Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank is looking forward to coaching his first-ever UEFA Champions League match with his side set to welcome La Liga-based Villarreal to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Tuesday.
The Lillywhites approach Tuesday’s UCL clash buoyed by a 3-0 victory away at London rivals West Ham, their third win in four Premier League outings under Frank.
Historically, Spurs have struggled against Spanish opposition, managing just one win in their last 13 encounters with La Liga clubs. This fixture, however, marks their first-ever competitive meeting with Villarreal.
Tottenham have also found it difficult to start strongly in Europe, winning only two of their seven opening matches in European Cup or Champions League campaigns, with three draws and two defeats.
However, Frank, who has enjoyed a strong start to life at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium after overseeing three wins from his first four Premier League games in charge is relishing the opportunity to test his side against a Villarreal team whose manager he holds a lot of respect for.
“Now it’s preparation, there’s a few more cameras, but it’s business as usual. When we all go out onto the pitch tomorrow, then it’ll be special,” he said.
“I believe I have a fantastic squad and we would like to go as far as possible. I think the most important thing is that it’s one game at a time.
“Villarreal are a very good team. I’ve been very impressed when I’ve studied them, but we’ll do everything we can to get a good start. It’s going to be a good challenge.
“We want to try and win it. But the most important thing is to take one game at a time. That begins with Villarreal, a very good team.
“Huge respect for Marcelino. His team is well structured, well organised and they like to dominate as much as they can on the ball.”
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