'One of my favourite teams': AS Roma star and World Cup winner says he's a big fan of Tottenham

Tottenham Hotspur are back in action on Thursday night with a tricky Europa League clash against AS Roma.

Despite beating Manchester City on the weekend in emphatic fashion, it has not been the best of weeks for Ange Postecoglou.

The Australian has now been left without his starting goalkeeper for months with Guglielmo Vicario forced to undergo ankle surgery.

Tottenham have fared well in Europe this season, but their previous outing provided their first defeat in the tournament against Galatasaray.

And Thursday is expected to offer another tough clash against an established European outfit in Roma.

However, their centre-back Mats Hummels has been speaking extremely highly of the Lilywhites ahead of their trip to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

• READ MORE: The four goalkeepers Ange Postecoglou has in Tottenham first-team training after Guglielmo Vicario injury

What Roma’s Mats Hummels said about Tottenham

Speaking to the media ahead of the game on Thursday, the World Cup-winning centre-back admitted that he does actually have a soft spot for the Lilywhites.

“Tottenham have great players such as [Heung-min] Son who always makes you suffer, they’re one of my favourite teams,” he said.

“They are a team that will put us under pressure tomorrow and will want to involve the stadium.”

Ironically, Tottenham held talks with Hummels over the summer with the former Borussia Dortmund defender becoming a free agent.

But he opted to make the move to Serie A where Roma are currently slumped down in 12^th position; it has been a similar story in the Europa League with Roma struggling in 20^th place.

• READ MORE: Here’s what happened when Tottenham tried to sign an emergency goalkeeper when Hugo Lloris got injured in 2023

Tottenham have excelled in Europa League so far

Thursday night is going to offer Postecoglou’s side with a huge chance to settle the nerves following Vicario’s injury.

There are other injuries to be concerned about with Tottenham also missing Cristian Romero and Mikey Moore.

But Spurs remain one of the favourites in the competition following their strong start which has them sat in seventh spot on nine points.

A win for Tottenham on Thursday would keep them inside the top eight which automatically qualifies through to the Round of 16.

Gary Neville hailed Tottenham’s victory over Manchester City over the weekend and Postecoglou will be looking for an equally impressive display against Roma.