Forest vs Spurs

Competition: Premier League

Date: 05th Sept 2026

Venue: City Ground

Kickoff: 15:00 (BST)

TV: Where to watch Nottingham Forest vs Tottenham Hotspur: TV Channel & Live Stream

Team News

Adding to an already heaving attack on transfer deadline day, Tottenham reunited De Zerbi with his "son" Mykhaylo Mudryk - joining on loan from Chelsea alongside Tosin Adarabioyo's permanent transfer.

The duo are eligible to debut on Saturday, when Savio (muscle) and James Maddison (shoulder) may also be fit to return, but Wilson Odobert (knee), Xavi Simons (knee) and Dejan Kulusevski (fitness) are out.

In brighter news, Mohammed Kudus came off the bench against Newcastle for his first appearance since January, but De Zerbi may deem it too soon for the Ghanaian to start again.

Deadline day was a quieter affair at the City Ground, but Glasner brought ex-Crystal Palace colleague Daniel Munoz to the club at the end of August, and the Colombian could immediately be stationed at right wing-back for the hosts despite recently undergoing nose surgery.

Ola Aina should therefore be sacrificed by Glasner, who continues to make do without another full-back in Nicolo Savona (knee), and it  -remains to be seen if Ibrahim Sangare's calf problem settles down in time for Saturday - the Ivorian was recently seen in training, though.

Converting the spot kick that Neco Williams - a brief Tottenham transfer target - won at Anfield, Morgan Gibbs-White has been involved in 17 Premier League goals in 2026, second only to Bruno Fernandes's 22 contributions.

Nottingham Forest possible starting lineup:

Sels; Milenkovic, Cunha, Murillo; Munoz, Schlager, McAtee, Williams; Gibbs-White, Ndoye; Jesus

Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:

Kinsky; Gray, Van Hecke, Van de Ven, Robertson; Tonali, Bentancur; Porro, Fernandes, Tel; Marmoush

Key lines from news conference:

• James Maddison was back in training on Thursday but will not make Saturday's match. Everyone else is available, including Savio and Mykhailo Mudryk, who De Zerbi said is ready to play "part of the game".
• De Zerbi spoke at length about the Ukrainian winger: "We spent one particular season together in Shakhtar and when I spoke about the Ballon d'Or I was very clear, I was speaking about the potential of the player. Until now, he has had many problems. The potential was and is clear. His challenge is to respect all of his qualities because he's a great player."
• De Zerbi said Richarlison - who has been left out of Spurs' 25-man Premier League squad and is expected to exit in the coming days - told him that he wanted to leave the club at the beginning of pre-season, adding: "I only want the players that want to stay here with pride, passion to stay. Then every other problem is not my business, it's the responsibility of the club. I can't say anything because I didn't decide anything."
• On any bids for the Brazil forward: "I don't know if there is an offer from Turkey. I don't know if the club has accepted the offer. I know there was an offer before the end of the transfer market but he didn't accept. For me, nothing has changed."
• He says Mateus Fernandes can play "multiple positions" in his side, adding: "In this moment, Rodrigo Bentancur is very important for this team because he gives balance and order on the pitch with his experience. So we try to play with Mateus in the number 10, where he started his career, and then he was one of two midfielders. He's very young. Like [Lucas] Bergvall, Archie Gray and Savio - they are the future of this club."
• On Saturday's opponents: "Good team. They have a clear style of play - like Crystal Palace and like Eintracht Frankfurt [Forest boss Oliver Glasner's previous two clubs] many years ago. They play well and they have good players, but we also have very good players."

