Tottenham will want to get a taste of what to expect in the Champions League this season by playing one of the best teams in Europe in Atletico Madrid. The two sides clash in an International Champions Cup match at the MCG in Melbourne on Friday.
Spurs, despite a late blip, did brilliantly to finish in the top three of the English Premier League last season, which gives them a direct ticket to the group stages of the Champions League. With a new Premier League battle also set to commence, Mauricio Pochettino will be keen to get his team working as a unit again, much like their opponents, who, arguably, have the best defence in European club football.
Tottenham, unlike their opponents, have already played one game in the International Champions Cup – against Juventus – a game they lost 2-1. While getting back to match fitness is key in preseason matches, Pochettino, who is without the likes of Harry Kane, Dele Alli, Eric Dier and Hugo Lloris for this preseason tour, even if new signings Victor Wanyama and Vincent Janssen feature, will not want to leave Australia without a single win in the bag.
"Our idea is to play in the same way as we did against Juventus, to be brave and to deliver our ideas," Pochettino told the club's official website. "We are preparing for our season and it's always important to deliver the plan. We are in a process and a period where we need to improve and learn."
Atletico Madrid, whose biggest attraction remains Fernando Torres, will want to learn from another Champions League final heartache, when they lost the title to Real Madrid for the second time in three seasons. With Diego Simeone set to stay for another season, at least, Atletico Madrid will have their eyes on an assault in the La Liga and the Champions League.
With a few new faces, and a few more to come, Atletico Madrid will be confident going into the new season, but before that, there is this challenge against Tottenham and enjoying themselves in Australia.
"Tottenham has been a few days here in Australia and has already played a match," Simeone told Atletico's official website. "We will try to work as best as possible.
"We have come with players who are well prepared and have worked very well these days. We are always hopeful to keep improving. It's clear that you always want to win."
Squads: Tottenham: Michel Vorm, Tom Glover, Luke McGee, Dominic Ball, DeAndre Yedlin, Kevin Wimmer, Luke Amos, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Kieran Trippier, Kyle Walker-Peters, Victor Wanyama, Tom Carroll, Nacer Chadli, Marcus Edwards, Christian Eriksen, Erik Lamela, Josh Onomah, Ryan Mason, Anton Walkes, Harry Winks, Vincent Janssen, Heung-Min Son, Shayon Harrison, Will Miller.
Atletico Madrid: Jan Oblak, Carlos Marin, Angel Bernabe, Diego Godin, Filipe Luis, Tiago Mendes, Saul Niguez, Fernando Torres, Oliver Torres, Gabi, Stefan Savic, Lucas Hernandez, Thomas Partey, Rafael Borre, Diogo Jota, Sime Vrsaljko, Theo Hernandez, Javier Manquillo, Hector Hernandez, Emiliano Velazquez, Amath Diedhiou, Caio Henrique, Juan Moreno.
Where to Watch Live
Tottenham vs Atletico -- International Champions Cup 2016 match -- is scheduled for an 8 p.m. local time (3.30 p.m. IST, 12 p.m. CET, 11 a.m. BST, 6 a.m. ET) start. Below are the live streaming and TV information.
India: TV: Sony ESPN/HD. Live Streaming: Sonyliv.
Australia: TV: Channel 9. Live Streaming: 9now.
UK: TV: Sky Sports 1/HD. Live streaming: Sky Go.
Spain: TV: La Sexta.
USA: TV: ESPN 3 and ESPN Deportes. Live Streaming: Watch ESPN.
China: TV: Guangdong Sports and LeTV.
Singapore: TV: Starhub.
