Tottenham return to Europe’s most prestigious club competition this Tuesday, hosting Villareal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the Champions League.
Embed from Getty ImagesLast season’s Europa League success means that Spurs are back in the big time, and the Champions League anthem will be echoed around N17. Tottenham suffered defeat to AC Milan in the round of 16 in their last appearance in the tournament in 2022/23 under Antonio Conte.
The club have chopped and changed managers twice since that knockout tie 30 months ago, jumping at the chance to appoint Thomas Frank, who is set to oversee his first match in any European competition.
Following the 0-3 win at the London Stadium against West Ham, Spurs have a healthy squad barring Dominic Solanke. Mathys Tel, who started Saturday’s match up front, will also not feature due to being left out of the group stage squad.
Embed from Getty ImagesTuesday’s visitors have made a strong start to the campaign and sit in fourth position in La Liga. The Yellow Submarine have kept momentum from last year’s strong finish to the season, which saw them win five games on the trot and secure a fifth-place finish.
The club have overachieved in Europe in recent times, claiming their first major European trophy in 2021 and reaching the Champions League semi-final the year after.
Villareal’s squad consists of a few familiar faces. Most notably former Spurs players Manor Solomon and Juan Foyth and former Arsenal men Nicolas Pepe and Thomas Partey. All four players will have a point to prove back in north London. Ex-Chelsea man Renato Veiga is also a new addition to the team.
Logan Costa, Gerard Moreno, and Willy Kambwala will all miss the trip to London through injury.
Embed from Getty ImagesWritten by Max Pollen
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