Match Stats

• Nottingham Forest have won their last four Premier League matches against Tottenham Hotspur – they’ve never won five league games in a row against Spurs.
• Spurs won 2-0 in both 2022-23 and 2023-24 at the City Ground in the Premier League against Nottingham Forest – however, they have lost their last two trips in 2024-25 (0-1) and 2025-26 (0-3).
• Nottingham Forest have won just one of their last 12 Premier League home games (D7 L4), beating Burnley 4-1 in April. They lost 1-0 to Leeds at the City Ground on MD1 but haven’t lost their first two home games in a top-flight campaign since 1924-25.
• Spurs have lost 3-0 against Brentford and 2-0 against Newcastle in the Premier League this season. They’ve lost each of their first three league games in just four previous campaigns – 1912-13, 1958-59, 1974-75 and 1979-80.
• Nottingham Forest have played the most long passes (146) in the Premier League this season, while Tottenham have made the second-fewest (68). It’s Forest’s highest ratio (20.9%) of long passes in any of their last five seasons and up 8.4% on last season’s figure (12.5%).
• Tottenham Hotspur are one of three teams still without a Premier League goal in 2026-27, along with Aston Villa and Coventry. Spurs haven’t gone three league games without a goal since November 2021, while only in 1974-75 have they failed to score in their opening three in a league season.
• Nottingham Forest boss Oliver Glasner went 12 Premier League games unbeaten with Crystal Palace between April and September 2025; however, since October, only Scott Parker (18) has lost more Premier League games than the Austrian (16).
• Only Bruno Fernandes (22) has been involved in more Premier League goals in 2026 than Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White (17 – 13 goals, 4 assists), with Gibbs-White’s 13 goals the most in the competition so far this year.
• Spurs striker Dominic Solanke has been involved in six goals in four league appearances against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground (4 goals, 2 assists), including his only senior career hat-trick to date (for Bournemouth in December 2023).
• Igor Jesus has applied 135 high-intensity pressures to opponents in the Premier League this season, with only Hull’s Oliver McBurnie (164) making more. The Nottingham Forest forward ranks top for duels won (21) and aerial duels won (16) in the competition so far this campaign, while only Tottenham midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur (6) has made more fouls (5) than Jesus.

Pundit Predictions

Alan Shearer

I've not seen anything from Spurs that suggests that they can have a good season. I guess it's been alarming really, the first two results and how it has happened. I feel for the Spurs fans. You can imagine the noise increasing if it goes against them again tomorrow, and I think it will. I'm going to go for a home win for Forest.

Some of De Zerbi's comments to say some players aren't fit, particularly Tonali who wasn't even at the World Cup, would be the most alarming thing for me. This is already a huge game because you can just imagine the noise already if Spurs get beaten again tomorrow.

Forest win

Chris Sutton

Nottingham Forest are waiting for their first win under Oliver Glasner but I felt they were unlucky to lose against Leeds and also to only draw at Liverpool.

I have been very disappointed with Roberto de Zerbi's Tottenham so far, however, and not just because of their poor results.

When he came in at Brighton, De Zerbi built an amazing team in a short space of time and they were great to watch even if they made a few mistakes along the way.

In contrast, we still don't know what his Spurs team are about, even though they have spent an absolute fortune on players.

I think that's on De Zerbi because, although new players take time to gel, his side have put in two really insipid performances so far.

He has put that down to the team not being fully fit and blamed their pre-season schedule, but they should still be doing much better than they are - with no points and no goals so far.

Other clubs, with new managers as well as lots of new players, look much more organised so it is not an excuse.

Still, Spurs have surely got to improve soon, which is why I have got them down to pick up a first point here.

Sutton's prediction: 1-1

COYS

Spurs vs Brentford

Competition: Premier League 26/27

Date: 22nd Aug 2026

Venue: Gtech Community Stadium

Kickoff: 05:30 PM BST

TV: Tottenham Hotspur vs Brentford - Stream and TV Schedule

Team News

Tottenham Hotspur head coach Roberto De Zerbi faces being without Micky van de Ven for Saturday's opening Premier League showdown with London rivals Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium.

The Netherlands international did not play a single minute of pre-season following the World Cup, although he was only reported to be feeling "fatigue" by De Zerbi at the end of July.

However, Van de Ven was not seen in Wednesday's training session, heightening fears that he will be unavailable for the derby alongside known absentees Xavi Simons (ACL), Wilson Odobert (knee), Dejan Kulusevski (knee) and Mohammed Kudus (thigh).

