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Thomas Frank has provided a fitness update on his Tottenham Hotspur squad ahead of their UEFA Champions League league phase tie against Villarreal.

In a little over 72 hours after their Premier League fixture against West Ham United, Tottenham Hotspur are set to return to action, this time under the bright lights of the UEFA Champions League.

It has been a long two-year wait for the north London side, who last featured in Europe’s top competition back in 2022/23, when their run ended in the round of 16.

For Thomas Frank, Tottenham’s tie against Villarreal will be his Champions League debut, representing a significant moment in his career, and although he will want to lead Spurs deep into the competition, ensuring a winning start against Villarreal will be his immediate priority.

The Europa League winners head into this opening European fixture with a handful of injury concerns, as several familiar names remain unavailable. Yves Bissouma, Dejan Kulusevski, Kota Takai, James Maddison and Radu Dragusin are all sidelined.

However, those absences will not weigh heavily on Frank’s plans for the night, given that none of those players were included in the Dane’s 22-man Champions League squad.

Mathys Tel is another who misses out, having also been left out of the squad, but there is a possibility that loan signing Randal Kolo Muani could make his Tottenham debut, with the striker pushing for involvement after being an unused substitute against West Ham at the weekend.

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Dominic Solanke remains sidelined with an ankle issue, and Frank has now provided a fitness update on his squad ahead of Tuesday’s tie with Villarreal.

Speaking to the club’s official channels, Frank said: “Dom is taking steps in the right directions. He is not ready to be involved tomorrow.

“Randal is ready. How many minutes? He can play 90 minutes but can he play at the intensity. He is available and ready though.”

Thomas Frank has made it clear that Tottenham are not just in the Champions League to make up the numbers, with the new boss setting his sights firmly on trying to win European football’s biggest prize.

Tottenham Hotspur are back in the big time with the Lilywhites now set to play in Europe’s premier competition on Tuesday under the lights in the Champions League at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The Europa League winners would be looking to get off to the perfect start in their first league phase tie against Villarreal, which would be anything but straightforward.

Spurs have never won the Champions League, but they are no strangers to winning on the continental stage, having lifted four European trophies in their history.

Thomas Frank sets bold Tottenham Champions League target

Thomas Frank will be hoping to surpass Mauricio Pochettino’s feat of guiding Spurs to a Champions League final, with the Dane determined to lead the side one step further, but it will be far from simple, especially for a manager who is only just making his debut in the competition.

Speaking to Tottenham’s official channels, Frank admitted that while he is relishing the challenge of European nights with Tottenham, he also has ambitions of going all the way.

He said: “Obviously it is a big thing. I am hugely looking forward to it. I am sure it will be special when we hear that Champions League anthem playing.

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“We want to try and win it. But the most important thing is to take one game at a time. That begins with Villarreal, a very good team. Huge respect for Marcelino. His team is well structured, well organised and they like to dominate as much as they can on the ball.”

Spurs’ European pedigree and realistic expectations

Of course, it will be baby steps for the Dane, who will look to take it one game at a time, and while Spurs have never won the Champions League, they did reach the final back in 2019.

As Europa League winners, Tottenham do know what it takes to navigate a European competition, but it is rare for Europa League holders to immediately follow it up with Champions League glory.

Following a debut display off the left against Tottenham Hotspur’s London rivals, West Ham United, Xavi Simons has now revealed his best position.

As debuts go, Xavi Simons would have every reason to be proud of his first competitive outing in English football, with the £51m signing immediately making an impact by providing the assist for Tottenham’s opening goal in their derby against West Ham United.

The Dutch international had not played club football for over a month, and although it took him some time to find his rhythm on the ball, he gradually grew into the contest and began to influence the attacking play more as the game went on.

Simons was signed primarily as a number ten, yet his versatility allows him to feature on the left wing as well, and it was from this position that Thomas Frank opted to use the 22-year-old, with Lucas Bergvall operating further up the pitch.

Xavi Simons on his best position after Tottenham debut

Reflecting on his first taste of Premier League football, Simons spoke to Sky Sports after the match and was asked directly where he sees himself playing his best football.

The midfielder revealed that while he has spent most of his career playing as a number ten, he has also embraced another position in recent years.

He said: “I have played my whole life in the number 10 position, but in the last two years I have developed on the left side. I want to help the team with goals and assists. We know set-pieces were so important. I found Pape from the corner and it was a nice goal.”

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Simons focus turns to adaptation and Champions League test

With the nerves of his Tottenham debut now behind him, Xavi Simons also stressed that his immediate focus is on adapting to life in north London and building stronger relationships with his teammates on and off the pitch.

He continued: “I am really happy with the win, and making my debut in the Premier League is such a special moment.

“It has always been a dream of mine to play on the biggest stage in the best league in the world. I am with a magnificent team.

