COLCHESTER United play host to Tottenham Hotspur tonight, in a pre-season friendly.

The U's continue their preparations for the new League Two season with a game against the Premier League side, at the JobServe Community Stadium (kick-off 7.45pm).

Colchester boss Hayden Mullins has said he will be trimming his squad down ahead of tonight's match, with two separate sides having featured against Watford last weekend.

Trialists Richard Kone and Bayli Spencer-Adams could also feature tonight, as they bid to earn full-time contracts with the club.

Colchester's opponents are also adjusting to life under a permanent new manager, following Nuno Espirito Santo's appointment as their head coach.

Tottenham are expected to send a strong squad to Colchester for the game, with international stars such as Dele Alli, Eric Dier, Harry Winks and Steven Bergwijn all set to feature.

They all played in the North London club's 1-1 draw at Leyton Orient last weekend, their opening pre-season friendly of the summer.

The likes of Joe Hart, Lucas Moura and Troy Parrott, who was on loan at Ipswich Town last season, are also set to be in action against the U's.

But stars such as Harry Kane, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Toby Alderweireld, Hugo Lloris and Moussa Sissoko, Ben Davies and Joe Rodon have not yet returned to training, following their exploits at Euro 2020.

And Giovani Lo Celso and Davinson Sanchez have just finished competing in the Copa America for their respective nations Argentina and Colombia.

South Korean forward Son Heung-Min only returned to training earlier this week and is unlikely to play against the U's.

Speaking after the Leyton Orient game, Santo told the Spurs website: "It was a game that we prepared ourselves to compete in, to play inside a week that was very tough for the players but good, the players worked very hard.

"It’s a process that’s going to take time to get things together but as things go by, I’m happy because the commitment was there, they ran and now they have a good day off to reflect and prepare for the next week."

The last time Spurs were at the JobServe Community Stadium was a memorable occasion, for Colchester.

The U's stunned the Premier League side in 2019 by pulling off a shock penalty shoot-out win over Tottenham in the Carabao Cup third round, after the game had finished 0-0 after 90 minutes.