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    Tottenham will overtake Arsenal in Uefa rankings for first time since Prem was created thanks to Conference League

    SPURS are guaranteed to be ranked by Uefa above Arsenal for the first time since the formation of the Prem – as a direct result of their appearance in the Conference League.Gunners fans and others have mocked their North London rivals for taking part in the new competition for Euro minnows.
    Tottenham are set to go above Arsenal in the Uefa rankingsCredit: Reuters
    But with Mikel Arteta’s team failing to play in any European competition this term, the bonus points for reaching the group phase has taken Spurs ahead of them into 12th place in the Uefa calculations, based on results over the past five years.
    Each win in European competition is worth two points, with a draw counting for one and bonus points for progressing through various stages.
    Spurs, with that bonus for beating Portuguese outfit Pacos de Ferreira, start their campaign against Rennes on Thursday on 80.5 points, half a point ahead of Arsenal.
    That gap can only grow over the rest of the season.
    The only previous campaign in which Spurs have been ahead of the Gunners in the Euro rankings was 1991-92, in England’s second season back after the five-year ban for the Heysel Disaster.
    Then the Gunners failed to reach the inaugural group stage of the European Cup after a defeat by Benfica while Spurs reached the last eight of the Cup Winners Cup where they were edged out by Feyenoord.

    Ever since, the Gunners have been part of the European elite, ranking as high as fourth during the Arsene Wenger years.
    But four straight seasons out of the Champions League have now been followed by a total failure to be part of European football, allowing Spurs to move from 20th and nine places behind Arsenal in 2017 to being above them now.
    Meanwhile, England is set for a period of domination at the head of the Uefa rankings.
    Under the “country ranking” system that sees all points earned by clubs from a nation divided by the number of competing sides, England took top spot last term for the first time since 2012.
    But with the 2016-17 season – when English sides collected an average of just 14.928 compared to last season’s 24.357 – now out of the calculations, the prem sides begin with a massive EIGHT point advantage over Spain.

    It is the biggest lead Prem sides have ever had, with a five point advantage the previous largest margin during the five seasons between 2007-08 and 2011-12 when England was previously top of the table.
    The four Champions League qualifiers – Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United – are all in the top eight of the club rankings, although Europa League contenders Leicester and West Ham are joint 75th as a result of the English national average ranking.
    But with expectations of another huge season for all four Prem sides and doubts over the medium term prospects of cash-strapped Real Madrid and Barcelona, the chances of that lead growing are huge.

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    Nuno reacts to Spurs’s 3-0 loss to Crystal Palace More

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    Tottenham 3 Pacos de Ferreira 0 LIVE REACTION: Harry Kane notches brace on victorious return to side – updates

    TOTTENHAM beat Pacos de Ferreira 3-0 in the second leg of their Europa Conference League clash to seal a place in the group stages.
    RESULT: Tottenham 3 Pacos 0
    TV/Live stream: Premier Sports
    Tottenham XI: Gollini, Dier, Romero, Davies, Doherty, Winks, Lo Celso, Sessegnon, Lucas, Bergwijn, Bryan, Kane

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    Follow ALL the action with our live blog below…
    THAT’S ALL FROM TOTTENHAM
    Tottenham made it through to the Europa Conference League group stage thanks to a comfortable 3-0 win over Pacos de Ferreira at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
    Spurs opened the scoring early in the ninth minute when Harry Winks stole the ball in midfield and delivered a brilliant cross to Bryan Gil down the left wing.
    Gil then produced a beautiful pass of his own as he found Harry Kane in the middle of the penalty area and the star striker easily beat Andre Ferreira by sending the ball down the bottom left corner.
    The north Londoners almost doubled their lead in the 34th minute when Gil’s deflected shot rattled Ferreira’s left-hand post.
    But Tottenham got their cracker just a minute later when Giovani Lo Celso broke into the penalty area, got a shot that was blocked but the ball rolled back to Kane who didn’t miss in front of open goal.
    Lo Celso put the tie to bed during the second half on 70 minutes thanks to an expertly-taken free-kick from a tight angle down the right flank that caught Pacos’ defence and goalkeeper off guard.
    That’s all from us here at SunSport, have a great night!
    GETTY IMAGES
    FANS LOVE KANE
    There was a question on how Tottenham fans would welcome Harry Kane back to the team.
    Reports suggested Kane told Spurs’ hierarchy he wanted to leave during the summer and even delayed his return to training after an extended holiday.
    However, the home supporters gave the star striker a warm welcome once his name was announced before kick-off.
    They also sang “You’re Spurs and you know you are”, and then gave the England captain a standing ovation when he was replaced moments after Giovani Lo Celso’s goal
    GETTY IMAGES
    BRY-MAN
    Tottenham ace Bryan Gil shone bright tonight against Pacos de Ferreira at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
    Gil was constantly dangerous down the left flank where Spurs created most of their opportunities.
    The winger worked very well with Ryan Sessegnon and even set Harry Kane’s opener.
    The Spain international also came close to scoring twice but was denied by two deflections, one of which saw the ball hitting Andre Ferreira’s post

