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Spurs could see their chances of beating Paris Saint-Germain bolstered by taking advantage of a little-known UEFA rule ahead of the Super Cup on Wednesday.

Thomas Frank’s Spurs side qualified for the UEFA Super Cup due to their victory over Manchester United in the 2024/25 UEFA Europa League final, while PSG defeated Inter in the UEFA Champions League to book their place.

The match will be played at the Bluenergy Stadium in Udine, Italy, where Serie A side Udinese play their home matches.

Of course, PSG, fresh off the back of a treble-winning campaign last term, will come into the game as favourites.

However, Frank, who spoke to UEFA in the build-up to the clash, is seemingly not fazed at the prospect of facing Achraf Hakimi, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Desire Doue, Ousmane Dembele and Co.

Frank said: “We're playing in a final; it's fantastic. Hopefully we can use some of the experience we have from the last final that the team played against Manchester United. [Paris] are the best team in Europe. They won the treble, and it looks like they are extremely strong in all 11 starting positions.

“It's a fantastic challenge to have in the first game, but, of course, we believe in ourselves. We're going to a final and there will be one objective – try to win it. We don't see it as a test; we see it as two good teams against each other, and we want to win.”

And containing such talent will undoubtedly prove a test for Frank’s side, but they could benefit from a little-known UEFA rule.

In other UEFA-ruled competitions, such as the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League, knockout games which do not conclude in 90 minutes continue for 30 minutes of extra time.

However, this is not the case during the Super Cup.

As per UEFA’s regulations, “if the result stands as a draw at the end of normal time, no extra time is played at the end of the match. A penalty shoot-out determines the winner”.

Therefore, tired Spurs players will get at least some respite after facing PSG’s world-class operators during normal time.

Both Spurs and PSG have never won the UEFA Super Cup.

Tottenham have submitted their 22-man squad list for Wednesday’s Super Cup showdown with PSG and the inclusion of one man will come as a boost for supporters.

Spurs face the Parisian powerhouse in Udine on Wednesday night as they look to build upon their Europa League success in May. Brennan Johnson’s scrappy first half strike proved the difference in Bilbao as Spurs ended their 17-year wait for a trophy, claiming a 1-0 win over Premier League rivals Manchester United in the process.

In winning a first piece of European silverware since 1984, Spurs were automatically entered into the Super Cup, where they take on PSG.

The Ligue 1 giants were in fine form as they trounced Inter in the Champions League final earlier this year, as goals from Achraf Hakimi, Desire Doue, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Sunny Mayulu secured a 5-0 win in Munich.

While PSG were unable to follow up success in Germany with the Club World Cup in America last month, Luis Enrique’s side crashing to a 3-0 defeat to Chelsea, the French outfit will be confident of kicking off the campaign with a first piece of silverware.

Spurs boost as key PSG man missing

The absence of Joao Neves, the Portuguese midfielder suspended, is a blow for PSG, the former Benfica man forging a fine partnership with compatriot Vitinha and Spain international Fabian Ruiz in Enrique’s favoured 4-3-3 setup.

Even so, PSG head into the midweek meeting with Spurs as favourites as Thomas Frank gears up for his first competitive match as head coach.

Frank succeeded Ange Postecoglou at the Spurs helm earlier in the year, and the former Brentford man faces a real baptism of fire.

The north London side were humbled in their final pre-season game before the domestic campaign gets underway later this week, losing 4-0 to Bayern Munich.

Dominic Solanke has hardly kicked a ball in pre-season

Dominic Solanke missed that heavy defeat due to injury sustained against Reading last month and fans were concerned the England international wouldn’t be ready for the new season.

Richarlison has been preferred as focal point of the Spurs attack but the Brazilian has come in for criticism for missing a couple of sitters in pre-season, notably close-range headers against Arsenal and Bayern.

However, Solanke has been included in Spurs’ 22-man squad list for the meeting with PSG, which will have come as a boost for the club even if he has barely featured in pre-season

In addition, Destiny Udogie has made the cut, with the Italian recently struggling due to injury.

