Tottenham to play Pacos de Ferreira in Europa Conference League playoff

The result was pretty much a foregone conclusion after the first leg, but now it’s official: Tottenham Hotspur will face off against Portuguese side Pacos de Ferreira in the Playoff Round of the Europa Conference League.

Pacos actually lost their match at Northern Irish side Larne 1-0 in today’s second leg, but the tie was more or less over after the first leg in Portugal, which Pacos won 4-0. Not a whole lot of drama in this series, but it is nice to have it confirmed.

Pacos de Ferreira finished fifth in the Liga Nos last season, though still 11 points behind fourth place Braga. Their stats put them solidly mid-table in terms of xG and non-penalty xG+xA/90, so Spurs should be heavily favored, but finishing fifth in a non-terrible European league isn’t shabby, and if Tottenham roll out a U23 side or simply aren’t sharp it’s not out of the question that they could spring a surprise, especially at home, but I’m not very worried about this tie over two legs.

The first leg is in Portugal and takes place next week, four days after Spurs face Manchester City in the first week of Premier League action, and three days before they travel to Wolves. The second leg is at home, three days before Spurs host newly-promoted (and new Danny Rose team) Watford.