    WHAT’S NEXT?
    Tottenham will find out their opponents in the Europa Conference League draw tomorrow on Friday at 11am.
    The draw will take place in Istanbul, Turkey and the first games will be played in mid-September.
    Spurs are now among the favourites to win this competition, which will guarantee the winner a place in next season’s Europa League.
    Of course, that is something the north Londoners can get for themselves in the Premier League should they finish in the top six.
    Pacos de Ferreira, on the other hand, have seen their European journey come to an end tonight
    GETTY IMAGES
    KANE IS BACK
    Harry Kane is back in style for Tottenham by scoring his first two goals of the season and leading them to the Europa Conference League group stage.
    Kane produced a brace in just 25 minutes and showed he is back to his old ways in north London.
    The star striker was linked with a move from Spurs after delaying his return to training while Manchester City kept tabs on him.
    But the England captain has confirmed he will not be leaving Tottenham in the summer and is concentrated on gaining success with the club of his heart.
    The fans welcomed the 28-year-old back with open arms as well as a massive ovation and he had the following message after full-time:

    STATS
    Tottenham dominated a staggering 70.6 per cent of possession against Pacos de Ferreira.
    Spurs also registered a total of 18 shots, six of which were on target throughout the second leg.
    Pacos, on the other hand, produced six shots, half of which were on target.
    The north Londoners dominated in the air as well as they won 76.2 per cent of aerial duels
    FT: TOTTENHAM 3-0 PACOS DE FERREIRA
    Tottenham made it through to the Europa Conference League thanks to a Harry Kane masterpiece against Pacos de Ferreira at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
    Spurs opened the scoring early in the ninth minute when Harry Winks stole the ball in midfield and delivered a brilliant cross to Bryan Gil down the left flank.
    Gil then produced a beautiful pass of his own as he found Kane in the middle of the penalty area and the star striker easily beat Andre Ferreira by sending the ball down the bottom left corner.
    The north Londoners almost doubled their lead on 34 minutes when Gil’s deflected shot rattled Ferreira’s left-hand post.
    But Tottenham got their cracker just a minute later when Giovani Lo Celso broke into the penalty area, got a shot that was blocked but the ball rolled to Kane who didn’t miss in front of open goal.
    Lo Celso put the tie to bed during the second half on 70 minutes thanks to an expertly-taken free-kick from a tight angle down the right flank that caught Pacos’ defence and goalkeeper by surprise
    GETTY IMAGES
    PEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!
    THAT’S FULL-TIME IN TOTTENHAM!!!!!
    TOTTENHAM 3-0 PACOS DE FERREIRA
    90+1 CHANCE!
    Pacos get their best opportunity to score as Silva delivers a wonderful cross from the left flank and finds Santos whose header is stopped by Gollini
    TOTTENHAM 3-0 PACOS DE FERREIRA
    90 Three more minutes of stoppage time to go until full-time.
    Still enough time for Tottenham to increase their lead
    TOTTENHAM 3-0 PACOS DE FERREIRA
    87 Tottenham are basically through to the Europa Conference League group stage.
    But Spurs don’t seem to be done, Son especially is trying very hard to get on the scoresheet!
    TOTTENHAM 3-0 PACOS DE FERREIRA
    84 SUBSTITUTION
    Tottenham manager Nuno introduces Alli, who replaces Lucas for the last few minutes
    TOTTENHAM 3-0 PACOS DE FERREIRA
    83 CHANCE!
    Tottenham star Son tries a shot from a dangerous position but Ferreira denies him and then sees the ball hitting his left-hand post!
    TOTTENHAM 3-0 PACOS DE FERREIRA
    82 CHANCE
    I think ‘attempt’ is a better term to use on this one.
    Tottenham star Hojbjerg picks a beautiful corner-kick from the left flank and tries a shot but completely misses the target
    TOTTENHAM 3-0 PACOS DE FERREIRA
    80 Surely Lo Celso’s goal did it for Tottenham!
    Pacos have ran out of energy and solutions, while Gollini hasn’t found himself worried throughout the entire evening!
    GETTY IMAGES
    TOTTENHAM 3-0 PACOS DE FERREIRA
    78 WHAT A CHANCE!
    Tottenham come close again with Bergwij who shoots from a tight angle down the left flank and hits Ferreira’s right-hand post!
    TOTTENHAM 3-0 PACOS DE FERREIRA
    76 SUBSTITUTION
    Final roll of the dice by Pacos manager Simao, who makes a triple change.
    Fernando, Santos and Uilton replace Antunes, Estaquio and Lucas Silva respectively
    TOTTENHAM 3-0 PACOS DE FERREIRA
    75 Here’s how Tottenham scored their third goal against Pacos.
    What a marvellous shot by Lo Celso!
    Spurs in a commanding position! 💪Lo Celso’s whipped free kick is deflected in for an own goal and it’s now 3-1 on aggregate ⚪ pic.twitter.com/ufiOs7EvLI— Premier Sports (@PremierSportsTV) August 26, 2021

