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Champions League football returns to N17 on Tuesday night, as Thomas Frank's showtime Lilywhites welcome Villarreal to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Frank is set to enter uncharted territory in Europe this term, with the Dane taking charge of his first game in this competition against a side that Spurs have, perhaps surprisingly, never faced in their history.

It's been a feel-good start to the manager's tenure, and defeating West Ham at the weekend ensured the bright vibes remained ahead of our league phase opener in midweek.

Our opponents had also enjoyed a productive start to their domestic campaign in Spain before they were beaten 2-0 by Atletico Madrid on Saturday. Marcelino's side qualified for this competition by virtue of a fifth-place finish in La Liga last term, and several familiar faces will be returning to north London on Tuesday night.

The Yellow Submarine were semi-finalists in 2021/22, having won the 2021 Europa League final.

Here's our preview of Tuesday's Champions League clash.

Tottenham vs Villarreal: Preview, Prediction & Lineups

What time does Tottenham vs Villarreal kick off?

Tottenham vs Villarreal kicks off on Tuesday 16 September at 20:00 BST.

When is kick off? Tuesday 16 September, 2025

What time is kick off? 20:00 BST

Where is it played? Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London

Referee: Rade Obrenović

Tottenham vs Villarreal head-to-head record

This is the first competitive fixture between Tottenham and Villarreal.

How to watch Tottenham vs Villarreal on TV & live stream

Tottenham team news

There hasn't been too much to report on the injury front heading into our first league phase game, although Frank has confirmed that Dominic Solanke will once again miss out.

Mathys Tel didn't make the squad, so Richarlison should come back in to lead Spurs' lead. The manager has said Randal Kolo Muani is "ready" to make his debut, after he failed to come off the bench in Saturday's victory at West Ham.

Pape Matar Sarr could earn some respite in midfield, with Xavi Simons potentially moving inside. Room could open up for Wilson Odobert or Brennan Johnson to make Frank's XI.

James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski are long-term absentees, while Kota Takai and Radu Drăgușin remain sidelined.

Tottenham predicted lineup vs Villarreal: Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Palhinha, Bergvall; Kudus, Simons, Odobert; Richarlison.

Villarreal team news

Former Tottenham defender Juan Foyth could don the armband for the visitors on Tuesday night, having established himself Castellón since his north London departure.

Foyth could be joined by ex-Cheslea man Renato Veiga at centre-back, while Thomas Partey and Nicolas Pépé are also on Villarreal's books. Pépé was named La Liga's August Player of the Month, and could start in Marcelino's frontline here.

Villarreal are without Gerard Moreno and Willy Kambwala due to hamstring injuries, while Logan Costa and Pau Cabanes are also sidelined.

Villarreal predicted lineup vs Tottenham: Júnior, Mouriño, Foyth, Marín, Cardona, Buchanan, Comesaña, Gueye, Moleiro, Pépé, Mikautadze.

Tottenham vs Villarreal score prediction

Spurs have been given a kind league phase draw, but this won't be a simple outing for the hosts.

While Villarreal were beaten at the weekend, they're a canny and experience outfit that should do well in this competition. Marcelino is an excellent coach, and the tactical battle on the sidelines will be intriguing. I suspect the visitors will be content ceding territory to Frank's side, and the hosts are not yet a fluent force in possession.

Thus, I can envisage Spurs suffering their way through Tuesday's bout, with set-pieces likely to play a key role again. After a bright debut, Xavi Simons should quickly come to the fore, too.

It's set to be a novel occasion for plenty when Tottenham Hotspur welcome Villarreal to N17 on Tuesday night.

Thomas Frank and an array of his Lilywhite stars are preparing for their first experiences of the Champions League, with Spurs enduring a two-year absence following their melancholic round of 16 exit in 2023.

The youthful exuberance which became a feature of Ange Postecoglou's reign remains under the new manager, but an obvious attempt was made in the summer to acquire talents with experience of the brightest lights. Suddenly, there's a healthy blend of promise and proven within the squad, and that should serve us well in this competition.