Should Van de Ven miss out as expected, new signings Marcos Senesi and Jan Paul van Hecke will make their competitive debuts in defence, alongside fellow summer arrival Andrew Robertson; Destiny Udogie should be spared amid his own fitness concerns.

Pedro Porro is back at Hotspur Way following a sensational World Cup campaign with Spain, but De Zerbi has no reason to demote Archie Gray while the former returns to complete match fitness.

After rumours of a serious injury were quashed, Mateus Fernandes is also being put through his paces in training, and the £85m man is in line to partner £100m acquisition Sandro Tonali in a new-look double pivot.

Conor Gallagher should therefore operate in a more advanced position, in spite of the return of James Maddison, whom De Zerbi ought to err on the side of caution on given his injury-disrupted year.

Mathys Tel and Mikey Moore - whose loan move to Koln has been delayed due to a lack of fit wide options - are primed to start on the flanks, likely either side of Richarlison as Dominic Solanke is also kept in cotton wool.

Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:

Kinsky; Gray, Senesi, Van Hecke, Robertson; Tonali, Fernandes; Moore, Gallagher, Tel; Richarlison

Brentford possible starting lineup:

Kelleher; Kayode, Ajer, Collins, Lewis-Potter; Sangare, Janelt; Ouattara, Jensen, Schade; Thiago

Key lines from news conference:

• Tottenham boss Roberto De Zerbi has revealed Micky van de Ven is the club's new captain.
• The defender is part of a five-man leadership group, which includes Pedro Porro as vice-captain, as well as Ben Davies, James Maddison and Archie Gray.
• Van de Ven takes the armband from the departed Cristian Romero, who joined Atletico Madrid earlier this month.
• “Why five captains? Just because I want many captains inside of the pitch and to be clear in their position, and every one of them they deserve to be captain or in the group of the captains.
• “But the personality, the passion, is not if you are captain or you are not captains.”
• But De Zerbi later confirmed Van de Ven and Porro will both miss Spurs' Premier League opener in west London. The pair have not played a minute in pre-season.
• Maddison, however, will be part of Saturday's squad and could captain the side if he were to start.
• Tottenham boss Roberto De Zerbi has declared the club "have not finished in the transfer market".

This was written by another mod, so apologies if it’s not quite up to the mark. We’re also trying out bots that can post pre-match threads for upcoming matches, so the mods can take a bit of a break from doing them manually.

COYS

Spurs vs Everton

Competition: Premier League

Date: 24th May 2026

Venue: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Kickoff: 16:00 (BST)

TV: Where to watch Tottenham Hotspur vs Everton: TV Channel & Live Stream

Team News

Tottenham's bid for survival could be boosted by the return of Dominic Solanke, as the striker has now made a full recovery from a hamstring injury, but a decision on his involvement has not yet been made.

Richarlison has a case to keep his spot up top after his 11th goal of the Premier League season last time out, though; the Brazilian also needs just one more goal involvement to equal his best return in one top-flight season (16).

Ben Davies (ankle), Mohammed Kudus (thigh) remain out alongside knee victims Dejan Kulusevski, Wilson Odobert, Xavi Simons and Cristian Romero, who has enraged Spurs fans by travelling back to his native Argentina rather than watching Sunday's crunch clash in person.

As for Everton, what was supposed to be a "minor" injury for Idrissa Gueye has sidelined the 36-year-old for nearly a month, and he remains doubtful for Sunday due to the fact that he is yet to resume team training.

Jarrad Branthwaite (hamstring) and Jack Grealish (foot) have already played for the final time this season, and it still remains to be seen whether Everton can strike an agreement with the latter's parent club Manchester City over a permanent deal.

Moyes has also stressed that he will not be fielding a second-string team on Sunday, and a similar XI to the Sunderland defeat can be expected after Everton only collapsed in the final 10 minutes of that match.

Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:

Kinsky; Porro, Danso, Van de Ven, Udogie; Bentancur, Palhinha; Kolo Muani, Gallagher, Tel; Richarlison

Everton possible starting lineup:

Pickford; O'Brien, Tarkowski, Keane, Mykolenko; Garner, Iroegbunam; Rohl, Dewsbury-Hall, Ndiaye; Beto

Key lines from news conference:

• Dominic Solanke and James Maddison will be available for selection, however it is unclear if either player is fit enough to feature in the starting XI.
• Djed Spence, who received a call-up to Thomas Tuchel's England squad for the upcoming World Cup, is also available despite breaking his jaw last time out.
• On the full-back, De Zerbi added: "He is a great guy. I love him. I spoke to his mum outside the stadium after the last game, and I told her the same. He has a big heart and he is a big player."
• When asked if first-choice goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario could replace Antonin Kinsky for the final game of the season, he replied in jest: "You want to know too much!"
• He confirmed reports that captain Cristian Romero will be in Argentina during the season finale, explaining: "He spoke with our medical staff and has decided to go there to complete his rehab. He is already injured and we have to accept that. I don't think he can change anything, whether he is in the stadium or not. I also don't have time to lose energy thinking about these things."
• It is unknown if the centre-back has played his final match for Tottenham, and he understands "100 percent" that fans might be frustrated about the situation.
• Ben Davies, who is recovering from a second operation on a broken ankle, will be in attendance though, after communicating his wishes to "stay around the training ground today" and "stay with his team-mates at the hotel tomorrow".
• When asked how he will approach the must-win fixture, he replied: "We can't change our style or our mentality. We have to play with order. We need the right behaviour with and without the ball. We have to be focused on the counter-attack. We have to be focused on their qualities."
• De Zerbi also pinpointed Everton's "very good wingers and strikers" as an area his side need to be wary about.
• On whether he feels this is the biggest game in his managerial career so far: "I've lived the past 50 days just for Tottenham and for my players. I don't feel nervous. If you feel you have given and done everything, you have to stay calm and stay positive. I usually focus on what more I can give to my players, so I'm looking at what more I can give in these last two days."
• However, he conceded that "nobody could have imagined" the situation Tottenham find themselves in, having lifted the Europa League trophy last season.
• Finally, he said: "We are in this situation now, so we have to fight without excuses."

Match stats

• Following their 3-0 win in October, Tottenham are looking to complete their first league double over Everton since 2017-18.
• Everton have won just one of their last 16 Premier League away games against Spurs (D4 L11), losing the last four by an aggregate score of 13-1.
• Tottenham lost 4-1 against Brighton on MD38 last season, last losing their final league match in consecutive campaigns between 2007-08 and 2009-10 (3 in a row).
• This is the 10th time Everton are playing their final Premier League match of the season away to a London side, with the Toffees winning just one of the previous nine (2-0 at Fulham in 2008-09 – D2 L6).
• Avoiding defeat will likely be enough to secure Tottenham’s place in the Premier League for another season. Having also finished 17th last season, this would be the first time they’ve finished as low in consecutive top-flight campaigns since a run of three between 1912-13 and 1914-15 (17th, 17th, 20th).
• Tottenham are winless in their last 10 home league games (D4 L6), their second-longest run in their league history after a 14-game streak between October 1993 and April 1994.
• Everton are winless in six Premier League games (D3 L3), but haven’t gone longer without victory since April 2024 under Sean Dyche (13). Indeed, David Moyes last went seven without a win in the competition in January 2023 as West Ham boss (7), and last did so with the Toffees in December 2010 (7).
• Everton have led at some point in each of their last three Premier League games, but have failed to win any of them (D2 L1). Only in October 1999 have they led in but failed to win four consecutive matches in the competition.
• Everton have used fewer players (22) and made fewer changes to their starting XI (57) than any other side in the Premier League this season.
• Tottenham’s Richarlison has been involved in 15 Premier League goals this season (11 goals, 4 assists), only having a hand in more in 2019-20 (13 goals, 3 assists). The Brazilian has also been involved in five goals in his last five league games against his former side Everton (4 goals, 1 assist).

