Less than three months ago, Tottenham Hotspur ended its 17-year trophy drought by beating Manchester United in Bilbao. On Wednesday, the club already has a chance to bring home another piece of silverware, though the competition is just a little bit stiffer. Though few expect Spurs to actually win the UEFA Super Cup, anything can happen in a beginning-of-the-season one-off competition (see: Palace).
Paris Saint-Germain won the Champions League in convincing fashion and looks ready to challenge for an encore this season. However, after a Club World Cup campaign that (annoyingly) ended in defeat to Chelsea, PSG has had little time to rest this summer, which could be a benefit for the underdogs. The French side will be big favorites in Udinese, but hey — a second trophy could be just 90 minutes away!
UEFA Super Cup: Paris Saint-Germain vs. Tottenham Hotspur
Date: Wednesday, August 13
Time: 3:00 pm ET, 8:00 pm UK
Location: Stadio Friuli, Udine, Italy
TV: CBS Sports Network (US), TNT Sports 1 (UK)
Spurs do not have history against PSG in competitive fixtures, though the clubs did meet in the 2017 International Champions Cup in Orlando, Florida, with Tottenham winning 4-2. Meanwhile, this will be PSG’s third opponent from the English capital in the past three months, having also faced Arsenal in last season’s Champions League semifinals, tragically knocking out the inferior North London side.
White Hart Vibes: TBD
Thomas Frank is theoretically much more pragmatic than his predecessor, which helps after a summer of many transitions. Out are Heung-Min Son and a few others; in are Mohammed Kudus, Joao Palhinha, and…hopefully more? Given this is Frank’s first (pseudo) competitive match at the club, options will be limited in terms of both personnel and tactical implementation, but even so, this should look different than last year.
The strength of this Tottenham squad remains the back line. With Cristian Romero staying, Frank at least has this part of the lineup sorted, which is pivotal against an opponent that scored five against Inter in the Champions League final, then put four in against Atleti, two against Bayern, and four more against Real Madrid this summer. While it will take a heroic effort from Spurs to stay afloat, even if the opposition rotates, this will provide a good look at Frank’s defense.
PSG are a fully operational machine, but one has to wonder how highly this fixture will be prioritized. With the highs of the Champions League title and the Club World Cup then taking up most of the summer, there has been little physical and emotional respite for this side. Luis Enrique has plenty of high quality options to choose from, but if there ever was a time to face this sort of titan, this would be it. It should be noted that the Europa League winners have taken just one of the past 12 Super Cups, though (Atleti over Real Madrid in 2018/19).
Three Big Questions
How will this all feel? Tottenham finally broke its trophy drought, then promptly sacked the manager who did it, and now has recently lost its club-legend captain. While the outlook is overall positive — or has at least brought a sense of relief — it has also been an emotionally taxing summer. Perhaps this is felt more by supporters than the players themselves, but the Super Cup could end up being just too big of a moment for this point in time.
Can Spurs score? Even with that stupid defeat to Chelsea, PSG has been absolutely elite defensively, keeping clean sheets in five of its seven Club World Cup contests and allowing just one goal in the final three Champions League matches. Aside from Kudus, Spurs did little to enhance the front line and are now without Son and James Maddison. Maybe another attacker or two will arrive before the deadline, but that will be of no help on Wednesday.
What does Frank-ball look like? In no way should full judgments about the new manager be drawn already after an August contest against the best team in the world, but certainly the attention will be on how Tottenham looks in the first real fixture of the new regime. Preseason has shown signs of flexibility with and without the ball, intelligent pressing, and an asymmetrical structure in attack, marking a difference from the past regime. Even if this does not yield a win in Udine, a positive setup could really set the tone for the start of the new season.