Tottenham Hotspur’s pre-season tour of Asia kicks off this weekend, facing off against Vissel Kobe.
Tottenham’s pre-season preparations for the 2024/25 season are well underway, with two victories against Hearts and QPR already under their belt.
Ange Postecoglou’s attention now turns to his side’s pre-season tour of Asia which sees them travel to both Japan and South Korea.
The first leg of Totetenam’s Eastern tour sees them face off against reigning J-League champions Vissel Kobe, a side that boasts players such as former Newcastle United forward Yoshinori Muto.
Spurs boss Postecoglou is of course very familiar with Japanese football through his time managing Yokohama F. Marinos, so he will undoubtedly not underestimate Takayuki Yoshida’s side.
With that in mind, this is the starting XI we predict Ange Postecoglou to pick for Tottenham’s friendly against Japanese side Vissel Kobe.
- READ MORE: Tottenham v Vissel Kobe pre-season friendly: How to watch, live stream, kick-off time, team news
Richarlison and Destiny Udogie injury doubts
In his latest press conference, Ange Postecoglou provided fans with an update regarding Richarlison and Desitny Udogie’s fitness issues.
Despite travelling with the squad to Asia, the Aussie boss stated the pair “aren’t quite ready to play”, as they recover from injuries sustained at the end of last season – as reported by Football.London.
The Brazilian is still feeling the effects of a calf injury, meanwhile, Udogie is still recovering from surgery to his left quadricep in late April.
Ben Davies set to return
The absences of Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and Radu Dragusin during pre-season have seen Oliver Skipp slot in the unfamiliar position of centre-back alongside new £40m signing, Archie Gray.
The pair have impressed so far only conceding one goal during Tottenham’s pre-season campaign, Ange Postecoglou however will be glad to see the return of Ben Davies, who resumed training this week following a calf injury.
Having just celebrated ten years at the club, the Welsh international could potentially slot straight back into the Spurs backline after missing Tottenham’s first two pre-season fixtures.
Young guns to shine
After impressing in Tottenham’s opening pre-season fixtures, we will likely see a number of Spurs youngsters feature.
Mikey Moore and Will Lankshear are two players in particular that have shone so far, both grabbing a goal in the 5-1 win over Hearts.
Jamie Donley will also probably feature for Spurs, and he is likely to fill in at left-back like he did against QPR last time out.
Predicted XI v Vissel Kobe
(4-3-3): Austin, Porro, Gray, Skipp, Donley, Bergvall, Bissouma, Sarr, Johnson, Son, Werner
- READ MORE: Six Tottenham youngsters keen to impress Ange Postecoglou on Asia tour including Euro U17 sensation
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