Tottenham Hotspur have made the approximately four hour flight from Auckland, New Zealand to Sydney, Australia. They’ve gone from one island nation’s biggest metropolis to the other. Several players who didn’t feature in the 2-0 win at Auckland FC on Saturday are doubtful here for the clash at Sydney FC on Wednesday night. Will we see the likes of James Maddison, Sandro Tonali and Destiny Udogie, at least for a cameo, in midweek?
Or will they be rested, and instead make their preseason debuts against Chelsea next weekend?
Tottenham Preseason Tour of the Pacific
July 26 Auckland FC (Auckland)
July 29 Sydney FC (Sydney)
August 1 Chelsea (Sydney)
Preseason in Australia FYIs
Tottenham Hotspur at Sydney FC
Details on Tottenham’s Longer-term Injured: go here
Tottenham Starting XI Prediction: go here
Date: Wed. July 29, Allianz Stadium, Sydney, Australia
Time: local kickoff 7:45pm, 10:45 am UK time
Tottenham Team News
Let’s start with Tonali, the midfielder who broke the club’s transfer fee record when he moved over from Newcastle United earlier this summer. The Italian midfield maestro could feature in midweek after recovering from what was reported to be a hamstring injury.
Udogie and Maddison are working towards building up 90 minutes match fitness right now, having come off injury-plagued campaigns last term.
Elsewhere Dejan Kulusevski, Wilson Odobert, Xavi Simons, Mo Kudus and Guglielmo Vicario did not make the travel party down under. The quintet all stayed behind at Hotspur Way to work on injury rehabilitation.
And then finally, Rodrigo Bentancur, Pape Matar Sarr, Pedro Porro, Marcos Senesi, Djed Spence and Cristian Romero (who will likely be playing elsewhere this upcoming season) are all still on post World Cup holiday leave. For our first team prediction, go here.
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, Ratings and RG. 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 and the Washington Post.