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Ange Postecoglou batted away suggestions he does not care about set pieces, and said Tottenham Hotspur's struggles defending from dead-ball situations are "my burden to carry".

Gabriel scored the only goal of the game, nodding home from a corner as Spurs fell to 1-0 defeat against north London rivals Arsenal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday.

According to the BBC, the goal was the 18th conceded by Spurs from a set piece since the beginning of the 2023/24 season - Postecoglou's first in charge of the club - but he insisted his side "work on them as much as anyone".

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"For some reason people think I don't care about set pieces and it's a narrative that you can keep going on for ages and ages," Postecoglou told a post-match news conference.

"I understand that. Like I said, we work on them all the time. You know that they're a threat, as I said, for the most part, we handled them really well today, but we switched off for one and we paid a price. You learn from that and you move on.

"But it is what it is, it's my burden to carry, and I'm happy to do that. I've always said there's a bigger picture that's at play here that's much more important than the finer details of us getting to where we want to. For us, the way forward is to try to turn the football we're playing now into something meaningful."

Defending set pieces has proved a weak point for Spurs, with some crucial goals in the 2023/24 campaign coming from dead-ball situations, including two in the previous iteration of the north London derby at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Postecoglou's side also crashed out of last season's FA Cup to a late set-piece goal against Manchester City, while Sean Dyche's Everton capitalised on Spurs' struggles with two goals from dead-ball situations in a 2-2 draw at Goodison Park.

The former Celtic boss said "it only takes one" player to switch off from a set piece, against an Arsenal side who have profited hugely from such situations in recent years.

"We held them well for the most part and you switch off for one and you pay the price," Postecoglou continued. "They took their key moment and we didn't.

"We had held them well and they're obviously a big threat from set pieces. It only takes one. It wasn't just [Cristian] Romero, others switched off from the set piece."

Arteta hails Arsenal's 'thick skin'

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta pointed to his side's "thick skin" as they came through with a battling performance to win 1-0, despite missing some key players.

Declan Rice was forced out of the derby through suspension, while Mikel Merino, Riccardo Calafiori and Martin Odegaard were sidelined through injury alongside long-term absentee Takehiro Tomiyasu.

Arteta praised his side's ability to win "ugly" in a crucial match in Arsenal fans' calendar.

"We have people that are hard and have thick skin," Arteta said. "They love the game and we love winning. In order to win you have to do things that people call ugly. When you’re able to do that, normally you get a good gift."

The Arsenal boss continued by saying his side did not find "excuses" despite their injury-blighted squad.

"Super happy," he continued. "We know what it means to our club and our people to win a north London derby. Hopefully we made people very happy.

"We had good moments and others where we had to suffer. We had to adapt because of the players that we had available. It’s a tough week coming and instead of finding any excuses, we did the opposite."

According to Squawka, Gabriel's goal was Arsenal's 23rd from a set piece since the start of last season, and Arteta went on to praise set-piece coach Nicolas Jover for his impact on the side.

He said: "In his field, in other fields, as a person, the relationship that we have, that’s why I made the decision to bring him from City to Arsenal. Him and the staff have injected a belief."

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Gabriel headed a priceless winner as Arsenal moved up to second place in the Premier League table with a hard-fought 1-0 victory at Tottenham in the north London derby.

The Brazilian defender was left free to bullet home a header from Bukayo Saka’s right-wing corner on 64 minutes as Mikel Arteta’s side once again demonstrated their quality at set pieces.

It capped a resilient, organised display from The Gunners, who sat deep and threatened on the counter attack, thwarting Spurs continually and making light of the absence of key midfielders Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard.

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Tottenham had started brightly but fit-again summer signing Dominic Solanke wasted a good early opportunity while David Raya kept out Dejan Kulusevski.

The result sees Arsenal move up to second place, two points behind leaders Manchester City. Tottenham sit 13th with just four points from their opening four top-flight games.