Tottenham's 22-man Super Cup squad list

Goalkeepers: Guglielmo Vicario, Antonin Kinsky, Brandon Austin

Defenders: Pedro Porro, Djed Spence, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Kevin Danso, Destiny Udogie, Ben Davies

Midfielders: Joao Palhinha, Yves Bissouma, Archie Gray, Rodrigo Bentancur, Lucas Bergvall, Pape Sarr

Forwards: Mohammed Kudus, Brennan Johnson, Wilson Odobert, Mathys Tel, Richarlison, Dominic Solanke

Fans will hope to see Lucas Bergvall make his first competitive appearance the 5-1 loss to Liverpool in April after the Swedish midfielder suffered an ankle injury to miss the final games of the campaign.

Injured sextet James Maddison, Radu Dragusin, Dejan Kulusevski, Kota Takai, Bryan Gil and Manor Solomon all miss out on the squad list, while the latter pair have been linked with summer exits.

Tottenham have been handed a boost ahead of the UEFA Super Cup as a key PSG player will be forced to miss the game through suspension.

Thomas Frank will get his Spurs career underway in Italy on Wednesday, as his inherited Europa League winners face Champions League-winning PSG.

The European curtain raiser will be Frank's first competitive game in charge since his move from Brentford, having won two of his six pre-season games in charge.

It's been a difficult pre-season for the London club, losing 4-0 to Bayern Munich last time out, as well as suffering a huge injury blow with James Maddison rupturing his ACL.

PSG will also be missing a key man on Wednesday with midfielder Joao Neves forced to sit on the sidelines due to his red card in the Club World Cup final against Chelsea.

The 20-year-old was given his marching orders in the US after pulling on Marc Cucurella's hair during the second half as the Premier League side ran away with the match.

Despite the dismissal coming in a FIFA match the suspension will carry over to both PSG's European and domestic matches, meaning Neves will also sit out the Parisians' Ligue 1 opener against Nantes.

According to French outlet RMC Sport, PSG manager Luis Enrique will use the Portuguese international's suspension to his advantage by implementing a new training plan.

With the Club World Cup offering players little to no rest ahead of the new season, Neves will gradually build up his fitness with PSG players only returning to training on the 6th of August.

Thomas Frank 100% ready for PSG

Speaking ahead of the match, Frank insisted his squad are prepared for the challenge and focussed on bringing home another trophy.

“We will 100% be ready for that game. I’m not in doubt about that," he told reporters.

"There are six days ahead… then we will be ready against PSG.

“The lesson I want to learn is that we won. That game will be about winning.

"If, for whatever reason, we shouldn’t win, then we will learn from it. We don’t see it as a test. We see it as two good teams against each other, and we want to win,"he added.

America’s media have already had their say on Son Heung-min after the former Spurs man made his MLS debut on Saturday (April 9).

Son, 33, joined LAFC on a two-year contract from Spurs for a reported fee in excess of £20m earlier this week, bringing his decade-long stay in north London to an end.

Upon his arrival in the States, the popular Korean admitted that the club were not “my first choice” but also stressed how he was “more than happy” and “excited” to get going.

"It's a dream come true. LA - what a city," said Son on Wednesday.

"If I'm honest, it was not my first choice. But the first call I had with [LAFC co-president] John [Thorrington] after my season finished, he changed my mind, changed my heart, my brain.

"He showed me the destination where I should be. Now I'm here, I'm more than happy, I'm so excited."

And it didn’t take long for the veteran to make his first appearance for LA as he was introduced as a second-half substitute during the side’s 2-2 draw against Chicago Fire at the SeatGeek Stadium.

Son made an instant impact and won a penalty kick within 20 minutes of his debut before the ensuing spot kick was dispatched by Denis Bouanga with just nine minutes left to play.

Despite his positive contribution, Son explained how he was “disappointed” after the match.

He said: "A bit disappointed not getting three points, but I think everybody put in a lot of effort, happy I made my debut, and I hope the goals come soon."

So, what did the US media make of his 29-minute cameo in Chicago?

Sports Illustrated wrote: “Son Heung-min is going to be good for LAFC in Major League Soccer.”

The outlet added: "Overall, it was a strong performance from Son, and LAFC would not have been able to get the point without him given that he drew the penalty for Bouanga to score and secure the 2–2 result."

Son has even earned himself a new nickname in States with the commentators often referring to him as 'Sonny' during his debut .

Meanwhile, The Athletic wrote: “He was active and dangerous in his first minutes with his new club, and his run into space on a counterattack provided the decisive moment of the game.”

