As the domestic seasons get closer and closer to kicking off in the next few weeks, the majority of clubs around Europe are going through their final set of pre-season friendlies. Some have gone better than others for most of the big teams, whilst some smaller sides have had a chance to secure a result or two that otherwise would’ve been impossible. We’ve all spoken about how irrelevant most of these games can seem from time to time, but when you look at certain fixtures – including many from the International Champions Cup – it becomes a little bit more exciting.

The competition was designed as a way to provide fans from around the world with a rare chance to see some of their favourite teams live in action, with the biggest names in European football often turning out for the occasion. Two such teams that had signed on to take part were Barcelona and Tottenham Hotspur, with the two goliaths being set to square off tonight in Pasadena.

Spurs have already taken part in one game in the competition thus far after running through Roma 4-1, whereas this game will signal Barca’s entry into the proceedings. There’s a certain level of intrigue surrounding this fixture for a variety of reasons, with many fans wanting to see how the Spanish champions are going to fare as they attempt to wrestle back control of the Champions League from rivals Real Madrid – whilst also trying to maintain their domestic success.

Spurs, on the other hand, have a lot of questions being posed to them, and at the moment, there are very few answers. Mauricio Pochettino has been suspiciously quiet in the summer transfer window, and while the club is more than strong enough to make a surge for the title in the upcoming Premier League season, some strength in depth being added wouldn’t exactly hurt anyone.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlNFsAbNQlM

Pochettino seems to be sticking to his guns and that’s certainly something that we can admire, although this game could wind up serving as a big indicator of where the club is at in comparison to some of the teams around them. That might not seem like a fair comparison because, like we’ve stated, this is only a friendly match, but it’s against one of the best teams in recent history.

Having to deal with constant pressure from throughout the core of their opposition is a feeling that Spurs will need to get used to ahead of the new PL season, with Newcastle United, Fulham and Liverpool being three of their first six fixtures in the top flight this year.

In terms of this game specifically Spurs will need to assert their dominance from the word go if they want to stand any chance of coming away with a result, and the way they’ll need to do that is very simple: be physical. Intimidate these Barcelona players and let them know you’re there because otherwise, the Spaniards are going to dance their way around the Spurs defence and nobody will be able to do anything about it.

It’s all about maintaining a certain level of composure, too, as they need to ensure they keep their structure intact and don’t allow themselves to get rattled. It’s the kind of logic that took England so far in the World Cup this past summer, and with a handful of Spurs players playing a part in that squad’s success, it makes sense to consider the possibility of them translating that over into club football.

The fans will want the players to put on a show but for Spurs, they need to view this as a game that could give them a ton of confidence. We’re going to go for a narrow 2-1 Barcelona win, but we think the English side will put up a fight.

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