Tottenham Hotspur return to the Champions League under the lights at N17 this Tuesday night as the North Londoners host Villarreal in their league phase opener.
The two recent Europa League winners will rub shoulders, given that the Lilywhites kissed that trophy last season under the tutelage of Ange Postecoglou, while Villarreal got that famous win against Manchester United on penalties back in 2021. Now two teams that beat Manchester United in the UEFA Europa League final in a bid to show that they do belong to the highest level…
Let’s look at where both the teams stand
Time to show Europe our mettle: Tottenham Hotspur vs Villarreal- UEFA Champions League Match Preview.
Thomas Frank would be looking to continue his splendid start in Tottenham Hotspur vs Villarreal this midweek
The North Londoners come into this game on a high. We have seen Thomas Frank steadying the ship at Hotspur Way since he took over the reins from Ange Postecoglou along the summer transfer window.
The Dane head coach has implemented this structural system, which has been reaping quite some rewards in the English top tier. And Tottenham continued this fantastic form in the Premier League with their 0-3 win over West Ham at London Stadium last weekend.
It was a game which showed not only the attacking fluency but also tested the defensive solidness at times. And it was goals from Pape Matar Sarr, Lucas Bergvall, and Micky van de Ven that ended up giving the North Londoners this much-needed win in the London derby.
While the Lilywhites lost the last time they lined up in a UEFA competition. It was the Super Cup that Thomas Frank’s side lost to PSG in August, but Tottenham do have a strong European form at home (unbeaten in 20 UEFA games at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium). And this is the exact resilience which will be important when Tottenham face the Spanish giants.
Villarreal themselves return to the Champions League after a three-year absence. And Marcelino’s men will board that flight to London in a patchy form, given that the Yellow Submarines have only taken just one point from their last two La Liga games. And then their record (no wins in 14 games) against English teams in the Champions League is a thing for their fans to look away from as well.
Tottenham Hotspur vs Villarreal Team News
Time to show Europe our mettle: Tottenham Hotspur vs Villarreal- UEFA Champions League Match Preview.
Dominic Solanke remains a doubt for Tottenham Hotspur vs Villarreal
Tottenham will continue with their injury problems for another game given that Dominic Solanke still remains a major doubt given his ankle injury. Then all of Dejan Kulusevski, Radu Dragusin, Kota Takai, and James Maddison are unavailable given their long-term injuries. And Mathys Tel, who started the game against West Ham at the weekend, also misses out, given he was not registered by the Lilywhites in the UEFA UCL squad.
Now this leaves only either Richarlison or deadline-day signing Randal Kolo Muani as possible options for the Dane head coach to lead the line this Wednesday. The duo of Mohammed Kudus and Xavi Simons should both continue from where they left off against the Hammers, especially with the latter impressing with an assist on his debut. Rodrigo Bentancur could return to the midfield to play alongside Sarr to give more physical presence in the midfield.
If we look on the other side of the ring, Gerard Moreno will face a late test given his hamstring problem. And then former Arsenal winger Nicolas Pepe, who comes into the game fresh off winning La Liga’s Player of the Month, is expected to continue on that right flank.
Former Tottenham defender Juan Foyth is also set to return to N17. And Manor Solomon, who is on loan at the Spanish side from Tottenham, is also likely going to feature in the game, but it doesn’t look like he will start for them just yet.
Predicted lineups
Tottenham (4-3-3): Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Spence; Palhinha, Sarr, Bentancur; Kudus, Richarlison, Simons
Villarreal (4-4-2): Junior; Mourino, Foyth, Veiga, Cardona; Buchanan, Partey, Parejo, Moleiro; Pepe, Mikautadze
Prediction
Given that Tottenham play at home, it should be a fixture that should come easy for the hosts, especially given Villarreal’s record against English teams. But they shouldn’t take them lightly, given how they have individual players who can change games and get the better of situations.
TTLB Prediction: Tottenham Hotspur 3 – 1 Villarreal