Tottenham Hotspur first-team coach Gus Poyet is relishing the prospect of the battle royal as Spurs encounter Italian club AS Roma in what he termed as the ‘perfect’ friendly game before the start of the 2008-09 season.

Juande Ramos’ side have had a positive pre-season period with six wins and a draw in seven games, also in the process bagging the Feyenoord Jubileum Tournament trophy. But Poyet feels the deep-defending Serie A opposition provides the real test ahead of what promises to be an exciting season.

"They will have the Italian mentality when they defend deep, defend together and it will be tough to go forward, so that will be a test for us," said Poyet on the club’s official website.

"We often find at home that teams defend deep, make you take the risks and then, if it's gone well for them, they start to look to come forward in the second half.

"We haven't had a test like that so far in pre-season, so this is ideal. It will be a real test of our attacking play and patience, especially if we don't score first.

"It's the perfect game before the start of the season. We're looking to play well and make sure everyone comes through it but with the full stadium, the players will be determined to win as well."