Tottenham Hotspur vs. Wolfsberger AC – Europa League, February 24, 2021

Europa League on a Wednesday? Yep, that’s right!

The second leg of Tottenham’s Round of 32 tie against Wolfsberger is the only Europa League game taking place on Wednesday, February 24, with the remaining 15 matches happening on Thursday.

Spurs won the first leg 4-1 last week, meaning that Wolfsberger will need to pull off a minor miracle in order to advance to the next phase.

I discuss the bookmakers’ odds before sharing my Tottenham Hotspur vs. Wolfsberger AC prediction and betting pick – so keep reading!

As expected, the top online sportsbooks view Tottenham (1.25) as the clear favorite here, while Wolfsberger (9.50) is the obvious outsider.

But given that Jose Mourinho’s men have already pretty much sealed their place in the next round, they could take their foot off the gas on Wednesday, making the draw (5.50) an attractive option.

Spurs had effectively booked their spot in the Europa League Round of 16 by half-time last week.

First-half goals from Son Heung-min, Gareth Bale, and Lucas Moura saw Tottenham lead Wolfsberger 3-0 at the break in the first leg, with second-half strikes from Michael Liendl and Carlos Vinicius making the final score 4-1.

Mourinho’s men enjoyed 62% possession and racked up 20 shots (9 on target) last week, although their domestic struggles continued at the weekend.

Sunday’s 2-1 defeat to London rivals West Ham means that Spurs have now lost five of their previous six EPL games. Only a couple of months ago, Tottenham was being talked about as a genuine title contender. Now, Mourinho’s men sit all the way down in ninth place – 23 points behind Man City.

Still, even If Spurs carry their domestic form onto the European stage on Wednesday, they should have more than enough quality to beat Wolfsberger again.

Let’s face it – Wolfsberger was totally outclassed in the first leg. Granted, the Austrians managed to get a foothold in the game during the second half. But by the point, the damage had already been done.

2-1 wins on either side of the first leg have enabled WAS to cement fifth place in the Austrian Bundesliga. Ferdinand Feldhofer’s men beat Flyeralarm Admira two weekends ago before edging Sturm Graz on Sunday.

However, they still find themselves 16 points behind league-leaders Red Bull Salzburg.

After finishing third in the Austrian top-flight last season, WAC supporters would have been hoping that their side would continue to build on the recent success this term. Unfortunately, that hasn’t happened.

It goes without saying that Wolfsberger has a mountain to climb on Wednesday.

There is a sense that Mourinho could name an understrength starting XI on Wednesday, giving some of his senior players a rest. But with the Europa League now looking like Tottenham’s best route into next season’s Champions League, I’m expecting Spurs to get the job done on home soil.

Ultimately, Wolfsberger has no choice but to attack – and this will almost certainly leave the Austrian side exposed at the back. I can see Tottenham’s counter-attack getting the better of WAC once again.