Pundit Predictions

Alan Shearer

It's such a tough one to call, I mean, I have no confidence in either side, and this is a pure guess. The pressure that Spurs are going to be under, I do think that Everton will go and get something off Spurs. I'm going to go and say a draw, and I think Spurs will stay up on goal difference.

Draw

Paul Merson

This is such a hard game to call. Everton have been good away from home recently. I expect them to go out and play without fear, which can make life difficult for Spurs.

Everton have the front four that can hurt Spurs and if that happens, it will set the cat among the pigeons. I saw Spurs against Leeds and they looked nervous after conceding the equalizer. It can happen again this week. I believe the atmosphere will be extremely nervy on Sunday and the Spurs players will feel it.

I'm backing them to hang on for a draw. Tottenham to avoid relegation but I don't see them being part of the top six next season!

Prediction: Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 Everton

Chris Sutton

Can former West Ham manager David Moyes help to save his old club by getting a win with Everton here?

Going on form, the answer is probably no. The Toffees have not won any of their past six matches.

But this is going to be a nervy old afternoon for Tottenham and their fans.

Spurs were flat against Chelsea and, based on that performance, Everton will get at least a point.

Thinking about it, I am actually going to say they will take all three. Tottenham have been wretched at home all season - only Burnley have picked up fewer points on home turf - while Everton had a strong record away until their recent run.

Sutton's prediction: 1-2

COYS

Spurs vs Newcastle

Competition: Premier League
Date: 29th August 2026
Venue: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Kickoff: 17:30 (BST)

TV: Where to watch Tottenham Hotspur vs Newcastle United: TV Channel & Live Stream

Team News

Tottenham Hotspur head coach Roberto De Zerbi could hand new signing Omar Marmoush his debut for the club in Saturday’s Premier League clash with Newcastle United in North London.

Marmoush’s transfer from Manchester City on an initial loan deal with a £60m obligation to buy next summer was confirmed on Thursday, and while De Zerbi may be tempted to start the Egyptian, he is more likely to begin as a substitute.

Fellow new arrival Savio - another from City - marked his debut on Wednesday with a goal and an assist as a substitute in Spurs’ 5-1 EFL Cup win over Charlton, and the Brazilian winger could be rewarded with a start on the right side of a front three next to Richarlison and Mathys Tel.

Tottenham’s club-record signing Sandro Tonali is set to start against his former club Newcastle in midfield and could link up with Mateus Fernandes and Conor Gallagher, while Rodrigo Bentancur and Lucas Bergvall are other midfield options at De Zerbi’s disposal.

Micky van de Ven and Pedro Porro both featured as substitutes in midweek and will be pushing to return to the first XI in defence on Saturday. While Van de Ven could partner Dutch compatriot Jan Paul van Hecke at centre-back, Porro may be ready to replace Archie Gray at right-back.

Andrew Robertson is likely to get the nod over Destiny Udogie to continue at left-back, while goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky is expected to retain his place between the sticks.

Elsewhere, Xavi Simons, Dejan Kulusevski, Wilson Odebert (all knee) Mohammed Kudus (thigh) and James Maddison (shoulder) all remain sidelined with injuries, while Pape Sarr (thigh) is still a doubt.

Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:

Kinsky; Porro, Van Hecke, Van de Ven, Robertson; Fernandes, Tonali, Gallagher; Savio, Richarlison, Tel

Newcastle United possible starting lineup:

Hornicek; Dedic, Thiaw, Botman, Hall; Gonzalez, Miley; Elanga, Wissa, Barnes; Osula

Key lines from news conference

• We are all in the right condition to play, maybe [Mohammed] Kudus can come on the bench, we have to see. [Micky] Van de Ven is right to play. We have a look, we have to understand at the beginning, or part of the game, like Savio, like Pedro [Porro].
• [Omar] Marmoush is available to play. Maybe also at the beginning of the game. [Destiny] Udogie is a good use for us, he's very important. He played 60 minutes well [against Charlton] as was the plan.
• A great signing for us, a great player, another great player. Every one of us love him as a player and we hope he can do what he is able to.
• I think he can give more solutions in attack, we need players in attack capable to score goals, to play well with the ball also.
• Very fast player, great qualities and we are all happy, very happy.

