Tottenham Hotspur narrowly missed out on a UEFA Champions League berth to Aston Villa in the previous season. After missing continental football for a year, the Lilywhites will be back to compete in the UEFA Europa League.
Spurs recently smashed Cambridge United 7-2 in a closed doors friendly. A hat-trick from Brennan Johnson and a brace from captain Son Heung-min saw Spurs get the better of Cambridge, as they netted five goals in the first 45 minutes.
The Scottish outfit, Hearts, will be hosting Tottenham at Tynecastle Park in Edinburgh to commemorate the club’s 150-year anniversary. Heart of Midlothian FC, also popularly known as Hearts, finished third in the Scottish championship behind Celtic and Rangers.
They will lock horns against former Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham. Both teams have secured their place in the UEFA Europa League for the 2024-25 season. This friendly could just be a glimpse of their upcoming encounters, if they face each other in the continental competition later this year.
The 41-year-old Scottish custodian Craig Gordon defies every critic about his age and fitness concerns whenever he stands between the sticks for his national team as well as for his club. The veteran goalkeeper will have to unleash his inner beast when his side face Tottenham. Given the attacking prowess of the Spurs team, Gordon will have to act as a key player to nullify the offensive threats from the Lilywhites.
After recently missing out on the final Scotland squad for Euro 2024, he will be eager to make the most of this opportunity in the absence of Zander Clark, who will join the squad shortly.
Brennan Johnson (Tottenham Hotspur)
The 6 feet 1 inch homegrown talent, who scored a hat-trick against Cambridge United, will be eager to get the ball rolling when his side face the Scottish outfit Hearts in Edinburgh. Johnson was awarded many opportunities to start for the Lilywhites after a series of injuries saw Tottenham get derailed from the summit to make peace with just a Europa League berth last season.
After finishing the previous season on a high, providing the joint-most assists (10) by any Spurs player, Johnson will be keen to impress his Australian manager during pre-season.
This game will be played in Edinburgh to commemorate Hearts’ 150-year anniversary.
Spurs smashed Cambridge United 7-2 in their previous friendly.
Hearts are coming on the back of a narrow defeat against Leyton Orient in their last friendly.
These two sides will meet each other after 13 years.
Hearts vs Tottenham Hotspur: Betting tips and odds
Tip 1: Goals over 2.5
Tip 2: At least one goal to be scored in the second half
Tip 3: Son Heung-min to score or assist anytime
Injury & Team News:
Spurs will miss the presence of their Argentine duo, Cristian Romero and Giovani Lo Celso, who will join the squad shortly after conquering Copa America 2024.
Other international absentees for Spurs include Radu Dragusin, Guglielmo Vicario, Micky van de Ven, Pierre-Emile Hojberg and Rodrigo Bentancur.
Injury scares continue to worry Postecoglou as Fraser Forster, Ben Davies and Destiny Udogie are yet to recover fully.
The hosts will also likely miss the presence of Lawrence Shankland, Zander Clark, Gerard Taylor and Kenneth Vargas, who are bound by international duty.
