When: 7/25/2017, 8:00PM EDT
Where: Red Bull Arena, Harrison, NJ
Tickets: Buy Here
Premier League and Serie A second-seaters Tottenham Hotspur and AS Roma go head to head in what is expected to be a highly-entertaining fixture at the Red Bull Arena in Harrison.
With pressure piling up on Spurs to start spending and boosting their squad, AS Roma continue to make shrewd transfer moves in the summertime market hoping to challenge for major honors next season.
Tottenham Hotspur
Having established themselves as genuine Premier League title contenders over the past two seasons, Tottenham Hotspur are expected to make an additional push towards winning the coveted piece of silverware in the 2017/18 season.
However, with the lack of transfer activity identified as the burning issue by many a fan around the British Isles, Tottenham Hotspur could end up losing the race before it even started as Premier League rivals continue to boost their squads and subsequently their confidence ahead of the new campaign. The Spurs are yet to sign anyone this summer as Mauricio Pochettino continues to put his men through preseason paces with much of the same roster from last year. There is a huge name missing from the list, however, as right-back Kyle Walker was transferred to Manchester City in what has become the most expensive English transfer to date. The club will miss the experienced England international who was a huge presence in the squad and an influential figure defensively. Having directly strengthened a competitor for the Premier League rival, Tottenham have done nothing to compensate for the loss of their first-team star and are yet to make a move in the market. Another reason fans are having doubts ahead of the next campaign is the fact Tottenham are being relocated to Wembley Stadium until their new venue has been built. That said, the Spurs are heading into challenging times and a win over one of Europe’s big boys AS Roma could be an important boost for the team’s confidence.
Team News
Danny Rose and Erik Lamela remain on the injury list for the Premier League side, but the Spurs will otherwise have a full squad to choose from.
Pochettino will be hopeful a player or two would arrive before the AS Roma game, most notably Ross Barkley who continues to be closely linked with a move away from Everton.
AS Roma
The Italian giants AS Roma did not have the best of starts to the International Champions Cup as they were edged out by Paris Saint-Germain on penalties in Detroit, after a 1-1 draw at Comerica Park.
The French giants could have secured victory in normal time as Marquinhos sent them ahead early in the game and seemingly get better of Giallorossi, but AS Roma managed to get back in the game after the break. Substitute attacking midfielder Gerson pulled a beautiful chip over the top of the PSG defence line into the path of former Bologna forward Umar Sadiq, who slotted in coolly between Alphonse Areola’s legs. AS Roma new manager experimented with his line-up, as expected, making no less than nine changes. Eusebio Di Francesco tested the 4-3-2-1 formation with Dzeko upfront and summer acquisition Gonalons in the midfield from the start, but was unable to break the resilient French side that came out victorious after the penalty shootout. Gerson’s penalty miss proved to be fatal for AS Roma as the Italian were left emptyhanded in the end. The PSG match was a great test despite the defeat, however, as AS Roma continue to go through transition with the new manager on the bench and plenty of new names on the pitch. Giallorossi have been rather proactive in the transfer market thus far, adding no less than nine new players. Maxime Gonalons, Hector Moreno, Lorenzo Pellegrini, Rick Karsdorp and the latest arrival Cengiz Under are all expected to make an impression at their new club next season.
Team News
In demand midfielder Radja Nainggolan could be given a starting place against Tottenham, together with Daniele De Rossi and Federico Fazio.
Di Francesco should have no fresh injury worries ahead of the forthcoming game.
Conclusion
Tottenham will need to go hard and strong against AS Roma straight from the off as the Spurs are not only fighting to win but to show fans they have no reason to be worried despite the lack of transfer activities.
We definitely deserve to see an action-packed match and the supporters which buy their tickets here are unlikely to regret coming to Red Bull Arena.
Verdict: Both teams to score – yes
Best Odds: Will be available in due time on this link.
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