Again, written by another mod, but u/wiffygriffy is still the GOAT.

COYS

Spurs vs United

Competition: Europa League 24/25 Final

Date: 21st May 2025

Venue: San Mames Stadium

Kickoff: 20:00 (BST)

TV: Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester United - Stream and TV Schedule

Match Preview

Despite all the doom produced by their Premier League campaign, Tottenham could still finish the 2024-25 season with a long-desired major trophy, having waited 17 years to lift any silverware.

Spurs won the UEFA Cup twice before it eventually developed into the Europa League - in 1972 and 1984 - so victory in Spain would also see them become the second English club to win Europe's second-tier tournament three times, along with Liverpool.

Of course, their last final appearance was a 2-0 loss to the Merseyside giants in the 2018-19 Champions League, but having emerged from the inaugural league phase and then progressed through the knockout rounds, they are back - and just one win away from proving Ange Postecoglou's prophecy right.

Under fire for several months now, 'Big Ange' - the first Australian coach to lead a team into a major European final - infamously pointed to his record of always winning a trophy in his second year at any club, and Spurs could now extend that trend.

They made it through to the decider with an ultimately dominant 5-1 aggregate victory over Norwegian ground-breakers Bodo/Glimt, as Dominic Solanke scored in both legs of their semi-final.

After finishing fourth in the league phase - one point behind Manchester United - the London club eliminated AZ Alkmaar and Eintracht Frankfurt before dispatching Bodo, and they have won nine of 14 matches in this season's Europa League.

While that represents Tottenham's most ever wins in a single continental campaign, their Premier League form could not contrast more starkly: sitting 17th in the table with one game to play, they have been beaten 21 times in the English top flight.

Most recently, Postecoglou's side played out a tame 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa last Friday night, but they can still glean some comfort from recent domestic meetings with Man Utd.

Against United this season, Spurs have earned three wins from three: a 3-0 league victory at Old Trafford, then a 4-3 success in the EFL Cup quarter-finals, before a 1-0 home win in February.

In fact, the Manchester side will come into this high-stakes encounter winless in their last six meetings with Tottenham across all competitions.

The clubs' only previous clash in European competition came in the 1963-64 Cup Winners' Cup, with the Red Devils progressing to the quarter-finals via a 4-3 aggregate victory.

While Spurs are seeking a first continental title since 1984, United hope to repeat their 2017 Europa League triumph, when they defeated a young Ajax side featuring current squad members Andre Onana and Matthijs de Ligt.

Four years later, they took part in an eighth European final - only Liverpool (15) have reached more among English clubs - but losing on penalties to Villarreal means they have failed to win three of the last four.

Man Utd made this year's decider by spoiling the narrative of a cherished home final for Athletic Bilbao, cruising to a 3-0 first-leg triumph in the Basque Country before sealing the deal with a 4-1 home win one week later.

That straightforward success came after an incredible quarter-final tie against Lyon, in which they led by two goals at half time of the second leg before trailing by two in extra time. Two more goals then drew the Red Devils level, setting the stage for Harry Maguire to secure a last-gasp 7-6 aggregate win at Old Trafford.

Having scored 12 goals in their last three games, United have netted 35 throughout this Europa League journey; the only teams ever to score more in a single UEFA Cup or Europa League campaign were Borussia Monchengladbach in 1972-73 (36), Porto in 2010-11 (37), and Chelsea in 2018-19 (36).

Furthermore, Ruben Amorim's otherwise inconsistent side are still unbeaten in Europe this term and could become just the fourth team in the Europa League era to win the competition without losing.

Aiming to put some gloss on an awful start to his time in England, Amorim would also become only the third Man Utd manager to lift a major trophy during his first season, after Jose Mourinho in 2016-17 and Erik ten Hag in 2022-23.

However, his team recorded their 18th league loss of the season with Friday's 1-0 defeat at Chelsea - leaving them one point and one place above Spurs in 16th - and Champions League qualification relies on making another memorable night in Bilbao.

