Wembley Cup

It may be July but there's still football to be played with north London side Tottenham Hotspur warming up for the new season with the inaugural Wembley Cup. Besides Spurs, the two-day pre-season tournament at Wembley Stadium will feature the European champions Barcelona as well as Scottish side Celtic and Egyptian outfit Al Ahly (who have won their domestic championship for the last five years). Although little can be read into these summertime games - many of the top players will probably still be on holiday - they can be a good gauge ahead of the new season, especially when it comes to getting a glimpse of new signings in action. With Harry Redknapp now at the helm, Spurs can certainly expect a lot of those, while the prospect (however unlikely) of seeing the likes of Lionel Messi and Andreas Iniesta on the pitch - even for brief cameos - will be appealing for neutrals. The tournament kicks off on the Friday with Al Ahly taking on Celtic and Spurs facing Barcelona. Two days later, on Sunday, the unknown quantity from Egypt (for whom Barca manager Pep Guardiola played 18 times towards the end of his career) try their luck against the Catalan giants before Spurs tie things up with a clash against the Scottish runners-up. The winner will be decided on a combined points and goal system - but let's not pretend that Barca are going to anything but walk it, even with a reserve side!