uefa cup football anderlecht v tottenham

Five presents another night of live UEFA Cup football as Tottenham Hotspur travel to Anderlecht for a crucial Group G clash. New coach Juande Ramos will be looking to continue Tottenham’s progress in the competition with victory over the tough Belgian side. Five’s coverage is presented by Colin Murray, while Dave Woods commentates.

Tottenham have hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons so far this season, with the controversial ousting of coach Martin Jol and his replacement with Sevilla’s Juande Ramos. Currently languishing in 14th place in the Premiership, Spurs have scraped two wins in 13 games, with only Robbie Keane distinguishing himself this term with a tengoal haul in all competitions. Newcomer Darren Bent – signed this summer for a club record of £16.5 million – has contributed four goals to the campaign. Former Spurs golden boy Jermain Defoe, meanwhile, has endured a torrid season, with only four starts and three goals to his name. However, the team recently returned to winning ways with a morale-boosting 4–0 drubbing of Wigan –form they will hope to transfer to Europe.

New coach Ramos has stated his desire to lead Tottenham “to the top”, and launched his reign with victory over Blackpool in the Carling Cup, a 1-1 draw at Middlesbrough, and the convincing win over Wigan. But Ramos will be hoping to bring his full experience to bear in the UEFA Cup – a competition he has won for the last two seasons in a row with Sevilla. The new man’s first Spurs game in Europe saw a solid 2-0 away win over struggling Israeli side Hapoel Tel-Aviv, with goals from Keane and Dimitar Berbatov. Before they take on Anderlecht, Spurs host Danish side Aalborg Boldspilklub (AaB) at White Hart Lane on November 29.

Tottenham’s opponents for this evening’s game are group leaders Anderlecht, Belgium’s most successful side and holders of five European trophies. Anderlecht have won the Belgian first division a record 29 times and lifted the UEFA Cup once, in 1983. The club are fourth in the Belgian First Division, having chalked up six wins in 12 games, and top Group G of the UEFA Cup, following victory over Tel Aviv and a draw with AaB.

Manager Franky Vercauteren has won two Belgian championships since taking charge of Anderlecht in 2005. Aside from lifting the trophy in 1983, the club boasts a strong record in the UEFA Cup, having won nearly half of its 85 matches in the competition; Vercauteren will be confident of getting a good result against Spurs this evening.