Tottenham Hotspur have confirmed another pre-season fixture for Roberto De Zerbi’s squad, with the Lilywhites set to face La Liga opposition in a behind-closed-doors clash at Hotspur Way.
Ahead of his first full season in charge, De Zerbi admitted he wanted to begin pre-season with the squad he had envisioned in his mind, and Tottenham’s hierarchy have certainly done their part to make that happen.
The Lilywhites have already completed five signings this summer, with another expected to be announced soon, despite the transfer window only opening a matter of weeks ago.
Free transfers for Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi and Martin Dubravka have allowed Spurs to strengthen without spending on transfer fees, but the club have still invested heavily elsewhere. Jan Paul van Hecke arrived in a £52m deal before Tottenham broke their transfer record twice by signing Mateus Fernandes for £85m and Sandro Tonali for £100m.
Supporters are understandably eager to see the new arrivals in action with Tottenham’s first scheduled pre-season fixture coming against MK Dons on 22 July, and the club have now confirmed another match as preparations for the new campaign continue.
Tottenham confirm behind-closed-doors Getafe friendly
Tottenham have confirmed on their official website that De Zerbi’s side will take on Getafe CF in a behind-closed-doors friendly at Hotspur Way on Saturday 8 August, with kick-off scheduled for 3pm BST.
The match will be available to watch on SPURSPLAY, subject to regional availability.
It will be the first meeting between the two clubs since October 2007, when Getafe edged Spurs 2-1 in a UEFA Cup tie at White Hart Lane.
The fixture comes exactly one week before Spurs host Hoffenheim at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with the two sides then due to meet again behind closed doors the following day.
Before welcoming the Spanish side to North London, Spurs will also head to Australia and New Zealand, where they are scheduled to face Auckland FC, Sydney FC and Chelsea as part of their pre-season tour.
| Opponent | Date | Kick-off (BST) | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| MK Dons | Wednesday, 22 July | 4:00pm | Hotspur Way, London (behind closed doors) |
| Auckland FC | Sunday, 26 July | 11:00am | Auckland, New Zealand |
| Sydney FC | Wednesday, 29 July | 11:00am | Sydney, Australia |
| Chelsea | Saturday, 1 August | 10:45am | Sydney, Australia |
| Getafe | Saturday, 8 August | 3:00pm | Hotspur Way, London (behind closed doors) |
| Hoffenheim | Saturday, 15 August | 3:00pm | Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London |
| Hoffenheim | Sunday, 16 August | 1:00pm | Hotspur Way, London (behind closed doors) |
Roberto De Zerbi could be without several Tottenham players at the start of pre-season
Tottenham had 12 players representing their countries at the FIFA World Cup, although eight have already seen their nations eliminated from the competition.
That leaves Djed Spence (England), Marcos Senesi (Argentina), Cristian Romero (Argentina) and Pedro Porro (Spain) still involved as the tournament reaches its latter stages, with each hoping to remain away with their national teams for as long as possible.
With Tottenham’s first pre-season fixture taking place just two days after the World Cup final, it would be no surprise if those players are given additional time off before reporting back to Hotspur Way.
By the time Spurs face Getafe in August, however, De Zerbi should be close to having a full squad available as he finalises his plans for the Premier League opener against Brentford on 22 August.