Scott Parker enjoys a return to the former club Tottenham while preparing for Burnley’s first game in the Premier League.
Parker led the Clarets to automatic promotion in 2024-25, collected 100 points and missed the championship title about target difference for Leeds United.
Burnley’s preparations for the new campaign, however, have been far from ideal. They only won one of their five friendly matches, with their last game for their journey to North London this Saturday ending with a 1-0 defeat against Serie A Giants Lazio.
This will be the third time that Parker has arrived as a manager against Spurs, pulled away with 1-1 and at home with them lost in the Premier League season of 2020-21 (responsible for Fulham), and he is looking forward to a return to his old stamping.
“We are enthusiastic. We worked hard during the preseason to be ready for the Premier League Starts,” said Parker. “We’re looking forward to it – and we know the challenge that wait.
“There is a great humility about this group and the way we did our work in the preseason, and we feel in a good place.”
Burnley has also been busy on the transfer market because they want to confirm their status in the topplight for next season, with 13 new signing sessions that arrive in Turf Moor.
Martin Dubravka, Lesley Ugochukwu and Armando Broja have all put pen on paper about deals with Burnley, but the trio did not appear in the defeat of the Clarets against Lazio.
“We are still in balance with the load of some players, including the new boys,” Parker added. “There was a match this morning on the training field (against Manchester City).
“Lesley got 60 minutes under his belt and some other boys also had an important playing time.
“We looked at the data of the players and thought it was probably just too early for Martin and Armando to play, so only Lesley has the game time of the three of them today.”
Preparation for the season opener pic.twitter.com/fwop5uekc8
– Burnley FC (@burnleyofficial) August 12, 2025
In the meantime, Tottenham only comes to the UEFA Super Cup final three days after their heartbreaking defeat of Paris Saint-Germain.
Thomas Frank, who took the lead on his first competitive match with Spurs, saw his new team a lead of two goals in the match and the shootout to see the trophy slip away.
PSG’s hero of 12 Yards was Nuno Mendes, who plundered the winning spot kick after Micky Van de Ven saw his penalty saved before Mathys Tel widely shot.
However, there was no time to think about the defeat for Frank, who is enthusiastic about his first Premier League match responsible for Spurs since he took over from Ange Postecoglou.
“It is a short turn, there will be disappointment in the next 24 hours and when I wake up, but tomorrow we will be ready, and Friday we will be more ready,” Frank said.
“And we will ensure that we will be released on Saturday.”
Frank also spoke about the importance of set pieces in his side after their defeat to PSG and said: “It is the key. In my opinion it should be a weapon for each team.
“We will certainly focus on it because I think it is an important area. Sometimes I think we have shown that we can play against every team in the world.
“That is positive that I will take away from this.”
Players to watch
Tottenham – Brennan Johnson
The Europa League hero Johnson from Spurs seems to play a crucial role for Tottenham this season, after he had scored more Premier League goals (11) than one of his teammates in 2024-25.
His 14 deliberate involvement was a total that was only improved by the wounded James Maddison and the deceased son Heung-Min (both 16) last season, so Frank hopes that Johnson can offer that attacking spark in their absence.
Burnley – Maxime Was
Burnley’s success in the championship last season was built on their solid defense base, with Esteve crucial before that during his loan in Turf Moor before he made his move this summer permanent.
The Frenchman indeed had team-high totals for clean sheets (30), clearance (230) and blocks (41), while only Lucas Pires (44) made more interceptions than Esteve (44) in 2024-25.
Match forecast: Tottenham Win
Tottenham opens a Premier League campaign for a promoted team for the third time, with the previous two two ending in 3-1 victories-V Ippswich Town in 2000-01 and Aston Villa in 2019-2020.
They also have a favorable record against the Clarets. Spurs has won eight of their nine top matches against Burnley (D1), in which they took only all three points in a 1-1 draw in August 2017, under Mauricio Pochettino.
And Frank’s side will be looking for last season’s struggles in the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium firmly behind them. Spurs lost each of their last three Premier League home matches in 2024-25 and last lost four in a row in November 2004.
This is only the second time that Burnley has started a Premier League campaign with a match in London, in which he defeated reigning champions Chelsea 3-2 on Stamford Bridge in 2017-18.
However, the Clarets have lost their opening match in each of their last three Premier League campaigns, with their last victory in 2019-2020 against Southampton (3-0).
Parker also hopes to build on their impressive impressions in the defense last season. Burnley admitted no more than one goal in one of their 46 league matches in 2024-25. In the Premier League, however, they are without a clean slate in 20 games.
Opta wins probability
Tottenham – 66.3%
Drawing – 18.9%
Burnley – 14.9%
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