Next up, Spurs travel to Coventry in the League Cup on Wednesday night prior to hosting Brentford in the Premier League on Saturday.

Arsenal are at Atalanta in the UEFA Champions League on Thursday and then visit Premier League champions Manchester City in a crunch encounter next Sunday.

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The last time Arsenal visited their neighbours, The Gunners came out on top thanks in no small part to some well-worked set pieces.

Well, it was deja vu for Arteta and his men as a disciplined performance ensured concern over missing key components in their midfield was ill-found.

Arsenal have now scored 23 goals from set pieces since the beginning of the 2023/24 campaign, which is the most of any team in the top flight.

It not only earns Arsenal the bragging rights but also gives them a crucial victory to keep pace with Man City at the summit ahead of a top-two clash at the Etihad next Sunday.

Indeed, this performance potentially provided a dress rehearsal and blueprint for how to cope with what they will face versus the champions next weekend.

Spurs will rue a lack of cutting edge despite the return to fitness of Solanke in attack while Guglielmo Vicario’s lack of confidence dealing with deliveries into his box remains a concern.

Gabriel of Arsenal scores the first goal during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur FC and Arsenal FC at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on September 15, 2024 in London, England

Image credit: Getty Images

Player of the match - Gabriel (Arsenal)

So often, his centre-back partner William Saliba takes the headlines and plaudits, but it is the Brazilian who stands out from this game. Not only was he imperious at the back in helping to repel everything Spurs threw into the area, but he once again showed his knack for popping up with key goals as he powered home a memorable winner.

Player ratings

TOTTENHAM: Vicario 5, Porro 6, Van de Ven 7, Romero 6, Udogie 6, Bentancur 6, Maddison 6, Kulusevski 7, Johnson 6, Son 6, Solanke 5. Subs: Sarr 6, Odobert 6, Werner n/a.

ARSENAL: Raya 7, White 8, Saliba 8, Gabriel 9, Timber 8, Partey 8, Jorginho 6, Havertz 6, Saka 6, Trossard 6, Martinelli 7. Subs: Sterling n/a, Jesus n/a, Nwaneri n/a.

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GABRIEL EARNS THE BRAGGING RIGHTS AS ARSENAL WIN AT SPURS (AGAIN)

Gabriel headed a priceless winner as Arsenal moved up to second place in the Premier League table with a hard-fought 1-0 victory at Tottenham in the North London derby.

The Brazilian defender was left free to bullet home a header from Bukayo Saka’s right-wing corner on 64 minutes as Mikel Arteta’s side once again demonstrated their quality at set pieces.

It capped a resilient, organised display from The Gunners, who sat deep and threatened on the counter attack, thwarting Spurs continually and making light of the absence of key midfielders, Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard.

The result sees Arsenal move up to second place, two points behind leaders Manchester City. Tottenham sit 13th with just four points from their opening four top-flight games.

Next up, Spurs travel to Coventry in the League Cup on Wednesday night prior to hosting Brentford in the Premier League on Saturday.

Arsenal are at Atalanta in the UEFA Champions League on Thursday and then visit Premier League champions Manchester City in a crunch encounter next Sunday.

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Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard is set to miss the north London derby against Tottenham after suffering an injury on international duty that will keep him sidelined for "at least three weeks".

The midfielder limped off during Norway’s 2-1 UEFA Nations League win over Austria on Monday and was pictured on crutches after the game.

He returned to London on Tuesday to undergo scans, which suggested there is no fracture to his ankle, but Norway team doctor Ola Sand’s prognosis believes he will miss several weeks at best.

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"Such ankle injuries often take at least three weeks. Anything other than that is just a bonus and then it can take longer,” Sand told VG.

"What we have so far obtained from the MRI examination in London is that there is probably no fracture in the ankle.

"Arsenal are almost certain there is no breach, but this may still take some time. In the event of a fracture, we are talking about being out of action for six weeks plus."

Odegaard is an influential player for the Gunners and will now be absent during a crucial run of early-season fixtures.

