PSG’s continued progress at the Club World Cup as they beat Bayern Munich to reach the semi-finals might just hand Tottenham Hotspur a little glimmer of hope ahead of their match next month.
The Ligue 1 side came out on top with a 2-0 victory against the Bundesliga champions in Atlanta thanks to a 78th minute goal from Desire Doue and then sealed the win with an added time strike from Ousmane Dembele. That late goal came after red cards for Willian Pacho and Lucas Hernandez.
The game was overshadowed by a serious-looking ankle injury at the end of the first half to Bayern’s Jamal Musiala, which left players from both sides looking distraught at the nature of it.
PSG’s victory means the Champions League winners will now face Real Madrid in the semi-finals at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Wednesday, (8pm kick-off UK time).
A victory against Xabi Alonso’s side would take Luis Enrique’s team through to the final of the competition on Sunday July 13, again at the MetLife Stadium, against either Chelsea or Fluminese.
So how does all of this affect Tottenham? Well Thomas Frank’s first competitive match at the helm of the north London side will be the UEFA Super Cup final, which pits the Europa League winners against the Champions League victors in Udine on Wednesday August 13.
Tottenham supporters are fearing the game in the knowledge that PSG are such a great, quality-packed side. It will be the first test for the Frank era at the club and it will be against the best around.
So there is a reason why Spurs will want their opponents to continue to be successful in the Club World Cup and reach that final on July 13. It’s because the way FIFA rules work after tournaments is that players must have at least three weeks off before returning to their clubs.
That mean that if PSG reach the final then those three weeks of holidays, if they take the bare minimum, would ensure the French club’s players only return to pre-season training from August 4 or 5 onwards.
Enrique might decide to give them more time after a longer than normal and gruelling season with so many matches and another such campaign ahead.
Even if the players don’t take that extra time then that would leave just nine days to get sharp for the game against Tottenham in Italy. It’s a tiny sliver of an advantage for Tottenham, who will be sharper by that stage and match fit after five pre-season matches around the world.
Yes, they will be up against the best side in the game right now but the north London outfit and their fanbase will take anything ahead of that big match in Udine.
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