Palhinha starts, Frank to drop attacker – Tottenham predicted XI v Bayern Munich
Tottenham are set to take on Bayern Munich on Thursday in their final pre-season friendly of the summer.
Spurs will come face to face with Harry Kane for a second year running when they travel to the Allianz Arena (7 August).
It will be Thomas Frank’s last opportunity to give players a run-out before they face Paris Saint-Germain in the upcoming Super Cup six days later.
Son Heung-min won’t be available for selection for the first time in almost 10 years, as Tottenham News predicts how the Lilywhites could line up against the German champions.
Palhinha expected to start against his parent club
Joao Palhinha completed his loan move with an option to buy from Bayern Munich on Sunday (3 August), and will be hoping Frank includes him in the starting lineup to face his parent club.
The Dane will be keen to see his latest arrival in action, and could pair the Portugal international alongside a senior midfielder in Rodrigo Bentancur as he looks to settle into his new team.
James Maddison’s recent injury has robbed him of a likely place ahead of them, with Lucas Bergvall expected to be tested as an option further up the pitch.
The young midfielder will likely see Wilson Odobert and Mohammed Kudus both return to the starting lineup on either side of him.
Richarlison could be given the nod to lead the line ahead of the benched Mathys Tel and Dominic Solanke, who is unlikely to be risked from the start following his ankle issue.
In defence, Guglielmo Vicario will be expected to resume his role in goal, while Frank may need Cristian Romero and Micky Van de Ven to give Spurs the best chance of containing their record goalscorer.
On the flanks, Djed Spence will likely be preferred to Ben Davies on the left to try to negate Michel Olise’s influence, while Pedro Porro will resume his position on the opposite flank.
Patience with Tel will quickly wear thin
When Tel arrived in January on loan, also from Bayern, he walked into a dysfunctional team after playing very little football and was shown plenty of patience by both fans and management as he adapted.
However, having now made the move permanent, and with the number of forwards already at the club, the France Under-21 international will be less guaranteed of a starting spot.
| Player | Appearances | Goals | Assists | Minutes Played |
| Tel | 20 | 3 | 2 | 1,257′ |
As such, unlike Tel’s performance against Newcastle, when he missed a one-on-one chance trying an extravagant skill that didn’t come off, he will have to take his chances.
At 20 years old, he remains a young talent, but Frank is known not to be very forgiving with players who do not produce, and his patience with the forward will quickly wear thin if he does not start making a telling impact.
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