Storylines abound when Tottenham Hotspur travels to Bayern Munich on Thursday night. You have three players who are potentially facing the last team that they played for: Joao Palhinha, Mathys Tel, and of course, Harry Kane. It would be maybe have been four, had Eric Dier not left Bayern a month ago. He is now with Monaco.
Let’s start with Palhinha, who moved from Munich to North London on a one-year loan, with an option to buy, for £26m (€23m/$27m).
International Club Friendly
Tottenham Hotspur at Bayern Munich
Branded Name: Telekom Cup
Kickoff: Aug 7, 5:30 GMT, Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany
Team News for Both Clubs: go here
Starting Lineup Predictions: Bayern Munich Tottenham Hotspur
Team News for Both Sides
Palinha has officially made the switch, and even selected his shirt number, but it is not certain that he’ll feature here. He could make his Lilywhites debut in this match, but it’s not confirmed as of yet. Injury wise, it doesn’t sound good for James Maddison, who re-injured his knee on the weekend in the score draw with Newcastle United.
We don’t have a timeline yet for his recovery and return, but he had to be stretchered off, and manager Thomas Frank has implied that Maddison is set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
He’ll join the likes of Dejan Kulusevski, Radu Dragusin, Bryan Gil and Manor Solomon as Spurs longer-term injury absentees.
It’s much better news for Dominic Solanke, who seems to have recovered from a knock, or minor issue of some sort, and should feature here. The young emerging star at fullback, Destiny Udogie is doubtful here, as he’s still coming back from that unspecified injury he suffered in the warm-ups versus Luton Town.
Finally, Son Heung-min has said his final goodbyes, with a move to LAFC imminent. The South Korean will sign a deal that should break the Major League Soccer transfer fee record, but is has not been announced yet.
As for Bayern, they have no new injury concerns, but Jamal Musiala, Hiroki Ito and Alphonso Davies remain out as long-term injury absentees.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter