Where are they now? Tottenham’s last Champions League starting XI ahead of Villarreal tie
Tottenham begin their Champions League campaign against Villarreal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Tuesday.
Spurs have never won the Champions League, but did reach the final in 2019.
Thomas Frank’s enjoyed a promising start to life at Tottenham, with the club sitting third in the Premier League.
Tottenham won the Europa League last season, meaning that they will play in Europe’s elite competition for the first time since 2022/23, when Antonio Conte was in charge.
Three Tottenham starters remain from 0-0 draw vs AC Milan
Spurs crashed out of the round of 16 in 2023, losing 1-0 on aggregate to AC Milan.
The second leg finished 0-0, and only three of the starters on that day currently remain at the club.
Brahim Diaz’s first-leg strike at the San Siro was enough to see off Tottenham, with the loss signalling the beginning of the end of Conte’s reign at the club.
Of the players that remain at the club today, Dejan Kulusevski, Cristian Romero and Ben Davies all started that day, whilst Pape Matar Sarr, Richarlison and Brandon Austin were on the bench.
Romero was sent off in the second leg at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, as Spurs managed just two shots on target in the whole match.
The starting lineup was:
- Goalkeeper: Fraser Forster
- Defenders: Cristian Romero, Clement Lenglet, Ben Davies
- Midfielders: Emerson Royal, Oliver Skipp, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Ivan Perisic
- Attackers: Dejan Kulusevski, Harry Kane, Heung Min Son
Club legends Kane and Son have left the club for Germany and North America, respectively, whilst Forster was released this summer.
Perisic enjoyed Dutch glory with PSV last season, whilst Lenglet and Hojbjerg will also feature in the Champions League for Atletico Madrid and Marseille.
Since that match, 923 days have passed, and Spurs are back amongst Europe’s elite, where they wish to put down a marker against a resilient Villarreal side.
- Read more: Gary Lineker shares conversation with Daniel Levy ally after Tottenham exit – ‘I know someone…’
Tottenham must be wary of tricky Villarreal test
Tottenham will need to perform well if they’re to pick up three points against Villarreal, with the Spanish side currently fifth in La Liga.
During pre-season, they went to the Emirates and beat Arsenal, and only suffered their first loss of the season against Atletico Madrid.
Former Arsenal star Nicolas Pepe is in red-hot form, whilst former Spurs full-back Juan Foyth is set for a reunion with the club he spent three years at.
Tuesday’s match is not their easiest nor their hardest league phase match, but Spurs will need to be alert to Villarreal’s counter-attacking style.
Xavi Simons was superb against West Ham and will look to star in the Champions League for Spurs, whilst Lucas Bergvall will hope to retain his place in the team following his man-of-the-match performance at the London Stadium.
Tottenham are unlikely to win the Champions League, but a strong performance against The Yellow Submarine could send a message of intent out to their rivals.
Enjoyed this article? Stay connected with all the latest Tottenham Hotspur news, updates, and behind-the-scenes content by following us on our new Instagram account – @tottenhamnews247