Both Juventus and Tottenham Hotspur will kick off their preparations for the 2019-20 campaign with a pre-season clash at the National Stadium in Singapore on Sunday.
Juve have not been in action since losing to Sassuolo in Serie A on May 26, while the match will mark Tottenham's first fixture since suffering a 2-0 defeat to Liverpool in the Champions League final on June 1.
Juventus
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Looking back, there is little doubting that Juve will see last season as a huge opportunity missed when it comes to the Champions League. Long seen as the favourites for European glory during the 2018-19 campaign, the Old Lady suffered a surprise defeat to Ajax in the quarter-finals of the competition.
An eighth straight Serie A title arrived, but it would be fair to say that the Champions League is the trophy that the club really wanted last season. They will start the new campaign as one of the favourites, though, and will look to use the disappointment to drive their hunt for European silverware next season.
Juve's summer business has been impressive, signing both Adrien Rabiot and Aaron Ramsey on free transfers in addition to winning the race for Ajax's Matthijs de Ligt. Cristian Romero, Luca Pellegrini and Merih Demiral have also arrived, while Gianluigi Buffon has rejoined the club from Paris Saint-Germain.
The speculation linking Paul Pogba with a return is also gathering pace, although Manchester United are said to be holding firm on their £170m asking price, making it difficult for any club in world football to afford him.
New head coach Maurizio Sarri named his tour squad on Friday, with Moise Kean, Paulo Dybala, Alex Sandro and Juan Cuadrado notable absentees. Ramsey has also been left out to continue his fitness work in Turin, despite initially being expected to make his debut against familiar opponents Tottenham.
Giorgio Chiellini has also been left out due to concerns over a troublesome calf injury, but De Ligt has been included. There was also a spot in the travelling party for Gonzalo Higuain despite suggestions that the Argentina international will be leaving the club before the start of the 2019-20 campaign.
Juve will follow the Tottenham clash by taking on fellow Italian side Inter Milan in Nanjing on July 24 - then comes a clash with K-League All Stars in Seoul two days later before facing Atletico Madrid in Sweden on August 10.
The fans will be desperate to catch a glimpse of a certain Cristiano Ronaldo in action and it will be fascinating to see how Sarri sets his team up as the Old Lady prepare to enter a new era. Indeed, it has been suggested that the Portuguese will be used mainly as a false nine next season.
Recent form: WDDLDL
Tottenham Hotspur
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The clash with Juve is one of five pre-season games for Spurs this summer as Mauricio Pochettino's side build towards their 2019-20 Premier League opener at home to Aston Villa on August 10.
Indeed, after facing the Old Lady, Tottenham will take on Manchester United next week, before facing Real Madrid in the semi-finals of the Audi Cup on July 30 - then will come either the final of that competition or the third-placed playoff, with Bayern Munich and Fenerbahce also taking part.
The London side's final friendly of the summer will be against Inter Milan on August 4, before opening their league season at home to Villa on August 10. Manchester City will then host the Champions League finalists on August 17 in what should be a fascinating game so early in the campaign.
Tottenham's wait for a major trophy goes on, having not lifted silverware since landing the 2008 League Cup. Another top-four spot was secured last term, though, in addition to reaching the Champions League final. In all honesty, Pochettino's side seriously underperformed against Liverpool, but there is no question that they deserve huge credit for reaching the final ahead of a host of major European clubs.
Spurs have brought a strong squad to Singapore, but Ben Davies and Eric Dier have not been included as the pair continue their rehabilitations from injury. Vincent Janssen and Danny Rose have both been left out, meanwhile, with the duo expected to leave the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in this summer's transfer window.
Serge Aurier, Davinson Sanchez and Victor Wanyama are also not with the party, with all three given extra time off following their international commitments this summer. Record signing Tanguy Ndombele has been included, though, and the club's fans will be desperate to see the France international in action.
More new signings are expected before the window closes, with talk of a move for Real Betis midfielder Giovani Lo Celso gathering pace once again. Fernando Llorente could also reportedly head back to the club on a one-year contract as Harry Kane is severely lacking support in the final third of the field once again.
Juve have made some major moves in this summer's market and will provide stern opposition for Spurs, who face the Italian champions in Singapore before heading for Shanghai for a tie against Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's United.
Recent form: LLLWDL
Team News
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De Ligt is in line to make his Juve debut against Tottenham, with the Netherlands international being included in the squad despite only just completing a move.
As mentioned, Ramsey has been left out of the selection, while Chiellini, Kean, Pellegrini, Dybala, Sandro and Cuadrado are also absent for Sarri's side.
Rabiot should also debut for the club against Spurs, while a strong starting XI is expected to include Blaise Matuidi, Miralem Pjanic and Ronaldo.
Ndombele seems certain to make his Tottenham debut against Juve, with the France international potentially lining up alongside England pair Harry Winks and Dele Alli in the middle of the park.
The club are currently short of options at full-back with Kieran Trippier leaving and Rose on his way out, which could open the door for Juan Foyth and Kyle Walker-Peters to impress.
Elsewhere, Kane is expected to lead the line with support from Lucas Moura and Son Heung-min, with Toby Alderweireld also likely to start despite the speculation surrounding his future at the club.
Juventus possible starting lineup:
Szczesny; Cancelo, De Ligt, Bonucci, De Sciglio; Pjanic, Rabiot, Matuidi; Mandzukic, Ronaldo, Bernardeschi
Tottenham possible starting lineup:
Lloris; Foyth, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Walker-Peters; Ndombele, Winks, Alli; Son, Kane, Lucas
Head To Head
These two teams last locked horns in the last-16 stage of the 2017-18 Champions League. The pair played out a 2-2 draw in the first leg in Turin, before Juve won 2-1 in London to make the quarter-finals.
Juve also recorded a 2-1 victory over Tottenham in the International Champions Cup back in 2016, with Medhi Benatia and Dybala scoring the goals against a relatively inexperienced Spurs side.
We say: Juventus 2-0 Tottenham
Juve are looking extremely strong ahead of the new campaign and we fancy the Italian champions to kick off their preparations with a narrow success over Pochettino's team.
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