Mikel Arteta’s side face Tottenham away on Sunday in the Premier League, before opening their UEFA Champions League campaign away to Atalanta next Thursday.

A trip to reigning Premier League champions Manchester City follows, before Arsenal face Bolton in the League Cup, Leicester City in the Premier League and Paris Saint-Germain in Europe in the next three weeks.

Odegaard’s absence will leave Arsenal particularly short in midfield for Sunday’s trip across north London, as Declan Rice is suspended following his red card against Brighton and new signing Mikel Merino is injured.

Odegaard helped Arsenal get off to a strong start to the season, beating Wolves and Aston Villa before a draw with Brighton in their opening three league games.

Odegaard scored 11 goals and contributed 11 assists for Arsenal in 48 matches across all competitions last season.

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'It looked painful' - Odegaard suffers ankle sprain against Austria, Solbakken confirms

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Norway manager Stale Solbakken has revealed that Martin Odegaard suffered an "ankle sprain" in Norway's 2-1 win against Austria in the Nations League.

The Arsenal midfielder limped off the pitch in the 67th minute with the score level at 1-1 after former Manchester United midfielder Marcel Sabitzer cancelled out Felix Horn Myhre's opener.

Manchester City striker Erling Haaland won it for Norway with 10 minutes remaining, but captain and Gunners star Odegaard is now a doubt for the Premier League side's clash with arch rivals Tottenham on Sunday.

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Solbakken admitted that Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta will not be his biggest fan in an interview with TV2.

"It looked painful in the locker room," he said.

"We know it was an ankle sprain.

"With luck, it can turn out okay, if the ligaments aren't torn, but I'm not really sure [Mikel] Arteta will call me tonight to praise me.”

The Gunners will travel to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this weekend hoping to continue their unbeaten start to the Premier League season.

Arteta's side recorded 2-0 wins over Wolves and Aston Villa before dropping points in a 1-1 draw with Brighton following Declan Rice's red card.

That result left them in fourth, two points behind Liverpool and City, who are the only sides with 100% records remaining in this campaign.

Arsenal will also get their UEFA Champions League campaign underway next week when they face Atalanta in their first league-stage clash.

‘Extremely proud’ - Kane inspired by Ronaldo and ‘hungry for more’ ahead of 100th England cap

The 2-1 win over Austria means Norway are now second in League B Group 3, level on points with Slovenia after two games.

Norway's team doctor Ola Sand added that Odegaard may need an MRI scan.

"He's got a small ankle sprain," he added.

"We will see, maybe we use ultrasound to look at it.

"If we are unsure, there will be an MRI tomorrow."

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UEFA Europa League LIVE - Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur discover fate in new format

Updated 30/08/2024 at 10:27 GMT

Welcome to live coverage of the UEFA Europa League and Europa Conference League draws for the 2024/25 campaign. The likes of Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, AS Roma and Ajax will discover their opponents in the new 36-team league phase format. Watch the Europa League draw live on TNT Sports 1, discovery+ and this very page from 12:00 UK time.

Erik ten Hag of Manchester United in action during a first team training session at Carrington Training Ground on August 22, 2024 in Manchester, England

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Pot Three

Qarabag

Galatasaray

Viktoria Plzen

Bodo/Glimt

Union SG

Dynamo Kyiv

Ludogorets Razgrad

Midtjylland

Malmo

Pot Two

Real Sociedad

AZ Alkmaar

Braga

Olympiacos

Lyon

PAOK

Fenerbahce

Maccabi Tel-Aviv

Ferencvaros

Pot One

Roma

Manchester United

Porto

Ajax

Rangers

Eintracht Frankfurt

Lazio

Tottenham Hotspur

Slavia Praha

The Europa League class of 2024/25

Reminder of how it all works

The 36 Europa League teams have been divided into four pots based on their UEFA coeffients.