AOL explained: “In his first minutes in an LAFC uniform, Son quickly made an impact: In addition to drawing the penalty, he had three shots in the draw. Son had a few clear opportunities, but Chicago keeper Chris Brady was able to get the relatively easy saves on those chances.”

LAFC return to action with a trip to New England on August 17.

Tottenham Hotspur fans have been reacting on social media after watching Joao Palhinha make his debut against Bayern Munich.

On Thursday, Spurs took on German Bundesliga champions Bayern at the Allianz Arena as the pair ramped up their pre-season campaign.

New boss Thomas Frank gave a Spurs debut to Palhinha, who recently joined the North London club on loan from Bayern.

In the first half, former Spurs talisman Harry Kane netted with 12 minutes on the clock before missing a penalty as the Bavarians went into the interval with a 1-0 lead.

At the start of the second half, new signing Palhinha was replaced by Lucas Bergvall.

Taking to social media, Spurs fans have been reacting to Palhinha's 45-minute cameo.

One fan said: "There's a high chance now after watching Palhinha that Bissouma remains our best number 6."

Another tweeted: "Can we leave Palhinha in Germany?"

A third fan added: "We needed a playmaker, not Palhinha. And we need a 10."

Someone else wrote: "Palhinha either isn’t ready yet, don’t know why he wouldn’t be… or there is a reason why Bayern let him go."

A fifth commented: "Palhinha hooked at half time and rightfully so, guys been awful."

Another fan said: "Palhinha btw … lemme not say too much yet lol."

With 61 minutes on the clock, French winger Kingsley Coman scored to make it 2-0 to Bayern.

In the end, Vincent Kompany's men came away 4-0 winners with Lennart Karl and Jonah Kusi-Asare also getting on the scoresheet.

Aside from Palhinha, Spurs have also brought in Mohammed Kudus, Mathys Tel, Kevin Danso, Luka Vuskovic and Kota Takai this summer.

However, they are set to be without talisman James Maddison for the majority of the 25/26 campaign.

The Englishman suffered a serious injury against Newcastle United last week and was stretchered off.

On Thursday, it was confirmed that Maddison had suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury and will require surgery.

A statement from Spurs read: "We can confirm that James Maddison will undergo surgery for a ruptured Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) in his right knee. The 28-year-old midfielder suffered the injury during our pre-season friendly against Newcastle United on Sunday in Seoul.

"His surgery will take place in the coming days and, following that, James will then begin his rehabilitation with our medical team.

"Everyone at Tottenham Hotspur wishes James a full and speedy recovery. We will be supporting him every step of the way."

Spurs midfielder James Maddison is expected to miss the majority of the 2025/26 season after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury in pre-season.

The 28-year-old, who endured an injury-hit campaign last season, was stretchered off in the closing stages of Sunday’s 1-1 draw against Newcastle following an innocuous challenge.

Maddison had only just been introduced to the game, but he was soon replaced by South Korean youngster Yang Min-hyeok as the incident overshadowed Son Heung-min's final appearance for Spurs.

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After the full-time whistle, Frank gave a worrying insight into the knee injury. "I think it was brutal what happened to Madders," he said in his post-match interview. "It looks like a bad injury. Of course, we don't know exactly the status of it. It didn't look good."

A few days later and BBC Sport have reported that Maddison is set to have surgery on the ACL injury and will miss the majority of the 2025/26 campaign.

He is set to be out for the next six to seven months, as per Fabrizio Romano, who added: "Tottenham looking at the market again soon."

Spurs release statement on James Maddison injury

After reports emerged regarding Maddison's injury, Spurs confirmed that the player ruptured the Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) in his right knee against Newcastle.

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A statement read: "We can confirm that James Maddison will undergo surgery for a ruptured Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) in his right knee. The 28-year-old midfielder suffered the injury during our pre-season friendly against Newcastle United on Sunday in Seoul.

"His surgery will take place in the coming days and, following that, James will then begin his rehabilitation with our medical team."

The club added: "Everyone at Tottenham Hotspur wishes James a full and speedy recovery. We will be supporting him every step of the way."

Spurs looking at potential replacement for James Maddison but decide against signing Harvey Elliott

Maddison's long-term absence will likely force Spurs to move in the summer, with Leicester City's attacking midfielder Bilal El Khannouss being linked with a switch to the North London club in recent days.