Our league phase draw was kind, there's no denying that, but Villarreal are plucky opponents and they'll be searching for a very rare victory over English opposition in what is our first-ever meeting. The Yellow Submarine were semi-finalists under Unai Emery in 2021/22, having beaten Manchester United in the Europa League final the season before. A good omen?

Champions League nights are back in N17, and here's how you can watch the drama unfold.

How to watch Tottenham vs Villarreal

Amazon have thrust themselves firmly into the sporting world, and Tottenham's Champions League opener will be able to stream internationally via Prime Video.

This is the first of 17 games being exclusively streamed on Prime in the United Kingdom, with Amazon previously streaming a couple of Premier League gameweeks per season before acquiring Champions League rights last term. Prime Video is also a streaming option in North America, but those watching from the United States, Canada and Mexico have alternative avenues.

In the U.S., Paramount+ once again hold the rights, but a subscription will be needed to catch Spurs' league phase clash with the Yellow Submarine. Spanish speakers have ViX at their disposal.

DAZN Canada offers its subscribers Champions League streams, with three packages available, which range from $29.99 to $44.99 per month (for 12 months).

Stan Sport will be broadcasting from Australia, while SuperSport will stream the fixture from various African countries, including Ghana and Nigeria.

Tottenham Hotspur have been one of the most impressive teams in the Premier League to start the first four fixtures of the 2025/26 season. Although they had a rough blip against Bournemouth a couple of weeks ago in a 1-0 loss that could have been at least 5-0 without the heroics of Guglielmo Vicario, every single one of Spurs other three matches were clean sheet victories.

They blew out Burnley 3-0, dominated Manchester City 2-0 in a battle of top five contenders, and then this weekend, they trounced rivals West Ham United 3-0 to get back on track. Virtually every player in the Tottenham starting lineup and all the new transfers have benefited from Thomas Frank's appointment at manager after a productive summer transfer window.

Looking to the future and with a crowded midfield getting even more talented after the additions of Xavi Simons and Joao Palhinha, as well as the breakout of Pape Matar Sarr, Spurs have to figure out the contract situation of long-time starter Rodrigo Bentancur.

An important player to the team as a tempo-setter and intelligent shield for the defense, Bentancur is expected to sign a new contract with Yves Bissouma, who was unable to move this past summer transfer window, likely leaving for free.

But there's no guarantee Bentancur says either, because despite being important to the team, the crowd in midfield still leaves any player without a contract in a bit of limbo if their name isn't Xavi Simons or Lucas Bergvall.

While Thomas Frank heaped high praise on the Uruguayan center midfielder, he didn't exactly use the word "yes" or give a firm indication of future plans for Bentancur when asked directly about the 28-year-old veteran's future at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Here's what he said, via Football.London's Alasdair Gold:

"I think first and foremost, I'm very happy with Rodri. He's been a very good player for us, a top professional in every aspect. I'm happy with him, he's happy with being here. I know that for a fact. Let's see what's going to happen in the future."

It's such a classic, diplomatic response from Frank, and while it is kind and does seem to indicate that Frank wants to continue a working relationship with a player who has a skill set the club needs, it is, at the same time, not a definitive answer to his future.

That's likely because Frank doesn't want to reveal the club's future plans or speak on behalf of the executives in case they differ or things change with the situation, but the fact that Frank has left things open, in a way, speaks volumes. Tottenham fans shouldn't think of Bentancur's future at the club as a guarantee.

