Tottenham and PSG clash in Super Cup

Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain meet in Udine for the UEFA Super Cup with Joao Neves suspended.

Tottenham and PSG face Super Cup final with Neves suspended

Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain will contest the UEFA Super Cup final in Udine after Tottenham beat Manchester United 1-0 in the Europa League final, with Brennan Johnson scoring in the first half. PSG arrive as the defending Champions League holders and have navigated a tough route to the final, including wins over Liverpool and Arsenal before a 5-0 thrashing of Inter Milan in Munich.

Joao Neves will miss the final after a red card in the FIFA Club World Cup final against Chelsea, and PSG have him on an individual training programme ahead of the new season. Gianluigi Donnarumma is not in the squad for the final, with Lucas Chevalier expected to take the starting role. Tottenham boss Thomas Frank has no suspensions to worry about but faces a string of injuries, notably James Maddison who suffered an ACL tear this month and Dejan Kulusevski who is sidelined for months. There are also doubts over Dominic Solanke and Destiny Udogie ahead of the big game.

This matchup doubles as a test of squad depth and calendar management for two pressure-filled clubs. Neves’s absence tilts the midfield balance for PSG, potentially speeding up the adaptation of Chevalier under pressure if Donnarumma remains out of form or future transfers keep shifting the pecking order. For Tottenham, the early-season injury list complicates Frank’s plans and raises questions about how far a club can control risk in a congested schedule. The Super Cup, often treated as a one-off, now carries the weight of momentum into a season that will demand consistency across domestic leagues and Europe.

Highlights

The road to a showpiece trophy often tests a squad's resilience as much as its quality.