anthony Gardner, Gareth Bale, Benoit Assou-Ekotto and Ricardo Rocha will all miss the game that will need to take on Anderlecht.

I’m going for a Tottenham win here. Ramos is a master tactician and will know how to break down Anderlecht’s solid back four. I can imagine Berbatov making the headlines in the English papers the morning after this match.

Prediction: Away win (2-3)