Each team will play eight matches - four at home and four away - against two teams from each pot. Their opponents will be determined by designated automated software.

Teams cannot face opponents from their own country, and can only play a maximum of two opponents from the same nation.

The top eight teams will progress straight through to the last 16, while those ranked ninth to 24th will enter the knockout play-off round in a bid to join them. However, teams ranked 25th to 36th will be eliminated from all European competition.

The same concept applies for the Europa Conference League, only the 36 teams are divided into six pots of six.

Welcome everyone!

The time has come for the draws of the UEFA Europa League and Europa Conference League for the 2024/25 campaign.

This season sees the introduction of a new 36-team league phase in the Europa League with designated automated software used to decide the schedule, by randomly selecting a club's opponents for the competition.

First up we’ll bring live coverage of the Europa League draw where Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur will discover their opponents for the upcoming campaign.

Attention will then turn to the Conference League with Chelsea involved in the competition for the first time and enter as heavy favourites.

We’ll be live from 12pm UK time on this very website, plus TNT Sports 1, discovery+ and via our YouTube channel.

discovery+ is the streaming home of TNT Sports, the only place to watch the UEFA Europa and UEFA Europa Conference League live.

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TNT Sports will show over 500 matches from the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Europa League and the UEFA Conference League across the 2024-25 season. The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one destination.

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A typical Jamie Vardy goal, in typically adverse Jamie Vardy circumstances, earned Leicester a point after Pedro Porro had put a dominant Tottenham in front.

Vardy, now 37, only persuaded his body to play because Patson Daka was injured, but no one will be surprised that once there, he made his presence felt.

Looking at the teams before kick-off it was hard to envisage how this could be a contest, and the first half was not: Spurs dominated from start to finish. But they created relatively few chances and had to settle for just one goal, Porro trying with a back header and succeeding with his back, sending James Maddison’s teasing cross past Mads Hermansen.

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There was no sense whatsoever that Leicester could take something from the game, but they were more aggressive after the break, both in and out of possession. Nevertheless, an equaliser did not look imminent and then one arrived, Vardy heading home after good work from Victor Kristiansen and Issahaku Fatawu.

After that Leicester were the better side, Vardy missing the kind of chance he has made a career out of snaffling. But then Rodrigo Bentancur sustained a head injury, the match stopped for nine minutes, and never quite reigned its momentum - thankfully Bentancur is now sitting up and talking.

So Spurs return to London wondering quite how they managed to avoid winning while Leicester, haunted by the spectre of points deduction, may feel just a little more optimistic about the season ahead.

Talking point - What are Spurs lacking?

It’s been a while, but Spurs are now Spurs again. After the abortive Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte experiments, they are back dropping points they shouldn’t while playing attractive football, and this thing of ours is much the better for it.

Ange Postecoglou, though, is building something. He has a solid back four with scope to still improve; his midfield is solid and not without craft; he has a focal-point centre-forward to some extent proven in the Premier League.

Strangely, what might be missing from the squad is the kind of magic traditionally associated with Tottenham sides, many of them far less good than this one. Maddison is their only lock-picker, and it’d be hard to argue he’s close to those best at it. Perhaps Mikey Moore will mature into that player, but finding someone able to deliver the unexpected feels like the next step for this team - if we agree to stick tonight's collective mini-collapse into the amnesty box.

Player of the match - Jamie Vardy (Leicester)

He barely featured, but every single Spurs player shrunk after Vardy scored, taking each of them out of the running for this imaginary award, and meaning this was the game's key moment - until the goal, nothing but an away win seemed possible.

Player ratings

Leicester City: Hermansen 6, Justin 6, Faes 5, Vestergaard 6, Kristiansen 7, Ndidi 6, Winks 6, Fatawu 7, Buonanotte 6, De Cordova-Reid 6, Vardy 7. Subs: Mavididi 6, Soumare 6, McAteer 6.