“Even teams who are struggling in the table have top players. Even West Ham today have top players. I am trying to adapt as quickly as possible.

Pape Matar Sarr delivered the breakthrough in Tottenham’s derby win at West Ham, and he has now explained why he pointed to the bench after grabbing Spurs’ opener.

It was derby day delight for Thomas Frank and his Tottenham Hotspur squad, who secured an emphatic 3-0 win against London rivals West Ham United at the London Stadium.

It was a cagey affair from the off at the London Stadium with both sides looking to start brightly, but as the fixture grew on, it was Tottenham who took a foothold on proceedings, keeping West Ham pinned back for large spells.

Set-pieces played a major role in Spurs’ victory, as the Lilywhites won 13 corners, found the net directly from one and even had another goal from a Cristian Romero header disallowed for a foul inside the box.

Pape Matar Sarr explains his Tottenham celebration vs West Ham

It was a combination of Xavi Simons’ delivery from a corner and a well-taken header by Pape Matar Sarr that led to Spurs’ opener a few minutes after the start of the second half.

Following the goal, the Senegalese international wheeled away towards the bench and pointed in celebration, and now he has explained why.

Speaking to Tottenham’s official channels after the match, Sarr revealed that the gesture was a nod to Tottenham’s set-piece coach, Andreas Georgson.

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He explained: “It is for the coach – he is there, he is there. He spoke about it at half-time. He just told me when the ball arrives there, you will score. It was good timing. I scored – and it is for the coach.”

Sarr went on to detail how the move had been worked on in training before the game and how his connection with Simons played a big part in making it happen.

He added, “We worked on it two days ago. I told Xavi yesterday, if you have the ball, put the ball in and I will score. In the first half, we spoke together, I told him to cross the ball, and it was good timing, when the ball arrived, I headed it in. It was a nice goal, always nice to score in a derby.”

Reflecting further on the result, Sarr highlighted the importance of bouncing back after the disappointment before the international break. “You know, we lost against Bournemouth before we went into the international break and today was special for us to win this game, we did it and we are all happy.”

Thomas Frank set-piece influence clear in Spurs win

West Ham United have struggled to deal with set pieces so far this season, and it was clear that was something Thomas Frank and his coaching staff looked to exploit in this London derby.

Tottenham have not always been the strongest from set pieces, particularly last season, where they struggled to defend dead-ball situations and rarely capitalised on their own set plays in the final third.

Thomas Frank’s Brentford side, however, thrived at both ends of the pitch when it came to set pieces, and it is already clear that he and his backroom team are determined to bring that same edge to Tottenham.

Mohammed Kudus may have been booed incessantly by the West Ham fans during Tottenham’s 3-0 win at the London Stadium, but the staff at the East London club did make a classy gesture to the winger after the final whistle.

The derby at the London Stadium was pencilled in as a match to watch as soon as the Ghana international became the first player to move from West Ham to Tottenham Hotspur in 14 years.

Kudus was expected to be greeted by an extremely hostile atmosphere, and that was exactly how things panned out, with the 25-year-old being jeered loudly by the home crowd every time he touched the ball.

In the end, it was the winger who had the last laugh as Spurs walked away with three points and a comfortable win from his former stomping ground.

Mohammed Kudus was handed his iconic wooden stool by West Ham staff

The Athletic have now revealed that not only was he booed incessantly by West Ham fans, but a ball boy also refused to give Kudus the ball before he took a corner.

However, the outlet says that things were very cordial between the Tottenham man and his former employers as he had a brief catch-up with West Ham’s non-playing staff after the final whistle.

He then made his way near the family enclosure area, where he was given his iconic wooden stool, which the Tottenham player was very thankful for.

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Kudus’ custom wooden elephant stool, which he sat on during his goal celebrations at West Ham, is a tribute by the player to Ghanaian chiefs and cultural traditions.

Kudus has not burned his bridges with West Ham players and staff

The comments Mohammed Kudus made when he joined Tottenham have made him enemy number one for West Ham fans.

However, it is clear that he left the club on good terms, as evidenced by his relationship with his former teammates and staff at the club.

In fact, despite all the buildup revolving around the hostile reception he will get at the London Stadium, Kudus said before the game that he was looking forward to seeing his old teammates.

The Tottenham man certainly did not seem flustered by the hostile reception he got, and he was not on the receiving end of any dangerous tackles from his opponents.

Several Tottenham players have been spotted on the training pitches at Hotspur Way as Thomas Frank prepares his side for their UEFA Champions League opener.

Tottenham Hotspur’s attention now swiftly turns to the UEFA Champions League league phase as Thomas Frank’s side look to kick off their European adventure with a win.

