Tottenham Hotspur wraps up their pre-season preparations with a friendly against Bayern Munich at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Last weekend, the Bundesliga giants handed Spurs their first defeat of the summer, winning 2-1 in Seoul.
Match Preview
Tottenham entered last weekend's clash with Bayern Munich in high spirits, having won five consecutive friendlies against Cambridge United, Hearts, Queens Park Rangers, Vissel Kobe, and a K-League XI, scoring 21 goals. However, their momentum was halted by Bayern, who took the lead early through Gabriel Vidovic after a mix-up between Guglielmo Vicario and Djed Spence. Leon Goretzka doubled the advantage just before the hour mark, and although Pedro Porro pulled one back with a stunning long-range strike, Spurs couldn't find an equalizer.
Saturday's match will be Bayern's penultimate pre-season fixture before concluding their summer preparations against WSG Tirol. They will then face newly-promoted Ulm in the first round of the DFB-Pokal on August 16, before kicking off their Bundesliga campaign against Wolfsburg.
Saturday's match will be Bayern's penultimate pre-season fixture before concluding their summer preparations against WSG Tirol. They will then face newly-promoted Ulm in the first round of the DFB-Pokal on August 16, before kicking off their Bundesliga campaign against Wolfsburg.
Team News
Tottenham continues to manage injuries, with Richarlison and Destiny Udogie sidelined due to calf and thigh issues, respectively. Young center-back Ashley Phillips is also a doubt. However, Cristian Romero, Micky Van de Ven, Rodrigo Bentancur, and Giovani Lo Celso have returned to training and could feature on Saturday.
For Bayern, Harry Kane and Eric Dier will return to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the first time since leaving Spurs last season. Tottenham has confirmed that the duo will be honored with commemorative gifts before kickoff. Kane, who returned to training earlier this week, is expected to start alongside Alphonso Davies, while Jamal Musiala's involvement remains uncertain as he continues to regain fitness following his Euro 2024 exploits.
For Bayern, Harry Kane and Eric Dier will return to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the first time since leaving Spurs last season. Tottenham has confirmed that the duo will be honored with commemorative gifts before kickoff. Kane, who returned to training earlier this week, is expected to start alongside Alphonso Davies, while Jamal Musiala's involvement remains uncertain as he continues to regain fitness following his Euro 2024 exploits.
Predicted Lineup
Tottenham lineup: Vicario; Porro, Romero, Dragusin, Davies; Bissouma, Sarr; Kulusevski, Maddison, Johnson; Son
Bayern Munich lineup: Neuer; Boey, Kim, Dier, Davies; Kimmich, Palhinha; Gnabry, Muller, Tel; Kane.
Key Insights and Predictions
01
Defensive Struggles: Tottenham has shown defensive vulnerabilities at home, potentially giving Bayern the edge in attack. However, Bayern's poor away record, with only a 20% win rate and a 60% loss rate, could balance the scales.
02
Goal-Scoring Potential: The expected goals (xG) per game slightly favors Bayern at 2.01 compared to Tottenham's 1.82. With an average of 2.92 goals per match between the two teams, a high-scoring encounter is likely.