Speaking on YouTube channel Last Word On Spurs, journalist Ben Jacobs gave an insight into Spurs' interest in El Khannouss.

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“Leeds United are the only club in the Premier League that have made a formal inquiry, but West Ham and Tottenham have considered doing so," he said.

"Relatively easy deal to get done. You’ll see some reports out there saying that Leicester want a fee in excess of £25 million. That’s not true to my understanding. Bilal El Khannouss has a relegation release clause which can be triggered for just €26 million.

"So that’s a deal at around £22 million. The player wants a move. He wants to stay in the Premier League."

Tottenham have a decision to make in the final weeks of the summer transfer window after James Maddison was stretchered off during Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Newcastle.

The meeting with the Magpies was Son Heung-Min’s final match in a Spurs shirt, but Maddison’s suspected ACL injury in the second half marred the South Korean’s Seoul send off. On the injury, Spurs boss Thomas Frank said: “James Maddison’s injury looks bad. It was a brutal moment. We're pretty sure it was the same knee he injured before.”

The pre-season stalemate marked Maddison’s first appearance since being forced off against Bodoe/Glimt in the Europa League in May with a knee problem.

It comes as Spurs chairman Daniel Levy issued an ultimatum to the newly appointed head coach with the north London side’s season kicking off next week when they face PSG in the Super Cup.

“Whenever you appoint a coach, you always believe it's right. You need a lot of ingredients for it to be right,” Levy told Gary Neville on the Overlap.

“Thomas is a highly intelligent individual, a fantastic way about him in terms of communication. I think he will be great at both developing young players and older players and making them better. He gets the style of football we want to play.

“He understands Rome wasn't built in a day. We haven't said to him that we want to win the Premier League this year.”

When asked when Frank is expected to win the league, Levy replied: “As soon as possible, but no pressure. We just want to compete at the highest level.”

Frank’s quest for domestic and continental silverware becomes that much harder without Maddison, who scored nine times and provided seven assists in the Premier League last season.

The former Leicester man was key in Spurs’ Europa League triumph, netting in the 3-1 home leg win over Bodoe/Glimt in May, but sat out the 1-0 final victory over Manchester United in Bilbao.

Attention now turns to how Spurs replace Maddison, with Dejan Kulusevski also some way off full fitness having required surgery on his patella back in May.

Spurs fans outline who they want to sign

While fans would hope the club can hijack moves for Eberechi Eze or Xavi Simons, the pair on the cusp of respective moves to Arsenal and Chelsea, one X, formerly Twitter, user believes the north London side should raid Manchester City as Spurs look to bring in a new number 10.

“After the James Maddison injury news, this has a move for Jack Grealish on loan written all over it.” Spurs Post posted on X.

“I for one would absolutely take this all day long. #COYS #Grealish”

Tottenham Hotspur star James Maddison has spoken out for the first time since suffering a brutal injury setback that led to him being stretchered off the pitch.

On Sunday afternoon, Spurs faced fellow Premier League side Newcastle United in a pre-season friendly at the Seoul World Cup Stadium in South Korea.

Going into the match, much of the focus was on captain Heung-Min Son after the 33-year-old confirmed that it would likely be his last match for the London club ahead of a summer move.

However, what was initially a fairytale ending for Son quickly turned into a nightmare for Spurs as star player Maddison suffered a brutal injury just minutes after coming onto the pitch.

After the match Maddison was seen leaving the stadium in crutches, and now he has finally spoken out for the first time since the injury.

In his post-match press conference, new Spurs manager Thomas Frank called the injury 'a brutal moment' and confirmed that the injury appeared to be on the same knee that ruled Maddison out of the latter part of last season.

And while he is yet to address his injury directly, Maddison has now taken to social media to release a touching tribute to Son in what could be his final Spurs match,

Posting on Instagram, the England international shared a series of videos of him and Son, writing: "10 years ago you arrived here as a kid. Now you leave a legend & one of my best friends.

"You are Tottenham Sonny. Love you always brother."

Despite the fact that Maddison chose not to mention the injury in the post, fans took to the comments to wish him well as he continues his journey back to the pitch.

What could Maddison's injury mean for Tottenham in the transfer window?

The severity of Maddison's fresh injury is yet to be confirmed, but it now appears unlikely that he will available for Spurs 2025/26 Premier League season opener against the newly-promoted Burnley on August 16.