Tottenham come into their tie against Villarreal off the back of a rather comfortable 3-0 win against London rivals West Ham United in their last league fixture, and confidence is sure to be high within the Tottenham camp.

This tie marks Spurs’ first match in the UEFA Champions League following their two-year absence from the competition, with their last appearance being a round of 16 tie in the 2022/23 season.

Which Spurs players trained ahead of the match?

Thomas Frank and his backroom staff were seen taking the Tottenham first-team squad through some drills at the club’s Hotspur Way training ground as they prepare for the visit of their Spanish opponents.

Dominic Solanke and Kota Takai were once again absent, while James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski and Yves Bissouma continued this rehabilitation from the gym, Alasdair Gold revealed on X.

Several players were spotted in Spurs’ first-team training ahead of their tie against Villarreal, with preparations now heating up.

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Among the Tottenham players spotted taking part in training were:

Guglielmo Vicario, Antonin Kinsky, Pedro Porro, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Destiny Udogie, Djed Spence, Radu Dragusin, Ben Davies, Lucas Bergvall, Rodrigo Bentancur, Pape Matar Sarr, Joao Palhina, Xavi Simons, Richarlison, Mathys Tel, Brennan Johnson, Randal Kolo Muani.

Villarreal centre-back Rafa Marin has admitted that he was very excited when the Champions League draw came out, and he cannot wait to begin the campaign away at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

With Spurs securing a win in the London derby against West Ham United on Saturday, attention now shifts to the Champions League, with the Lilywhites back in the competition after a two-year absence.

The new format of the Champions League means Tottenham’s fixture list is extremely challenging over the next few months.

The Spurs squad will undoubtedly be put through the stress test, and Thomas Frank will have to rotate smartly, given that there are no easy games in the Champions League.

Villarreal star is ready to lock horns with Tottenham

Spurs begin their campaign with what they will see as four winnable fixtures, but they have a hard end to the league phase, with Paris Saint-Germain, Slavia Prague, Borussia Dortmund and Eintracht Frankfurt being the final four opponents.

The Lilywhites will thus want to begin with three points at home against Villarreal, but Rafa Marin admits that he and his teammates have no fear coming to N17.

When asked about beginning their Champions League campaign with fixtures against Tottenham and Juventus, Marin told AS (as relayed by Sport Witness): “There are two big games coming up. They’re special matches we’re eagerly awaiting. It’s incredibly motivating for a player to be able to play these types of games.

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“It’s true that playing at home makes you feel stronger and better, but I think we’re a team that won’t back down away from home.

“When the draw was over and I saw the opponents we were facing, my hair stood on end. For anyone who loves football, being able to play in a competition like this and against opponents like these is very important. They’re great teams, but it’s 11 against 11, so we’ll see.”

Tottenham’s record against Spanish sides in Europe is concerning

While the North Londoners will believe they can beat the Yellow Submarine at home on Tuesday, there is one stat that may worry Tottenham fans.

Spurs have won only one of their 13 games against La Liga sides in Europe, which is not a good omen for the club ahead of the clash.

Villarreal have made a strong start to the season, currently sitting in fifth place in the table, and Tottenham will thus have to bring their A-game to make a winning start to the competition.

The Tottenham Hotspur Supporters Trust have slammed the club for placing a hefty price on one of their Champions League fixtures.

Tottenham Hotspur will get their Champions League campaign underway on Tuesday, with Villarreal travelling to North London. There will be plenty of intrigue surrounding Manor Solomon, who may end up playing against his parent club.

However, one of the biggest talking points about the match has been how much Tottenham supporters will have to fork out in order to attend. The THST has previously criticised Spurs for raising ticket prices. It was later announced that the THST would play a part in the club’s long-term ticketing review.

This season, the THST have criticised Tottenham’s decision not to price all Champions League matches and Category C fixtures. When their protests were ignored by the club, they made an effort to only have the Borussia Dortmund fixture above Category C, but this was again refused.

Tottenham Supporters’ Trust send clear message to the Spurs board

Tottenham have pressed ahead with pricing the upcoming clash with Villarreal as a Category B fixture. As a result, tickets have gone unsold and are being offered on a general sale where anyone can buy them.

The THST posted: “We warned Spurs against pricing our group stage UCL game v Villarreal at Cat B. The fact we are now being urged to invite up to SIX of our friends to this game, suggests we were right.

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“Why not price games affordably and pack the stadium? That’s how you create the atmosphere we all want on European nights.”

Tottenham fixtures do not usually make it to a general sale, except for some domestic cup matches. Tickets are usually sold out after the One Hotspur member sales windows.

Spurs have made an error in judgement on Champions League tickets

Many clubs offer a four match package, which allows their supporters to pay a fixed fee to attend every home European match during the league phase of the competition. This means every game is priced exactly the same.

