CFR Cluj manager, Dan Petrescu has warned Tottenham Hotspur that they would only have a 50-50 chance of beating Romanian outfit Botosani if both teams make their way into the third round of Europa League qualification.
Jose Mourinho’s men have been handed a nightmare draw in the Europa League, with a trip to Bulgaria to take on Lokomotiv Plovdiv first on the calendar.
If Spurs overcome the Bulgarian side, they then have a third-round away game against either Romanian club FC Botosani or Macedonian club FK Shkendija on September 24.
To make matters worse, both these trips to eastern Europe are sandwiched between Premier League and Carabao Cup games, leading to a near-unprecedented level of fixture congestion for the Lilywhites at the start of the season.
Petrescu, whose side beat Botosani home and away last season on their way to the Romanian Liga title, claimed that Shkendija would be tougher opponents for Botosani than Spurs would.
The former Chelsea defender told Digi Sport (as relayed by TBR Football): “Don’t think that it is a big surprise if Botosani beats Tottenham, you will see, I say there are 50-50 chances!
“You will see that Tottenham is unprepared, the English are poorly prepped and it will be harder with Shkendija for Botosani.”
Spurs Web Opinion
If there is one thing Jose Mourinho’s sides cannot be accused of, it is being unprepared for matches. The Portuguese coach and his team have a reputation for deep opposition analysis but the sides that we could come up against will be a bit of an unknown entity. The fact that we will have only two days between these away trips will make them incredibly challenging to prepare for.
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