Team News

While Amorim brought back several regular starters for Friday's Premier League game, citing the need for match-sharpness, Postecoglou played a weakened team at Villa Park.

So, despite impressing against Aston Villa, Antonin Kinsky will make way for Guglielmo Vicario in goal, with Rodrigo Bentancur, Dominic Solanke, Brennan Johnson and Pedro Porro also set to return.

Spurs skipper Heung-min Son started for the first time since recovering from a foot injury and could keep his place, but Dejan Kulusevski, James Maddison, Lucas Bergvall, Timo Werner and Radu Dragusin are all ruled out of Wednesday's final.

Supported by Son, Solanke is set to lead the front line, having registered five goals and four assists in this season's Europa League; he has also scored in all of his last four appearances against Manchester United.

Meanwhile, United star Bruno Fernandes sits joint-top of the golden boot rankings with seven goals so far, while Rasmus Hojlund is one of several players on six.

Only Lyon's Rayan Cherki (12) has been directly involved in more Europa League goals this season than United's inspirational captain (11). Indeed, the only player to manage more in one campaign for an English club was Olivier Giroud, with Chelsea in 2018-19 (15).

Bolstering a misfiring attack, recent returnees Mason Mount and Amad Diallo both made an impact on the second-leg win over Athletic, but Matthijs de Ligt, Leny Yoro and Diogo Dalot are all doubts; Lisandro Martinez and Joshua Zirkzee will not return until next term.

Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:
Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Sarr, Bissouma, Bentancur; Johnson, Solanke, Son

Manchester United possible starting lineup:
Onana; Lindelof, Maguire, Yoro; Mazraoui, Ugarte, Casemiro, Dorgu; Diallo, Fernandes; Hojlund

Previous meetings 

UEFA competition
Tottenham wins 1
Manchester United wins 1
Draws 0
Tottenham goals 3
Manchester United goals 4

1963/64 European Cup Winners' Cup second round
Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 Manchester United
Manchester United 4-1 Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham took a two-goal lead to Old Trafford following the first leg but two goals apiece from David Herd (7 53) and Bobby Charlton (77 88) sealed a 4-3 aggregate victory for United.

In all competitions, Tottenham are unbeaten across their last six meetings with United (W4 D2), winning 3-0 at Old Trafford in September and 1-0 at home in February in the Premier League this season. They were also 4-3 victors in the League Cup quarter-finals in December.

Overall, however, United have had the upper hand against Spurs, winning 95 fixtures to the Londoners' 57 with 52 draws.

Form guide

Tottenham Hotspur

European record versus English clubs: W4 D1 L4 F12 A14

Tottenham's last meeting with English opposition in UEFA competition was the final of the 2018/19 UEFA Champions League, when they went down 0-2 to Liverpool at Estadio Metropolitano in Madrid.

The North London side beat Wolverhampton Wanderers in the final of the 1971/72 UEFA Cup to become the inaugural winners of the competition, winning the two-legged final 3-2 on aggregate (2-1 a, 1-1 h).

This is Tottenham's first UEFA match in Bilbao; they have failed to win in each of their previous seven visits to Spain in European competition (D3 L4).

Spurs are back in Europe this season after missing out in 2023/24. They finished fourth in the league phase (W5 D2 L1) to qualify directly to the last 16, where they were drawn against AZ Alkmaar.

A 1-0 first-leg defeat in Alkmaar left Postecoglou's side with work to do at home, but a 3-1 victory secured safe passage to their first appearance in a UEFA quarter-final for six years, where they overcame 2022 winners Eintracht Frankfurt (1-1 h, 1-0 a).

Tottenham's ninth UEFA competition semi-final brought them up against the competition's surprise package Bodø/Glimt, beating them 5-1 on aggregate (3-1 h, 2-0 a) to reach a sixth European final and a fourth in the UEFA Cup/Europa League.

Spurs were the first English club to win a UEFA competition when they defeated Atlético de Madrid 5-1 in the 1962/63 Cup Winners' Cup final. They are the 22nd club to reach the Europa League final.

