Villarreal CF head coach Marcelino is backing Ghana midfielder Thomas Partey to be mentally and technically prepared to play against Tottenham Hotspurs.
Spurs take on Villarreal in the UEFA Champions League 2025-2026 season opening round of games on Tuesday, September 16 at 19:00 GMT in London.
Tonight’s fixture gets Partey playing competitive football again in London after his five year run with Arsenal ended at the end of the 2024-2025 season.
However, Partey’s return has a controversial touch to it as the Black Stars deputy captain is battling rape and sexual assault charges and has made an appearance at a London court already with another upcoming appearance scheduled.
For Marcelino, the Spanish coach believes that Partey is ready to compete in the game that pits the former Atletico Madrid player against fellow Black Stars midfielder Mohammed Kudus of Spurs.
“For sure he will be ready. We are very happy Thomas is with us for his football capacity, football ability and his presence as a human”
“For sure he will be ready. We are very happy Thomas is with us for his football capacity, football ability and his presence as a human. He is a great player with a lot of experience. He has played for a lot of top clubs. We know he has a great level” Marcelino said this in a pre-game interview as quoted by the BBC.