Tottenham have attempted to boost revenue by charging more for the bigger matches against higher ranked opponents.

However, this move has not paid off. It is not easy for many supporters to attend midweek matches and this should be taken into consideration when the club decide their pricing strategy.

If Spurs still have lots of empty seats on Tuesday night, it will be disappointing, because it is good for the supporters to get behind their team.

However, no fan can be blamed for not being able to afford additional cup matches. Playing Villarreal does not make for a standout tie and it should have been priced the same as the Copenhagen and Slavia Prague fixtures.

The Opta Supercomputer has spoken and revealed how likely Tottenham Hotspur are to make it past the league phase of the Champions League.

UEFA came under fire after making the decision to expand the Champions League from 32 to 36 teams, while scrapping the traditional group stage format. However, there were many positives taken from the new structure of the tournament. One was how there were fewer dead rubber matches at the end of the opening round of the competition.

The league phase certainly took some unexpected twists, as some European giants failed to meet their expectations. Real Madrid finished 11th, Bayern Munich came 12th and Manchester City only made it through on goal difference.

This shows that anything is possible, so Tottenham Hotspur must be careful not to show complacency in their fixtures against lower ranked teams.

On a positive note, PSG finished 15th in the league phase last season and still went on to lift the trophy, defeating Liverpool, Arsenal and Inter who finished first, third and fourth respectively.

Supercomputer predicts Tottenham to narrowly miss out on Champions League play-off bypass

If Tottenham finish in the top eight of the league phase, they will go straight into the last 16 and avoid the play-off round which would add two new fixtures to the calendar.

However, the Opta Supercomputer has predicted Spurs will finish ninth with 12.84 points, meaning an additional round would not be avoided. Should this prediction prove to be correct, Thomas Frank and his team would travel to Belgium to take on Royale Union Saint-Gilloise, the club predicted to finish 24th.

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It would be frustrating for Spurs to finish one spot off automatically qualifying for the last 16, but placing ninth out of 36 teams would not be a bad result. The opening stage has got the better of Tottenham before in the 2016/17 season, when Maurico Pochettino’s men struggled to make Wembley Stadium feel like home.

Which fixtures could cause Spurs problems?

Tottenham have a reasonably favourable start to the Champions League, beginning with a home fixture against Villarreal. A trip to Bodo/Glimt comes next in a repeat of last season’s Europa League semi-final, which Spurs won.

However, there are some games which are not easy on paper. PSG away is the obvious pick and Tottenham will have done brilliantly to pick up anything from that match. Borussia Dortmund’s visit to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will not be easy either.

Away trips to Monaco and Eintracht Frankfurt will also test Tottenham, but they did get the better of the Bundesliga team away from home last season.

Considering Tottenham’s opponents and their start to the new Premier League campaign, there is certainly a chance they will prove the Supercomputer wrong and bypass the play-off round with a top eight finish.

Kota Takai is still waiting for his Tottenham Hotspur debut, but the young defender has already lifted the lid on life at Spurs, revealing the surprising squad member who has stepped in as his English teacher.

A few of Tottenham Hotspur’s new signings are already making their mark in North London, with some even impressing on the pitch in these early weeks of the season.

Xavi Simons made his debut against West Ham United and picked up an assist, while Mohammed Kudus has been heavily involved, featuring in every league fixture so far for Thomas Frank’s side, grabbing two assists in the process.

Joao Palhinha has also settled seamlessly into the holding midfield role, helping Tottenham keep three clean sheets from four league fixtures.

Still, not every new arrival has had the same chance, as Kota Takai and Kolo Muani continue to wait for their first minutes in a Spurs shirt.

Tottenham defender Kota Takai talks about life at Spurs

Kolo Muani is fit and edging closer to his debut, but the situation is different for Kota Takai, who is still nursing the foot injury that has kept him out since sealing his £5 million move from Kawasaki Frontale.

Speaking to Tottenham’s official media channels, Takai has now opened up on his early days at Spurs, admitting that although he has enjoyed the experience so far, his focus remains on getting fit.

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When asked about life in north London so far, Takai said: “I think I am having a great time, and I just want to recover and get back to playing football soon.”

Asked about the wait for his first appearance, he kept his response short and honest, adding:

“I just want to play football with everyone.”

The 20-year-old was also quizzed about who he has grown closest to in the Spurs squad, and his answer will have surprised many supporters as he revealed: “Richarlison. He was the first one to come and talk to me. He is my English teacher.”

Takai then went further, praising the Brazilian’s character and support, saying: “He is a very nice guy.”

Recent reports have suggested that Kota Takai is edging closer to a return to full fitness, with the Japan international now back in training at Hotspur Way.

However, there remains no fixed date for his return to competitive action, which means Tottenham fans may have to wait a little longer before seeing him in a first-team matchday squad.