Tottenham Hotspur to play Lokomotiv Plovdiv in the second qualifying round of the Europa League
According to the Evening Standard, Tottenham Hotspur will take on Bulgarian side Lokomotiv Plovdiv in the second qualifying round of the 2020/21 Europa League.
The 2018 Champions League finalists will begin their European journey in the continent’s second-tier competition next season. We would have qualified for the group stages had Chelsea beaten Arsenal in the FA Cup final.
This means we will now have to travel all the way to Bulgaria just four days after our Premier League season opener against Everton. The match will be held at the Lokomotiv Stadium on Thursday, September 17.
It will be a test of our squad management, with the trip to Southampton just three days away on the 20th. It is notable that the qualifier is a one-off tie. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, all Champions League and Europa League qualifying ties this season before the play-off round will be settled in a one-off.
Spurs were regulars in the competition from 2011-2016. Our last campaign came to an end in the round of 32 against gent in 2016/17. We had initially qualified for the Champions League but fell down to the Europa League after finishing third in our group.
Meanwhile, Plovdiv finished fifth in the Championship round of the Bulgarian top-flight last season. They have won three of their first four matches in 2019/20. Plovdiv sit third, behind CSKA Sofia and defending champions Ludogorets Razgrad.
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The inclusion in the Europa League will see us having to negotiate hectic schedules. Jose Mourinho is no stranger to the competition. He has won it twice, once with FC Porto (then the UEFA Cup) and more recently with Manchester United in 2017.
The Portuguese has not failed to win trophies at the clubs he goes to. Hopefully with Spurs, the upcoming campaign will also end in glory.