Tottenham v AEL: Pochettino eyes continuation of good form

Tottenham will attempt to keep up their fine start under new boss Mauricio Pochettino when they host AEL in the Europa League.

The Premier League side produced their best performance since Pochettino took the reins when cruising to a 4-0 victory over QPR on Sunday.

Led by rejuvenated stars Erik Lamela and Nacer Chadli, Tottenham dismantled their London rivals to keep up their exceptional form.

That success followed a 1-0 win at West Ham and 2-1 success in the first leg against AEL.

And Pochettino now turns his attentions to Europe again on Thursday as Tottenham attempt to book their place in the competition proper having already triumphed in Cyprus.

“We have an unbelievable squad, so if we play together we can achieve something,” he said.

“When you win it is important to keep calm.

“It is only the beginning of the season, but it is important to win because it makes it a little bit easier to develop your philosophy.”

Tottenham will have Kyle Naughton, suspended at the weekend, back in their ranks.

However, Kyle Walker and Vlad Chiriches are set to miss out due to pelvis and back problems respectively.

Tottenham are appearing in the tournament for the fourth successive year.

Spurs were eliminated in the last 16 last season, knocked out by eventual beaten finalists Benfica.

The north London side are two-time winners of the competition, in 1972 and 1984, yet have not reached the last-four stage since.

AEL, meanwhile, are in Europe’s secondary tournament having succumbed to Zenit in their Champions League qualifier.

They have played just once in the league this term, securing a 2-0 away victory over Nea Salamis on Sunday.

Valentinos Sielis and Luciano Bebe were the goalscorers, both netting in the second half.

AEL appeared on top in the first leg against Spurs, Adrian Sardinero giving the home side a 14th-minute lead.

It was the introduction of Lamela that sparked a turnaround, the Argentinian assisting goals for Roberto Soldado and Harry Kane to give Tottenham an edge that they hope to take full advantage of at White Hart Lane.