GK Guglielmo Vicario

Surprisingly, did not have much to do. When he was called upon, Vicario dealt with situations and did what was needed. He looks in much better form this season than last, no doubt helped by a greater defensive solidity in front of him, and tactics that are leaving him less exposed. Another good performance. Â Rating: 7

RB Pedro Porro

There was a lot of talk before the game about Crysencio Summerville being a danger man in this game following his impressive substitute appearance against Nottingham Forest. Porro kept him very quiet and defended very well in general. Did not get forward as much as usual, but this was a return to the consistency we’ve started to expect from Porro, following his struggles last time out. Rating: 7

LB Djed Spence

Continues to impress at left back, so much that it is easy to forget he was signed as a right back. Started ahead of Destiny Udogie, which is deserved at the moment. This is not a criticism of Udogie who has also been good since returning from injury. Instead, it shows how far Spence has come. Finished off a good week where he won his first England cap, Spence was consistent throughout. Rating: 8

CB Cristian Romero

Looked composed on the ball and defended well, even if it did turn out to be one of his easier games. Romero was also a threat in attack, both on corners, where he had a goal that should have stood somehow ruled out for a foul, and in possession, where he played a perfect long ball to Bergvall for our second goal. Rating: 8

CB Micky van de Ven

Along with Romero, van de Ven dealt comfortably with most of West Ham’s breaks. At times we saw again his pace which is such an asset in stopping counter attacks. It is starting to seem like opposition players are choosing to not even enter races with him. Scored our third goal with a composed right foot finish. Looked dangerous on corners as well, which is something we should see more of from Micky given his height, strength, and ability.  Rating: 8

CM João Palhinha

Back to his best after our Bournemouth performance. Palhinha was everywhere in midfield, breaking up play. There is far more to Palhinha’s game than tackling of course, but he excels at reading the game to win back possession. He is already looking like the destroyer we have been missing for many years now, probably since Victor Wanyama was dominating our midfield. Rating: 8

CM Pape Matar Sarr

Like everyone else, Sarr was back to form after being totally outplayed last time out. His strong running compliments Palhinha very well. Sarr did not get forward too much but made it count when he did. Took advantage of poor marking to head in our opening goal. Rating: 7

CM Lucas Bergvall

Bergvall has already had some great performances for the club, and this was another. Running the game in midfield, Bergvall combined a great touch with vision, composure on the ball, and constant ability to move the ball forward. I think he will prove to be at his best when picking the ball up deep from our defenders and dictating play from there, so it was good to see this happen at times during the game, too. We haven’t really had a player who could do this since the great Luka Modric, and while that is an ambitious comparison to make, the similarities are there with Bergvall. He also is not shy to put in a tackle, which further added to our midfield dominance. Bergvall then casually scored our second goal with a sublime header from Romero’s long ball. A difficult skill that the 19-year-old executed perfectly. Also showed a decent long throw, which makes you wonder if can also play in goal just to complete the skill set. Rating: 9

RW Mohammed Kudus

Predictably, Kudus returning to West Ham took up a lot of the pre-game talk. While there were the chorus of boos early on, he seemed unmoved and put in a very solid performance. Has settled very quickly into the team and is one of those of players that makes you think something could happen every time he gets the ball. Put in some very dangerous corners with remarkable consistency. Kudus was also close to scoring a couple of times near the end, which would have been the perfect return. Â Rating: 7

LW Xavi Simons

In general, it was a fairly quiet debut from Simons, but he showed enough quality to make his ability clear. Has an assist already with a great corner delivery for Sarr’s goal. Simons was always looking to carry the ball forward and looks very calm in possession. Along with Kudus and Bergvall, situations felt positive and inventive when they were attacking.  Rating: 7

CF Mathys Tel

Struggled to hold the ball up for most of the game and, as a result, we looked more effective attacking on the wings than through the middle. Tel could not lose his defenders and did not seem the goal threat we needed from this position. I would prefer to see him wide than up front unless this changes. Young player with plenty of ability and effort, but today he was marked out of the game too easily. Rating: 5

Substitutes: Kevin Danso, Richarlison, Destiny Udogie, Brennan Johnson, Wilson Odobert

After a disastrous defeat to one of the Premier League's most sneaky good sides in Bournemouth before the September international break, Tottenham Hotspur got back on track with another blowout clean sheet victory, taking rivals West Ham United to the cleaners in a 3-0 drubbing.

There were so many star performances for Tottenham in this one, including debutant Xavi Simons, the center back pairing of Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven, all-world defensive midfielder Joao Palhinha, and, of course, Mohammed Kudus in his homecoming.