    TOTTENHAM 3-0 PACOS DE FERREIRA
    72 SUBSTITUTION
    Tottenham boss Nuno makes a double switch as Bergwijn and Son replace Gil and Kane respectively.
    Kane receives a massive ovation on his way out despite the recent transfer saga
    TOTTENHAM 3-0 PACOS DE FERREIRA
    70 Tottenham may have just put the tie to bed with a wonderful free-kick by Lo Celso!
    The Argentina international outsmarts Pacos’ defence and goalkeeper with an expertly-taken spot-kick from the right wing.
    The Pacenses’ backline fail to head the ball away and Antunes inadvertently sends the ball to his own net

    GOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLL!
    TOTTENHAM MAKE IT THREE WITH LO CELSO!!!!!
    TOTTENHAM 2-0 PACOS DE FERREIRA
    70 SUBSTITUTION
    Pacos manager Simao makes a double change as Helder Ferreira and Tanque replace Delgado and Denilson respectively
    TOTTENHAM 2-0 PACOS DE FERREIRA
    67 CHANCE!
    Tottenham star Lo Celso sets Gil with a beautiful pass down the left flank but the former Sevilla starlet’s shot just misses Ferreira’s bottom right corner!
    TOTTENHAM 2-0 PACOS DE FERREIRA
    65 WHAT A CHANCE!
    Tottenham star Hojbjerg breaks down the left flank and finds Lo Celso in the middle of the penalty area.
    The Argentina international makes a wonderful turn but his shot is stopped thanks to a wonderful save by Ferreira
    TOTTENHAM 2-0 PACOS DE FERREIRA
    64 YELLOW CARD
    Another booking, this time to Pacos star Pires who pulls Lo Ceslo down to the ground during a counter-attack with a tactical foul
    Load more entries… More

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    Is Tottenham vs Pacos de Ferreira on TV? Channel, live stream, kick-off time and team news for Europa Conference League

    TOTTENHAM have work to do as they host Pacos de Ferreira in a Europa Conference League play-off round second leg.Nuno has led the team to a perfect Premier League start with two 1-0 wins out of two, but in Europe it’s been a different story.
    Tottenham failed to have a shot on target in Portugal last weekCredit: AP
    Spurs’ youngsters were beaten 1-0 in Portugal last week and the former Wolves boss may look to name a stronger side for the second leg.

    What time does Tottenham vs Pacos de Ferreira kick off?

    Tottenham take on Pacos de Ferreira on Thursday, August 26.
    The match kicks off at 7.45pm.
    It will take place at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

    What TV channel is Tottenham vs Pacos de Ferreira on and can I live stream it?

    Team news
    Cristian Romero could feature for Spurs after recovering from a knock sustained in the first leg last week.
    Manager Nuno Espirito Santo said: “Cristian is okay.
    “He had problems in the previous leg, so we decided not to take him to Wolves. He trained yesterday, trained today and he’s an option for tomorrow.”
    When asked if he would be fielding a youthful XI like last week, Nuno said: “It is not to do with the result of the first leg, it’s to do with a lot of things we have to understand, [like] the travelling.
    “This week is totally different, we are all together, which allows us t make different decisions because it is different circumstances, basically. It is a must-win game. It is the second leg and we have to decide.”
    Harry Kane – who confirmed he will be STAYING at Spurs this season – could feature in the tie.
    Latest odds
    To win in 90 minutes
    Tottenham 2/13
    Draw 9/1
    Pacos de Ferreira 12/1
    *Odds from Betfair correct as of Monday, August 23 More