Tottenham Hotspur will host Burnley at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday afternoon in the opening weekend of the 2025-26 Premier League season. This marks a fresh start for Tottenham under new head coach Thomas Frank, following a difficult previous campaign in which they finished 17th but still secured Champions League qualification thanks to a Europa League victory.
- Date: 16/08/2025
- Kick-off: 3:00pm
- Location: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, North London
Tottenham come into the game with a squad in transition. They scored 64 league goals last season but struggled with defensive solidity, conceding 65 times and keeping just two clean sheets at home. New arrivals such as Mohammed Kudus and João Palhinha add promise in attack and midfield, but the team is without James Maddison, who suffered an ACL injury in pre-season. Furthermore, the sale of Son Heung-min to Los Angeles FC represents the end of an era as far as the attack is concerned, leaving pressure on the likes of Kudus and Dominic Solanle to produce the goods.
Burnley return to the Premier League after a dominant 2024-25 Championship season in which they amassed 100 points and conceded only 16 goals – a reflection of their defensive strength and tactical discipline. The squad, though, has suffered a few blows this summer, with goalkeeper James Trafford departing for Manchester City, while defender CJ Egan-Riley and midfielder Josh Brownhill have all departed as free agents. Manager Scott Parker has reshaped his side with some new players such as Martin Dubravka, Kyle Walker, Quilindschy Hartman, Lesley Ugochukwu, Loum Tchaouna and Armando Broja, but the team’s hallmark remains a well-organised defence and effective counter-attacking football.
Burnley are likely to try to keep the margins low in this game, keeping compact and putting men behind the ball, while hoping to fashion the odd opportunity here and there. Spurs are fairly low on top class attackers at the moment, so it could be a scrappy game, but it's one that Spurs will expect to win to get the Thomas Frank era up and running.
