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Tottenham vs Qarabag Europa League score predicted as striker bags a hat-trick

Tottenham's predicted XI vs Qarabag
-Credit: (Image: EA Sports)


Tottenham get their Europa League campaign underway later today when Ange Postecoglou's side face Qarabag FK at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

After suffering back-to-back losses against Newcastle United and Arsenal in the Premier League, Spurs got back to winning ways in their last league outing, with the Lilywhites coming from behind to beat Brentford 3-1. Next up for Postecoglou's side is his first taste of European football as Spurs boss, with Azerbaijan side Qarabag the Lilywhites' first opponents of the Europa League league phase.

This season, the Europa League has moved away from the group stage format we've known for so long, with a new league phase replacing it. Now, Spurs will play eight games in the league phase, with the eight highest-ranked teams out of the 36 qualifying automatically for the Europa League round of 16.

So, can Spurs kick off their Europa League campaign with three points? Let's take a look.

We simulated Tottenham vs Qarabag to get a score prediction

To complete this simulation, we used EA FC 25 and updated the squads with the latest injuries and suspensions.

We predict that Tottenham could line up in a 4-3-3 formation, with their starting XI as follows: Forster; Gray, Dragusin, Van de Ven, Davies; Sarr, Bissouma, Bergvall; Moore, Son, Werner.

We predict that the visitors could set up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with their line-up as follows: Kochalski; Silva, Huseynov, Medina, Cafarquliyev; Isaev, Romao; Bayramov, Andrade, Zoubir; Juninho.

Qarabag struck the post six minutes in to hand Spurs an early scare, but captain Son Heung-min eased the home fans with a goal after 12 minutes, finding the bottom right corner after cutting in from the left. With the lead, Postecoglou's side instantly gained some confidence, and four minutes after the opener, they grabbed a second.

Heung-Min Son made it 2-0 to Spurs
Heung-Min Son made it 2-0 to Spurs -Credit:EA Sports

Just outside the box, Lucas Bergvall fizzed a pass into the feet of Son, and the forward received the ball on the turn to ease past his defender and break through on goal. The South Korean international quickly got the ball out of his feet before blasting his shot into the roof of the net, putting his side two goals ahead in the early stages.

Just before the break, Spurs were awarded a penalty when youngster Mikey Moore was clipped in the box, and Son stepped up to dispatch the spot-kick, securing a first-half hat-trick as Spurs entered the break 3-0 ahead. In an extremely comfortable position, Spurs played the majority of the second half in first gear, and in the 77th minute, the Lilywhites grabbed a fourth to top off a fantastic evening.

Yves Bissouma made it 4-0 to Spurs
Yves Bissouma made it 4-0 to Spurs -Credit:EA Sports

As Qarabag attempted to play out of the back, Yves Bissouma forced Abbas Huseynov into giving up possession after pressing the defender high up the pitch. The midfielder picked up the loose ball and rifled a shot into the far corner of the net, leaving the 'keeper with no chance as Spurs began their Europa League campaign on a high.

EA FC 25 predicted final score: Tottenham 4-0 Qarabag