Tottenham Hotspur will play their penultimate – and maybe toughest – pre-season match against Real Madrid at the Allianz Arena in the Audi Cup tonight (5.15pm kick-off).

The match is part of the four team tournament – the Audi Cup. The hosts, Bayern Munich, face AC Milan in the second game of the evening, with the losers meeting on Wednesday and the winners progressing to the final on the same day.

And head coach Mauricio Pochettino emphasised the importance of fixture. He told the club website: “We expect a very tough game against Real Madrid because they are one of the best teams in the world.

“It’s a good opportunity for us to show our quality.

“The games will be very competitive and that's important for us because we start the season with a tough game at Old Trafford. We want to be fully fit and ready for the first game in the Premier League.

“We know it’s an important season ahead. We want to do better.”

Ten-time European Cup winners Madrid are heading into the new season having appointed a new manager, Rafa Benitez, who will be familiar to Premier League audiences as a former Chelsea and Liverpool manager.

Speaking yesterday, the Spaniard said: “For Real Madrid it's important to win the Audi Cup, just as it is to win every other competition, and we are going to try and do it although we know it will be hard because we face some big rivals.

“Every game is important. We have a great squad and we analyse every game. We have two important matches against very good teams here and both are important for our players."