Tottenham opponent for Europa Conference League Playoff no pushover

After winning 1-4 on aggregate, Portuguese club FC Paços de Ferreira advanced to face Tottenham in the Play-off round of the UEFA Europa Conference League.

If anyone was looking for a cakewalk, then hopefully they are looking elsewhere. Despite falling in the second leg of the Third-round of qualifying to Larne no one should sleep on FC Paços de Ferreira. Paços finished fifth in the Portuguese First Division, Primeira Liga, and despite heavy turnover in the squad from last season to this season will present a real challenge for Tottenham Hotspur.

FC Paços de Ferreira a different team than last season

Following only their second relegation in 20-years, FC Paços de Ferreira immediately bounced back to the First Division and finished in 13th place. Last season, Paços had their best year since 2012/13 when an up-and-coming coach named Paulo Fonseca managed the squad to 3rd when the team finished 5th and qualified for the Third Round of UEFA Europa Conference League qualifying.

There has been significant turnover in the last several months between the Paços team that finished fifth and this year’s squad. Notably, they lost four players who had started at least 30 matches each – Marcelo (not that Marcelo), Joao Amaral, Bruno Costa, and Luther Singh. However, new arrivals Nuno Santos, Juan Delgado, and Denilson help make up for the loss.

Still going strong at 33, Denilson has hit the ground running with three goals in three matches across all competitions. The overall early success of Denilson and the team is particularly impressive given Paços also had a coaching change between last season and this season. The coach from last season Pepa is now at Vitoria de Guimaraes and the new manager is Jorge Simao.

Of course, any advantage a coaching change might have represented for Tottenham is lost with their own coaching change this summer.

FC Paços de Ferreira no gimmie for Tottenham

FC Paços de Ferreira is not Sporting or Porto but at 122 in the newest UEFA rankings, Paços is a team at the level of much of the competition Tottenham saw last season in Royal Antwerp FC and Wolfsberger AC who was ranked 124 and 125 last season. While rankings mean little and the Spurs swept aside Wolfsberger in the Round of 32, Antwerp did beat Tottenham in the Group Stage in Belgium, and as Larne learned Paços is good at home.

Whereas Tottenham has a big wall of fans at one end, Paços presents a completely different challenge, with the setting an intimate 9,076 fans possible in the Estadio Capital do Movel. The venue will present a unique challenge much the way playing at Marine FC did last season.

Ultimately, Tottenham should be able to win the home and home series and advance to the Group Stage of the first-ever Conference League. However, if you were expecting sisters of the poor or some team you can just walk all over, FC Paços de Ferreira is not it and the Lilywhites better be ready. We all saw what the Dinamo Zagreb defeat did to Jose Mourinho, if new Head Coach Nuno Espirito Santo wants to avoid a similar catastrophe, he and the team better take FC Paços de Ferreira serious.