Tottenham Hotspur: Vicario 6, Porro 7, Romero 6, Van de Ven 6, Udogie 6, Sarr 5, Bentancur 6, Maddison 6, Johnson 5, Solanke 6, Son 6. Subs: Gray 6, Kulusevski 6, Werner 6, Bergvall 6, Spence 6, Richarlison 6.

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Key moments

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Tottenham midfielder Yves Bissouma has been suspended by the club for one match after footage emerged of him on social media appearing to inhale laughing gas.

The 27-year-old posted a video of himself inhaling from a balloon on Saturday but he later apologised for his actions and said it was "a severe lack of judgement".

After being made aware of the video, Spurs confirmed that there would be an internal investigation into the matter and speaking in his Thursday news conference, manager Ange Postecoglou said Bissouma was suspended for their Premier League opener at Leicester City on Monday.

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"I've been in the game for a long time and every time situations like this arise, I've always tried to look at them in a couple of different ways," Postecoglou told reporters.

"One is there's a person involved and, in this case, it's Biss. He's made a really poor decision. You want to understand that and try and help him through that, and as a club, what we can do to make sure he doesn’t make those kind of choices and decisions in the future.

"There are still sanctions involved and some of those sanctions include education, and giving him a clear understanding of why he did what he did and how wrong it was.

"You always want to give people the opportunity to learn from their mistakes. The second part of that is he’s a footballer and he has responsibilities of the club and to his team-mates and our supporters.

"He won't be available for Monday. We've suspended him from Monday's game.

"Beyond that, there’s also some trust building that needs to happen between Biss and me, and Biss and the group. That’s what he needs to work hard at from now on to try and win that back.

"The door is open for him and hopefully we can help him realise the decisions he makes impacts more than just him. Hopefully it allows him to make better decisions moving forward."

Bissouma, who moved to Spurs from Brighton in 2022, featured for 45 minutes in the club's pre-season defeat to Bayern Munich last weekend before the video was posted online.

The midfielder was an important member of the first-team squad during Postecoglou's debut campaign at Spurs, making 28 appearances in all competitions.

Postecoglou appeared to be frustrated by Bissouma's actions and explained that the player must now do the work to reintegrate himself back with the team.

"There's the personal ramifications, because it's illegal," the Australian added.

"Then there's the professional responsibility - the example you set as a professional footballer - because there are so many people who follow the Premier League and we're all in a pretty privileged position.

"He's made a poor choice. But within that context, we all make mistakes, there should always be an opportunity there for rehabilitation and redemption for every human being, including footballers.

"That's up to Biss now."

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Harry Kane made an emotional return to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday after playing the final 10 minutes for Bayern Munich in a 3-2 pre-season victory.

Goals from Dayot Upamecano, Serge Gnabry and Thomas Muller ultimately proved to be the difference for the Bavarians, against a Spurs side that found the net twice thanks to Dejan Kulusevski's brace.

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However, the main story was Kane’s return to north London – and his lifelong affection for the club meant the England captain snubbed a chance to lift the Visit Malta Cup to mark Bayern’s win.

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“I am so used to coming here as the home player, been here so many times before, so it was strange and putting this shirt on, being in the away dressing room, but I like to enjoy these occasions,” said Kane in quotes published by PA.

“I had an amazing career at Spurs, so many great memories and just great to see the fans again, so many players and staff I have a lot of relationships with.

“The game itself, I probably shouldn’t have been playing. I only trained yesterday, but I was always going to play 10 minutes, and it was good.

“Everything was really rushed through last year, so we didn’t have a chance [to say goodbye], but it was a great way to say thank you to all of them.

“The reception I got was amazing and great to clap them around the pitch after, those who stayed behind, and I will always be thankful for every Spurs fan for the support they’ve given me through my whole career.

”It’s been incredible. I just appreciate them seeing me and me seeing them again.”

Kane also gave his seal of approval to the £65 million signing of Dominic Solanke from Bournemouth, and is backing the former Cherries frontman to be successful in north London.

