Tottenham vs Tromso September 19, 2013

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Tottenham Hotspur kick off their Europa League campaign with a visit from Norwegian side Tromso IL in Group K on Thursday night.

Manager Andre Villas-Boas is likely to make a number of changes to his usual starting lineup for the Premier League, with Jermain Defoe in line to start up front if Roberto Soldado is rested.

Tottenham kick off their Europa League Group K campaign with a home clash with Norwegian side Tromso on Thursday night (8.05pm).

Spurs reached the quarter-finals of the competition last season and they will be looking to improve on that this term.

Andre Villas-Boas' side have started the Premier League season well with three wins from four games, but the Portuguese is expected to make a number of changes to his side for the Europa League.

Wingers Aaron Lennon (foot) and Nacer Chadli (hip) are both ruled out through injury, while midfielder Etienne Capoue is sidelined with an ankle problem.

Jermain Defoe could be in line for a rare start, but Emmanuel Adebayor is not in the first-team plans of Villas-Boas and continues to train with the development squad.

Romanian defender Vlad Chiriches could also make his debut in a white shirt.

Spurs have begun their Premier League campaign with three wins from four and currently lie third, level on points with North London rivals Arsenal.

Tromso, meanwhile, have not had a good season in the Eliteserien, which is nearing its close, and occupy 13th place in the 16-team league, meaning that they have relegation worries as well as a European campaign to worry about.

Their victory over Besiktas in qualifying for the group stage was one of the shocks of the European season and will mean that Spurs should not treat them lightly at White Hart Lane.

Spurs: Friedel; Walker, Kaboul, Chiriches, Naughton; Townsend, Sandro, Sigurdsson, Holtby, Kane; Defoe

Tromso: Sahlman; Fojut, Koppinen, Norbye, Ciss; Bendiksen, Drage, Andersen, Johansen; Moldskred, Ondrasek

Waregem vs Wigan September 19, 2013

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Wigan loan signing Ryan Shotton will make his debut in the club's first Europa League match against Belgian side Zulte Waregem on Thursday.

Manager Owen Coyle confirmed the defender - signed on loan from Stoke until 2 January - will feature.
Callum McManaman, James McClean and Manchester United loanee Nick Powell will also play, but the rested Shaun Maloney has not travelled.

"It presents a great experience for our players and the club," said Coyle.
He described the match as "historic", adding: "The excitement around the whole town has been building.
"We want to enjoy these experiences, and the only way to do that is to perform well and win the game."

Wigan begin their first European football campaign when they travel to Zulte Waregem in the Europa League on Thursday.

The English side secured their place in the competition with an unlikely victory in the FA Cup in May, when a Ben Watson header in the dying stages secured a 1-0 win over Manchester City at Wembley.

"The players are a lot more technical on the continent, which we’ll have to get to grips with, and I found it an interesting challenge."

Belgian side Zulte Waregem finished last season's domestic campaign in second position, earning a place in the Champions League only to be knocked out in the third qualifying round by PSV Eindhoven.

Zulte's European adventure continues in the Europa League, however, and they ensured their participation in the group stages with a 3-2 aggregate victory over Cypriot side APOEL in the play-off round.

They occupy fifth spot in Belgium's Pro League, having won four of their opening seven matches.

However, they head into the encounter on the back of a heavy 5-2 defeat away to Genk on Sunday and Francky Dury's side will be keen for a quick response.

Valencia vs Swansea September 19, 2013

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Swansea kick off their Group A campaign in the Europa League on Thursday (kick-off 6pm BST) with a glamorous away fixture against Valencia.

Michael Laudrup's men booked their place in the competition by winning the Capital One Cup last season and they have negotiated qualifying ties against Malmo and Petrolul Ploiesti.

Swansea now have the opportunity to travel to Spain and play at the 55,000-capacity Mestalla in the sort of fixture that would have seemed like a distant dream to fans just a few seasons ago.

Laudrup has confidently claimed that his side can 'beat anyone' in the Europe League, and they will be looking to make a strong start in their bid to advance from a group that also contains Swiss side St Gallen and Kuban Krasnodar of Russia.

Swansea go into the match on the back of a 2-2 draw with Liverpool which left them with four points from their opening four Premier League games of the season.

Winger Pablo Hernandez has been ruled out of the clash with his former club due to a hamstring injury.

Leon Britton is banned having been sent off against Petrolul Ploiesti in the play-off round, while a thigh injury is set to keep defender Neil Taylor sidelined.

But record signing Wilfried Bony has made the journey to Spain despite picking up a rib injury against Liverpool on Monday, and the striker will be assessed following training.

Valencia have endured a tough start to the Primera Liga season and are currently 16th in their domestic table after losing three of their first four games.

Pablo Hernandez will miss out on the chance to face his former Valencia team-mates as a hamstring strain keeps the winger out of Swansea's Europa League clash at the Mestalla.

Midfielder Leon Britton is another absentee, having been sent off against Petrolul Ploiesti in the play-off round, while a thigh injury is set to keep defender Neil Taylor sidelined.

But record signing Wilfried Bony has made the journey to Spain despite picking up a rib injury against Liverpool on Monday, and the striker will be assessed following training.

Provisional squad: Vorm, Amat, Flores, Williams, Shelvey, Michu, Bony, Dyer, Lamah, Routledge, Monk, De Guzman, Canas, Rangel, Pozuelo, Tremmel, Davies, Tiendalli, Vazquez.