However, the very best performance of the game belonged to Swedish midfielder Lucas Bergvall, who has fully recovered from last season's injury and after being snubbed by manager Thomas Frank from the starting lineup, made a massive statement to the manager that he is undroppable, even in a crowded midfield that only got better with the addition of Simons from RB Leipzig.

And now Frank can't deny Bergvall's presence and importance, as the Danish manager heaped huge praise on his fellow Scandinavian standout, via Football.London's Alasdair Gold:

"Yes. First and foremost I think his performance was good today. I really like his energy, his pressing skill, his enthusiasm. I think he drags the team with him, in a kind of way. And there's so much he can learn and improve. So I think that's promising as well. Fantastic goal. Well-timed run. Top ball from Romero. And a well-executed header."

Tottenham may have one of the best bargains ever

The 19-year-old Bergvall has been a game-changing monster ever since he stepped foot at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and for under 10 million euros, the midfielder could go down as one of the greatest transfer bargains in Premier League history.

That may sound hyperbolic, but when you watch his all-around game and his ability to impact the final score this past Saturday, the talent is obvious and any club in the world would be salivating at the chance to have him in the starting lineup.

Tottenham know they have a massive gem in Bergvall, who is so good that he has a case for being the team's best player, even at his age and even after all the major additions this past summer. As Frank notes, Bergvall showed that level against West Ham with a goal, an assist, two tackles won, a dribble completed, and an additional key pass thrown in for good measure.

Bergvall is a special player, and Frank has to know that even though rotation will be the name of the game this season with more depth than before, this young man is a must-start, especially in all the important matches.

Tottenham Hotspur have had an incredibly eventful year so far. They won the Europa League for the first time in 41 years, finished 17th in the Premier League, fired Ange Postecoglou, hired Thomas Frank, splashed major cash on Xavi Simons and Mohammed Kudus, and then saved the craziest move for September by finally parting ways with long-time chairman Daniel Levy.

Few saw the Levy twist coming after a productive summer transfer window, but that very window likely highlighted the growing difference in priorities between a commercial-focused and miserly Levy and the rest of the Tottenham brass that has ambitions of finally usurping Chelsea and Arsenal as London's biggest club.

Tottenham still have one major move left to make in 2025, as the future of executive Fabio Paratici remains unclear. Spurs have been working closely with the former managing director of football in a consultant role, and he played a pivotal role in them securing a loan deal for Randal Kolo Muani over his former employers Juventus.

But after Levy's dismissal, there was some concern that the expected permanent role for Paratici may fall through. Thankfully for Tottenham fans, that doesn't actually appear to be the case.

A permanent move makes sense for Tottenham

According to a report from Matt Law of The Daily Telegraph, Tottenham will be holding formal talks with Paratici in the coming weeks regarding his future role. Paratici remains interested in working with Tottenham despite the Levy dismissal, and he is reportedly open to remaining a consultant or returning to a full-time role.

While Tottenham would benefit from Paratici's presence and scouting eye in any capacity - his thumbprints are all over the success of the squad today, especially his networks in Italy - the chance to bring him back in a full-time role is awfully enticing.

Paratici is one of the best executives in world football and a real ace up Tottenham's sleeve. If anything, removing Levy as a roadblock and opening up more money for Paratici to spend on the transfer market should make the fit between both parties in a full-time role even stronger and entice the former Juventus executive to return even more.

At this point, it would be a shock if Paratici does not remain with Tottenham in some sort of a capacity, and it feels like the most sensible thing to do is to bring him on board in a bigger role again, especially since the club could use a steady hand after letting Levy - an institutional presence at the club - go this summer.

After the debacle two weeks ago against a highly underrated Bournemouth side, Tottenham Hotspur got back to winning ways on Matchday 4 of the Premier League, tearing apart rivals West Ham United 3-0 in a derby that simply wasn't a contest from the moment the match started.

