Tottenham Hotspur v Roma: Spurs to See Off the Magic One in Harrison

Tottenham Hotspur v Roma: Spurs to See Off the Magic One in Harrison

Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham Hotspur meet Eusebio Di Francesco’s Roma in an International Champions Cup friendly fixture at the Red Bull Arena in New Jersey. Despite this being a friendly, both sides will be going all out for the win.

Tottenham, who pushed Chelsea all the way in the Premier League title race last year, head to Harrison as the slight 27/20 favourites to put three points on the board. As for the Yellow and Reds, who had a fine season under Luciano Spalletti last term, they are available at the decent betting odds of 37/20. The draw, meanwhile, is currently priced at 49/20.

With our in-depth preview, we’ll be giving you the best odds, tips and predictions for this tasty looking fixture between Spurs and Roma in the States. We’ll also be checking out what’s in store for these two in their respective leagues this term, as well as what to expect from them in this season’s International Champions Cup.

Spurs Set for Another Title Challenge?

Although Antonio Conte’s Blues won the league by seven points, many football fans and pundits alike believe Tottenham were the best side in the land last term. With a perfect blend of youth, experience and talent, Pochettino has worked wonders with the London outfit over the past few seasons.

After finishing third in the 2015-16 season and second last year, can the Lilywhites mount another title challenge this term? Things will no doubt be different and arguably harder, having waved goodbye to fortress White Hart Lane. Pochettino’s boys will now play their home matches at Wembley, a place where they have struggled in recent times, but must get used to if they want to be considered as serious title contenders again this year.

Nevertheless, with the new stadium on the horizon, things are undeniably looking very bright for Tottenham Hotspur. Kyle Walker may have departed for Manchester City, but the spine of the squad remains intact. Who knows, a good start at the national stadium could see Spurs tick again.

Season of Transition for Roma?

There’s no doubt about it, putting Juventus to one side, Roma were the best of the rest in the Italian Serie A last term. A strong team built around the likes Federico Fazio, Radja Nainggolan, Daniele De Rossi, Mohamed Salah and Edin Dzeko, and run by the experienced Spalletti, finished worthy runners-up to Juve.

However, this summer has been somewhat of a disaster for the three-time Italian champions so far, as they have lost several key members of their squad. Former Arsenal stopper, Wojciech Szczesny, has opted to move to the Juventus Stadium, Antonio Rudiger has signed for Chelsea, Mo Salah has made the switch to Liverpool, and there could be one or two others out the door before the new season kicks off.

Not to mention the fact that their influential leader and club legend Francesco Totti has retired, leaving a big hole in the team and a huge hole in the supporters’ hearts. With Di Francesco gearing up for his first season in charge, he may need time to stamp his authority down at the Stadio Olimpico. Nevertheless, the former Italy manager is certainly an experienced campaigner.

International Champions Cup – The Story So Far & What to Expect

Roma have already played in this year’s International Champions Cup, as they drew 1-1 with Paris Saint-Germain in normal time, with the French side going on to win 5-3 on penalties. On Thursday, rivals Manchester United and Manchester City squared off at the NRG Stadium in Houston. Romelu Lukaku and Marcus Rashford got the goals in a comfortable 2-0 United victory.

Spurs kick their tournament off with a fixture against PSG on Saturday. The Lilywhites head to the Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida looking to put an early three points on the board.

We think Tottenham will impress out in the States. They certainly have the momentum from last season, winning 6-1 at Leicester City and 7-1 at Hull City respectively in their final two matches of the Premier League season. After playing Paris and Roma, the north Londoners square off against Premier League rivals Manchester City at the Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee on July 29th.

As for Roma, after getting the game with Tottenham out the way, they meet Italian rivals Juventus at the Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts. After watching the Old Lady seal another title last term, Giallorossi will be out for a little bit of revenge in this one.

This year’s tournament is throwing up some mouth-watering matches, with Juventus v Real Madrid, Real Madrid v Manchester United, Barcelona v Manchester United and Real Madrid v Barcelona standing out from the crowd. Over the course of the next week or so, we’ll be treated to some stunning football.

Expect to See Goals in New Jersey

Both sides possess world-class attacking talent, which should make for an entertaining match in the Red Bull Arena. Spurs will be looking to the likes of Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen to create and get the goals. Meanwhile, the team from the Italian capital will be hoping Dzeko and Diego Perotti can break through Tottenham’s resolute defence.

With both teams looking for the win in Harrison, we’re predicting an open game of football. With that in mind, check our tempting odds of 8/11 for both teams to score. We also feel there’s good value in 6/4 for Kane to score anytime.

As for the winner, we can’t see past a Tottenham victory. As we said, at this present moment in time, only Walker is missing from Spurs’ extremely talented team of last season. Whether it’s a friendly, a Premier League match or the Emirates FA Cup final, Pochettino always wants to win. We’ve got the tempting betting odds of 27/20 for the London club to seal the victory. We also like the look of Spurs to win and both teams to score, which we have available at the price of 7/2.

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