Although Spurs have other options in midfield, including new signing Joao Palhinha who joined on a loan deal from Bayern Munich, it is possible that they may look to the transfer market to replace Maddison, should be out long-term.

Earlier in the window it looked almost certain that Nottingham Forest midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White would join the Lilywhites, but the Englishman instead decided to pen a new deal with the Midlands club.

Instead, Spurs will have to look elsewhere for a new player to fill the no.10 role, with some fans suggesting that Liverpool's Harvey Elliott could be the perfect fit, amid rumours that his future at Anfield is uncertain.

James Maddison was stretchered off during Spurs' 1-1 draw against Newcastle in pre-season and Thomas Frank has issued an update.

Spurs took the lead in South Korea through Brennan Johnson but the Magpies equalised before half-time with Harvey Barnes getting on the scoresheet.

The fixture was significant as it could be the final appearance for Son Heung-min who announced he would be leaving the club this summer amid interest from Major League Soccer.

In the second-half, Maddison hobbled off the pitch before collapsing in a heap as medics rushed to his aid. He was stretchered off the field as his teammates looked on in horror.

Speaking after the game, Frank claimed the injury was 'bad' and suspects it was on the same knee that kept Maddison out of action at the end of last season.

"We're pretty sure it was the same knee he injured before," Frank said.

"I think sometimes in life and football things can be both beautiful and brutal. That's what we got today. It looks like with Madders a bad injury and then on the other side unbelievable scenes for Son from his team-mates and the respect from the Newcastle players.

"First we had the walkaround and then the team-mates gathered around and he was emotional. In the changing room it was more of the same.

"I just said a few things but not much because it's about Sonny and then he said a few things. It was beautiful."

Maddison was ruled out of the remainder of the Premier League season during Spurs' Europa League first leg win over Bodo/Glimt at the start of May with a knee problem.

Spurs kick off the new season in just ten days in the UEFA Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain and Frank is now left with the prospect of being without a natural no.10 with Dejan Kulusevski also sidelined.

Son is also likely to have left the club before that fixture after announcing his departure on Saturday.

He said: "Before we start the press conference, I wanted to say I have decided to leave the Club this summer. Respectfully the club is helping me with this decision.

"It was the most difficult decision I have made in my career. Such amazing memories. It was so hard to make the decision.

"I need a new environment to push myself. I need a little bit of change - 10 years is a long time. I came to north London as a kid, 23 years old, such a young age. I leave this club as a grown man, a very proud man.

"I want to say thank you to all the Spurs fans for giving me so much love. I hope the goodbye is also good timing and this is the right time to make that decision. I hope everyone can accept that and respect that."

Tottenham Hotspur players and fans were left in shock as James Maddison suffered a freak injury that forced him to leave the pitch on a stretcher.

In less than two weeks, Tottenham Hotspur get their 2025/26 Premier League season underway as they welcome the newly-promoted Burnley to London on August 16.

Ahead of that, the Lilywhites have been competing in several club friendlies with fellow English sides including a North London derby against Arsenal.

In their penultimate friendly match before their Super Cup final against Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain, Spurs drew 1-1 with Newcastle United in the Seoul World Cup Stadium.

However, the match ended in disaster as star player Maddison suffered a freak injury that could mark the end of his season before it even started.

As he returns form a lengthy spell on the sidelines, Maddison has had reduced minutes in Spurs' pre-season to ensure he is fully fit ahead of the new season,

With that in mind, the Englishman was named on the bench for the friendly against Newcastle, but everything went wrong as he suffered what appeared to be an innocuous-looking injury just minuted after coming on.

In the 75th minute, Maddison came on to the pitch to replace teammate Archie Gray and only minutes later, he was forced to stop as he suffered an injury after trying to win the ball.

The 28-year-old appeared to immediately know something was wrong, as he started to hop on one foot before falling to the ground with his hands hands on his head while he called for the team physio.

As Maddison lay on the pitch writhing in pain, the cameras cut to Spurs captain Son, who confirmed pre-match that he would leave the club this summer, who sat on the bench with his hands over his mouth, devastated by the events on pitch.

Eventually, a stretcher was called for Maddison, who was loaded onto it before leaving the pitch still with his hands over his face.

Speaking post-match, new Spurs boss Thomas Frank confirmed that Maddison's injury was to the same knee that kept him out of the latter part of last season.