This result was more like what Thomas Frank has produced through the first two matchdays for Tottenham with a 3-0 win over Burnley and a 2-0 win over Manchester City. Obviously, there will be a much more sterner tests for Spurs this season in their bid to return to the top five, but credit is fully due to the team for taking full advantage and making Mohammed Kudus's homecoming a successful one.

In addition to Kudus's personal storyline, there was a big one for Xavi Simons as well, as the debuting Tottenham transfer shined and recorded a goal contribution in a positive all-around performance despite playing in a less ideal position on the left wing.

Simons didn't play the full 90 minutes as he is still tuning up after a period of inactivity at the club level with RB Leipzig, but he showed more than enough to impress both Frank and the Tottenham faithful.

Thomas Frank liked what he saw

Frank said of Simons's performance, via Football.London's Alasdair Gold, "I think he was promising. I liked what I saw from him. I liked that he took initiative on the ball. Every single time he had the ball he tried to create something. And I think he had a wonderful assist for the first goal from a corner. Worked hard as well. I think it was a good first game."

The assist from Simons for breakout midfielder Pape Matar Sarr came from a corner and opened the scoring. Simons then finished the matchup with a tackle, key pass, dribble completed, and foul drawn in an excellent and well-rounded debut performance.

Frank's praise that he took initiative is the best takeaway from this matchup, because, soon, Frank is going to give Simons the keys to the kingdom. Tottenham didn't spend 70 million euros on Simons for no reason, and they see him as a centerpiece player in the squad and the new face of the franchise alongside the likes of Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Lucas Bergvall, and fellow new signing Mohammed Kudus.

Simons had a successful debut, especially since Tottenham posted a dominant win. There will be plenty more goals and assists on the way for the 22-year-old Dutch sensation.

Tottenham Hotspur are looking to shake off their first bad performance of the season, and there's no better team for them to make a statement against than reeling rivals West Ham United this weekend in what should be a big-time "revenge" matchup for new winger Mohammed Kudus.

The Ghanaian international has already made the right side of the flank his home, but Spurs have concerns on the left side of the formation. They lost legend Son Heung-min to MLS and didn't sign a top left winger, but they did make the Mathys Tel move from Bayern Munich permanent.

Tel has struggled to start the 2025/26 season, and he's not showing the same spark he did at the end of the 2024/25 campaign when he played a role in Spurs capturing a historic Europa League title. The Frenchman has shown sparks of creating chances, but he's been inconsistent and has lacked his usual dynamism in one-on-ones.

Tottenham manager Thomas Frank even snubbed Tel from the Champions League squad, which sent shockwaves across the fanbase. Some felt it was deserved based on his recent play while others see his talent, potential, and the fact that they don't actually have a better option on the left wing.

Tottenham need to back their young

But how does Frank feel about Tel after leaving him off this important squad? He had nothing but kind words to say about the young forward, praising the top prospect for how he handled being left off, via Football.London's Alasdair Gold:

“The way he handled it, the way he trains, everything about him, extremely impressive.”

Although Tel hasn't gotten off to the best start this season, it's only been a total of four games if you count the UEFA Supercup debacle. Tel was better in a bigger sample size last season, and while that really wasn't a big sample either, that only reenforces the point that Tel is still a growing player.

Tottenham and even its fanbase have made the mistake of not nurturing young talent enough, and that's part of why the club has underperformed. Their best periods, like under Mauricio Pochettino, are when they believe in their guys and give them grace. Ange Postecoglou was the same way, whereas coaches like Antonio Conte were not and that's why they failed miserably despite their pedigree.

Frank is more in the Pochettino and Postecoglou mold, albeit with the tactical acumen to rival the likes of Conte and Jose Mourinho. Tel is in good hands, and Frank, at this same press conference, made remarks indicating he's more upset about the stringent Champions League squad rules than anything Tel did.

As Tottenham Hotspur get ready for the Mohammed Kudus Derby against London rivals West Ham this Saturday, the focus will be on an attack that looked quite limp two weeks ago in a 1-0 shutout loss to Bournemouth.

