Tottenham require a mini-miracle to prevail in Wednesday's UEFA Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, but the European champions are set to look slightly different in Udine.
Spurs are competing in this fixture for the very first time, after a Brennan Johnson goal in Bilbao thrust us to Europa League glory. Thomas Frank has the chance to kick-off his tenure with the most impressive of victories—and silverware!—but the Dane will be well aware of the size of the task at his disposal.
Chelsea may well have laid out a blueprint to stymying this imperious Parisian outfit, but whether this depleted Spurs squad can repeat the Blues' heroics from the Club World Cup final will be doubted by the majority.
Frank is currently without a recognised No. 10, and this team looked desperately shy of creativity in Munich last week. However, Dominic Solanke and Destiny Udogie have been included in Spurs' travelling squad.
Tottenham to face a PSG team without multiple starters
While Spurs will benefit from Solanke and Udogie's returns, PSG won't have a couple of the players who were instrumental to their continental dominance last season.
Joao Neves, the relentless all-action midfielder who encapsulates the technical quality and grit of this PSG team, is suspended for the Super Cup. The Portuguese international was sent off for a hair-pull, Cristian Romero-style, on Marc Cucurella in the Club World Cup final last month, and has received a two-game suspension.
🚨 João Neves has been suspended for two matches for pulling Marc Cucurella's hair and will miss the UEFA Super Cup. ❌ pic.twitter.com/EUDp472Xng
— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Football__Tweet) August 11, 2025
As a result, Neves will miss Wednesday's game, curiously avoiding the Pape Matar Sarr test, and PSG's Ligue 1 opener against Nantes.
However, poor Enrique can only call upon one of the brightest midfield talents Europe has to offer in reserve, with Warren Zaire-Emery set to join Vitinha and Fabian Ruiz in PSG's engine room.
Gianluigi Donnarumma barely broke a sweat during the Champions League final, as the swashbuckling unit in front of him ran riot without giving Inter much of a sniff. The Italian's supreme shot-stopping ability ensured PSG reached the showpiece event, but he now looks set to depart the French capital amid a contract dispute.
He hasn't been included in Wednesday's squad, and there's likely to be a debut for Lucas Chevalier between the sticks. Chevalier has signed for the club off the back of an excellent season with Lille, but, at this point in time, has to be regarded as a downgrade on Donnarumma, given the levels the towering Italian reached in Europe last season.
Maybe there's reason for optimism after all!