Australia is the soccer destination of the summer, even for preseason friendlies. Familiar London foes Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United will meet up in Perth as they prepare for the upcoming Premier League campaign, and begin new eras of their own. Tuesday's game will be the first for new Spurs head coach and Australia native Ange Posteglou, while West Ham will aim to continue a winning streak after winning their first preseason friendly on Saturday.
Here's what you need to know before tuning into the match:
How to watch and odds
- Date: Tuesday, July 18 | Time: 7 a.m. ET
- Location: Optus Stadium -- Burswood, Australia
- TV: CBS Sports Network
Storylines
Tottenham: This match will serve as a first look at Spurs under Postecoglou, who was hired as the new manager last month. He will have several Tottenham veterans at his disposal, including Son Heung-min and Harry Kane, who could be on his way out but did travel to Australia and will participate in preseason training. Young players like 20-year-old Destiny Udogie will no doubt also get minutes at some point during the preseason tour.
West Ham: The UEFA Europa Conference League winners already began their preseason tour with a 6-2 win over Perth Glory on Saturday, their first match since Declan Rice left for Arsenal last week. David Moyes will likely start a rotated side against Spurs, which include Jarrod Bowen after he came off the bench to score twice against the Glory.
Prediction
Early preseason matches are unreliable indicators of how a team might fare once the season actually begins, nor are they easy to predict. Well-rested attackers might have fun, though. Pick: 2-2.