When asked about Solanke, Kane replied: “Yeah, he should be great. Dom is a great player, plays with high intensity, high speed.

“For sure he is going to get chances in this team, the way Ange [Postecoglou] plays and you saw that again with two top teams going toe-to-toe.

“Yeah, I think it is a really good signing. I saw him in the dressing room there and wished him all the best. I hope he has a great season.”

Spurs will now turn their attention to a Premier League opener away at newly-promoted Leicester City on Monday, August 19.

Meanwhile, Bayern have one more friendly against Austrian side WSG Tirol on Tuesday ahead of a DFB-Pokal first-round tie away at second-tier Ulm on Friday, August 16.

Vincent Kompany's side begin their Bundesliga campaign away at Wolfsburg on Sunday, August 25.

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Harry Kane returned to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium playing the last ten minutes as his current side Bayern Munich won 3-2 in the pre-season friendly.

In the most open of first halves, both sides could have scored numerous times.

But as time wore on Bayern, took control, going in at the break two goals in front, leaving Tottenham's defensive stocks looking thin with Sergio Romero and Micky van der Ven not in the starting eleven.

With new signing Dominic Solanke paraded before the game but not signing in time to play, Dejan Kulusevski showed good form as a makeshift striker scoring inside the first minute, and again in the second half.

The moment Spurs fans were waiting for came in the 80th minute when their all-time top goalscorer Harry Kane came on and he went pretty close to scoring with two long range efforts against his former club in the closing stages.

Tottenham begin their Premier League campaign on Monday week at last season's Championship winners Leicester City.

Talking Point - Could Solanke bring out the best in Kulusevski?

The addition of Dominic Solanke is likely to ensure Richarlison leaves Tottenham before the transfer window closes and the 'Ginger from Sweden' certainly did his best to claim a starting berth alongside the former Bournemouth man next week.

Admittedly, Kulusevski played as a central striker in this match, a role which Spurs' big summer signing means he is unlikely to take on again. However, Solanke providing a more predictable and reliable (if less inspired) presence than Richarlison, could well see him dovetail with the Swede reverting back to his inverted winger role.

Tottenham are not without options on the attacking flanks with Son Heung-min (who looked a little off the pace this evening), Brennan Johnson and Timo Werner also hoping for starting roles.

Young Mikey Moore, a day before his 17th birthday, also suggested in his second-half cameo he may offer something in this role during the campaign, but it is the 24-year-old from Stockholm who will likely to get first dibs and, following on from a year when he netted a career-best eight Premier League goals, it will be intriguing to see if his chemistry with the new signing can see him take the next step up.

Player of the Match - Mathys Tel (Bayern Munich)

He did not get on the scoresheet but he showed he can be so much more than a stand in when Kane needs a rest. A danger throughout stretching the Spurs defence and showing the ability to play in his team-mates when in the final third.

Player Ratings

Tottenham: Vicario 7; Pedro Porro 5, Dragusin 6, Davies 5, Spence 6; Sarr 6, Bissouma 6, Maddison 7; Johnson 6, Kulusevski 7, Son 5.

Subs: Udogie 6, Romero 6, van de Ven 7, Donley 6, Skipp 6, Gray 6, Bergvall 7, Bentancur 6, Moore 7,, Werner 6, Lankshear 6.

Bayern Munich: Neuer 6; Stanisic 6, Upamecano 6, Minjae 6, Guerreiro 6; Kimmich 7, Pavlovic 7; Musiala 7; Tel 8*, Muller 7, Gnabry 7.

Subs: Ulreich 6, Kane 6, Coman 6, Dier 6, Laimer 6, Vidovic 6, Aseko 6, Aznou 6.

Mathys Tel of FC Bayern Muenchen runs with the ball under pressure during the pre-season friendly match between Tottenham Hotspur and Bayern Munich at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on August 10, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by S. Mellar/FC Bayern via Getty

Image credit: Getty Images

Match Highlights

Key Stat

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