Guglielmo Vicario was the only thing keeping it from being a huge blowout for Tottenham, as they struggled to move the ball up the pitch in the first concerning game of an otherwise promising start to the Thomas Frank era.

Tottenham have brought in Randal Kolo Muani to join the brigade of Richarlison and Dominic Solanke in attack. But while Richarlison has been favored by Frank and was brilliant through the first two weeks of the season, the Brazilian star showed the ugly side to his game by completely ghosting on Matchday 3.

Solanke is a well-rounded option and a big anchoring point for Spurs, but he's now been claimed by a foot injury. And per Frank, Solanke still isn't ready to return yet, though he did nestle that news with a more positive injury update on the No. 2 striker's status, via Football.London's Alasdair Gold:

“I get the feeling he is not too far away, but he’s just fallen short for this week.”

Tottenham are missing a big-game player

Solanke had a solid first season at Tottenham, even if he didn't put the ball in the back of the net 15 times, which was what Spurs were hoping for out of the 65 million pound signing from Bournemouth. But Solanke brings much more to the game than goals, which Tottenham did benefit from significantly in the Europa League knockout stages.

Big Dom is a big game player, and his aerial presence can be a game-changer in tight matches. West Ham are rivals, but they are so poor that missing Solanke isn't a huge deal. But after this matchup, Tottenham start their Champions League return campaign at mid-week with a battle against a fiery and well-coached Villarreal side.

Thereafter, Tottenham will face Brighton in the Premier League, Doncaster in the League Cup, and the Wolves in the Premier League return. Having Solanke back as an option against Brighton would be nice, but given how vague Frank was, the positive injury update still doesn't mean Solanke will be back next week either.

But Spurs have more options with Kolo Muani now, and it will additionally be worth tracking how many minutes Kolo Muani gets on the left side of the attack - or if Frank tries to go with two strikers to accommodate the three men once Solanke returns.

Overall, Tottenham Hotspur had one of the more productive transfer windows of any big club in European football, bringing in three legitimate game-changing players to their starting lineup in winger Mohammed Kudus, as well as midfielders Xavi Simons and Joao Palhinha. And there is hope that new striker Randal Kolo Muani, whether in the middle or off to the left, can be a difference-maker for Thomas Frank's new-look team, too.

Going the other way, there were very few notable departures for Tottenham, who struggled to find a suitor for Yves Bissouma. They were able to finally sell off Bryan Gil permanently to Girona, while Manor Solomon also made his way to La Liga on a loan deal after a move to Crystal Palace collapsed at the last second.

But the most intriguing departure is that of teenage phenom Luka Vuskovic, who has all the tools to be one of the best center backs in world football. Tottenham could have used him in the squad on the basis of his talent, but with three top center backs already and then Radu Dragusin coming back from injury, the young man would have been buried behind a logjam of talent at center back.

So Tottenham loaned him off to Hamburg for the year, where Vuskovic will presumably be able to work his way into the regular starting lineup for a Bundesliga returnee that could struggle defensively. Vuskovic will have a chance to gain valuable experience elevating a team that needs him in a highly attacking league that has produced great Premier League center backs like Tottenham's very own Micky van de Ven.

Tottenham can recall a standout on loan if needed

But if Tottenham, for whatever reason, need Vuskovic back or are so blown away after six months by his performances at Hamburg that they want him to return early, they could actually have the opportunity to do so in January.

According to a report from BILD's Kai-Uwe Hesse and Babak Milani, there is a clause in the loan contract between Hamburg and Tottenham Hotspur that would allow Luka Vuskovic to return to North London in the January transfer window.

While Spurs supporters shouldn't anticipate this happening given there are five options at center back, including one of the world's finest duos between Van de Ven and Cristian Romero, the safety net of having Vuskovic should something happent to the top guys is a big deal in a grueling season with Champions League football.

Tottenham were burned so often by injuries last season that having an additional contingency plan is massive for the team, and while Vuskovic is young, he has the athletic ability and courage of character to make a difference in his youthful years.