bwin Sportsblog - Football - British quintet looking to press their claims

Tottenham are enjoying an encouraging start to the season, both at home and abroad, and moved to the top of Europa League Group A with a 1-0 win over Rubin Kazan at White Hart Lane two weeks ago. Harry Redknapp’s men now make the long trip east to Russia for the return fixture, but will be buoyed by the fact that another three points would secure their passage into the last 32.

Stoke City can also ensure their progress, but only if they register an away win over Maccabi Tel Aviv and Dinamo Kiev are beaten at the Lobanovsky Stadium by Besiktas. The Potters go into this week’s matches on top of Group E with seven points after a 1-0 victory over the Turkish side, courtesy of a Peter Crouch strike.

It’s all to play for in Group H, where after a poor start, Birmingham have defied their status as a Championship side by notching two straight wins. The Blues’ 2-1 comeback triumph in Belgium against Club Brugge – sealed with a Chris Wood winner in the ninth minute of injury time - moved them to the summit ahead of the reverse meeting at St Andrew’s.

A Joe Ledley strike gave Celtic a creditable 1-1 draw at Rennes on matchday three, but with just two points on the board so far, the Bhoys simply have to beat the French side at Parkhead on Thursday to have any chance of reaching the knockout stages. In a similarly precarious position are Fulham, who went down 1-0 to Wisla Krakow last time out. Martin Jol’s men remain second in Group K on four points, but must surely now notch a vital win over the Poles at Craven Cottage if they have realistic ambitions of going deep into the tournament.

Meanwhile, Athletic, Anderlecht and Udinese will reach the last 32 with victories on matchday four, with the likes of Schalke, PSV and Twente also set to advance if results go their way. Sporting Lisbon, the first team to book their spot in the knock-out face, will win Group D at a canter if they can score an away victory over Romanian outfit FC Vaslui.