Reading vs Spurs

Thomas Frank will man the touchline as Tottenham Hotspur head coach for the first time on Saturday afternoon, when the Lilywhites commence their pre-season away to Reading.

Spurs are building up towards a summer tour of the Far East, while their League One hosts are unbeaten in three friendlies so far.

Match preview

Seventeen was the theme for Tottenham during the 2024-25 campaign, as while Spurs were condemned to an embarrassing 17th-placed Premier League finish, they ended a torturous 17-year trophy drought under Ange Postecoglou.

The Celtic treble winner fulfilled his second-season trophy promise in the Europa League, masterminding a memorable 1-0 final triumph over Manchester United to punch Spurs’ ticket to the Champions League and clinch their first honour since a Jonathan Woodgate-inspired 2008 EFL Cup triumph.

However, Daniel Levy and co could not justify keeping faith with the manager who oversaw the club’s worst-ever Premier League season to date, and following the chairman’s bold claim that Spurs have ambitions to conquer the top flight and Champions League, the powers-that-be have decided that Frank is the man to put them on that path to stardom.

The well-spoken Scandinavian and many of his trusted lieutenants have now arrived at Hotspur Way, as has their new second-most expensive signing of all time – Mohammed Kudus – and highly-rated defensive prospects Luka Vuskovic and Kota Takai.

Regulars and newbies are now gelling ahead of a five-match friendly run; Luton Town, Arsenal, Newcastle United and Bayern Munich also await before Spurs contest the UEFA Super Cup with Paris Saint-Germain on August 13.

While Spurs prepare for a fresh start under new first-team management, Reading are getting accustomed to life under new club management, as Dai Yongge’s miserable reign finally came to an end in the spring.

Shortly before the campaign concluded, Redwood Holdings Limited completed their takeover of the Berkshire outfit, who came within a whisker of the League One playoffs in 2024-25 too.

Ruben Selles and current incumbent Noel Hunt combined to win 75 points throughout the season, just three shy of Leyton Orient in sixth place, and the Royals’ preparations for another playoff push are already gathering momentum.

Indeed, Saturday’s hosts have two victories and a draw to show from their three pre-season friendlies thus far, getting the better of Hungerford Town (5-1) and most recently Swindon Town (2-1) either side of a 0-0 draw with Gillingham.

Reading will also pit their wits against Slough Town and Portsmouth following Saturday’s reunion with Spurs, who triumphed 3-1 the last time these two sides met in a competitive clash on New Year’s Day 2013; Royals boss Hunt was a second-half substitute in that Premier League battle.

Reading pre-season form:

W D W

Having already been integrated into Tottenham training, there is no reason why Kudus should not make his unofficial Spurs debut on Saturday, where Frank will have an extremely strong set of options to select from.

Knee victims Dejan Kulusevski and Radu Dragusin are still continuing their recoveries, while Mikey Moore, Archie Gray, Wilson Odobert and Mathys Tel are still on holiday following international commitments, but Frank has everyone else at his disposal.

Defensive additions Takai and Vuskovic can also anticipate their first minutes in a Tottenham shirt, as Frank will no doubt ring the changes throughout the all-English affair.

As for Reading, midfielder Ben Elliott managed 30 minutes against Swindon on Tuesday, taking a giant step forward in his recovery from a severe hamstring problem.

Hunt’s squad came out of the 120-minute match with their old rivals unscathed in midweek, where Premier League loanees Finley Burns (Manchester City) and Mark O’Mahony (Brighton & Hove Albion) were part of the second-half XI.

Reading possible starting lineup:

Pereira; Yiadom, O’Connor, Burns, Jacob; Wing, Savage; Osho, Knibbs, Camara; Ehibhatiomhan

Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:

Kinsky; Porro, Takai, Van de Ven, Spence; Maddison, Bentancur, Sarr; Kudus, Solanke, Son

We say: Reading 1-4 Tottenham Hotspur

Adapting to Frank’s methods after the gung-ho style of Postecoglou will take some time for Spurs, but with an enviable selection of attacking talents from which to select from, the Dane ought to kick off his reign with a bang.

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