Just one Tottenham player remains from last Europa League starting line-up which saw Harry Kane flop on big occasion

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Tottenham are hoping to put their previous Europa League nightmare fully behind them when they return to the competition on Thursday.

Spurs face Azerbaijan outfit Qarabag in Europe's second-tier tournament in north London on Thursday night - live on talkSPORT 2.

Having spent last season out of Europe following a dismal eighth-placed finish in the 2022/23 season, Ange Postecoglou helped guide his side to a respectable fifth-placed finish last term.

And just three years on from their last appearance in the Europa League in March 2021, their squad is almost unrecognisable.

Just one player remains from the starting XI that suffered a shock 3-0 defeat away at Dinamo Zagreb in the last 16 second leg.

Spurs seemed destined to reach the quarter-finals following a 2-0 first leg victory, with Harry Kane helping himself to a double.

But he drew a blank in the return fixture away at the Croatian side, having been denied twice by goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic.

His misses proved costly, with a hat-trick from Mislav Orsic compounding Spurs to an embarrassing exit from what was expected to be a comfortable win.

Their performance left then-boss Jose Mourinho to issue a heartfelt apology to the club's supporters, while also lamenting the attitude from his men.

Meanwhile former skipper Hugo Lloris hit out at his teammates, as he said: "I think we are more than disappointed, it is a disgrace. I hope everyone in the changing room feels responsible."

Before adding: "We have a lack of basics, fundamentals, our performances are just in relation of that. Mentally we should be stronger, more competitive."

Here talkSPORT.com takes a look at Spurs' starting XI from that fateful night in Croatia, with ten of those players no longer on their books.

Goalkeeper

A club icon, Lloris made 447 appearances for Spurs during his 12-year stay in north London.

But mistakes soon began to creep into his game during the end of his time, which led to the Frenchman being frozen out of the squad following Postecoglou's appointment last year.

He is currently plying his trade in America with Los Angeles FC.

Defenders

Left-back Ben Davies is the only player still on Spurs' books from their clash against Zagreb.

However the Welshman is no longer a key player, with the 31-year-old yet to feature in any of the club's Premier League matches this season.

Serge Aurier started as Tottenham's right-back, but the Ivorian joining Villarreal shortly after the Zagreb loss following inconsistent performances.

A centre-back pairing consisted of Eric Dier and Davinson Sanchez, both of whom were shipped out by Postecoglou.

Dier was allowed to join Bayern Munich in the 2024 winter transfer window, while Sanchez was sold to Galatasaray last summer.

Midfielders

A double pivot saw Harry Winks partner Moussa Sissoko in the heart of the midfield.

Just two years earlier, they had also started in Spurs' Champions League final defeat to Liverpool.

Dele Alli then featured in the No.10 role, but failed to impress on what was one of Spurs' most humiliating nights in Europe.

Winks left Spurs last year to join Leicester having been deemed as surplus to requirements.

Meanwhile, Sissoko joined Watford following the 2020/21 season, with Alli, who is currently unemployed, making the move to Everton in 2022.

Forwards

Featuring on the right wing was Erik Lamela, who scored an incredible rabona goal away at Arsenal just days before the clash with Zagreb.

Having never reached his full potential for Spurs, he was offloaded to Sevilla in 2021.

As for left winger Lucas Moura, he was released just before Postecoglou took over after five-and-a-half-years at the club.

Meanwhile Kane, who would go on to become Spurs' all-time top scorer, departed last year for Bayern Munich in his quest for silverware.

That has so far eluded him in Germany, though his goalscoring exploits has seen him regarded as one of the world's top centre-forwards.

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