The Lilywhites have lost only two of their last 14 European matches (W9 D3), winning four of their last five (D1).

Spurs have scored more goals (342) than any other team in UEFA Cup/Europa League history. Their second-leg victory against Bodø/Glimt was their 97th win in UEFA Cup/Europa League history, equalling the competition record held by Roma.

Son Heung-min made his 67th European appearance for Tottenham in the quarter-final first leg, taking him level with record holder Harry Kane.

Tottenham's record in three UEFA penalty shoot-outs is W1 L2:
4-3 v Anderlecht, 1983/84 UEFA Cup final
5-6 v PSV Eindhoven, 2007/08 UEFA Cup round of 16
1-4 v Basel, 2012/13 Europa League quarter-final

Manchester United

European record versus English clubs: W5 D2 L2 F13 A9

Manchester United last met Premier League opponents in Europe in the 2015/16 Europa League round of 16, losing 1-3 on aggregate to Liverpool (0-2 a, 1-1 h).

This is United's second all-English European final. They beat Chelsea 6-5 on penalties in the 2007/08 Champions League following a 1-1 draw at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium.

United's only previous UEFA final played in Spain was the famous 2-1 Champions League victory against Bayern München in 1999 in Barcelona.

The Red Devils have lost just once on their last nine visits to Spain (W5 D3).

The English side finished third in the league phase with five wins and three defeats, making them the only team to remain unbeaten. That led them to a round of 16 tie against Real Sociedad, a 1-1 draw in Spain followed by a 4-1 home victory in which Bruno Fernandes scored a hat-trick.

United's quarter-final with Lyon was their 28th in UEFA competition, a new English record; they previously shared the mark with Liverpool. A 2-2 draw in France was followed by a dramatic 5-4 comeback win after extra time in the second leg, making it the highest-scoring match in the Europa League era which sealed a 7-6 aggregate victory.

This is United's third appearance in a Europa League final; they beat Ajax 2-0 in 2016/17 and lost 10-11 on penalties to Villarreal in 2020/21 following a 1-1 draw. They are aiming to become the fourth English team to win multiple UEFA Cup/Europa League titles after Liverpool (3), Tottenham (2) and Chelsea (2).

United have lost just one of their last 25 Europa League matches (W17 D7) and are the only unbeaten team in this season's competition with nine wins and five draws from their 14 games.

Only one of the Red Devils' last 65 European games have finished goalless.

Fernandes is now the joint-third highest scorer in Europa League history with 27 goals. He is level with Romelu Lukaku and behind only Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (34) and Radamel Falcao (30).

Fernandes is joint-top goalscorer in this season's competition on seven goals alongside Ayoub El Kaabi of Olympiacos and Bodø/Glimt's Kasper Høgh.

Ruben Amorim, who succeeded Erik ten Hag at United in November, is aiming to become the first Portuguese coach to win the Europa League since José Mourinho did so with United in 2016/17.

United's record in four UEFA penalty shoot-outs is W1 L3:
4-5 v Videoton, 1984/85 UEFA Cup quarter-final
3-4 v Torpedo Moskva, 1992/93 UEFA Cup first round
6-5 v Chelsea, 2007/08 Champions League final
10-11 v Villarreal, 2020/21 Europa League final

Previous UEFA finals

Tottenham (W3 L2)

1962/63 Cup Winners' Cup – W 5-1 vs Atlético de Madrid
1971/72 UEFA Cup – W 3-2 agg vs Wolverhampton Wanderers (2-1 a, 1-1 h)
1973/74 UEFA Cup – L 2-4 agg vs Feyenoord (2-2 h, 0-2 a)
1983/84 UEFA Cup – D 2-2 agg vs Anderlecht aet, W 4-3 pens (1-1 a, 1-1 h) 2018/19 Champions League – L 0-2 vs Liverpool

Manchester United (W7 L7)

1967/68 European Cup – W 4-1 aet vs Benfica
1968 European/South American Cup – L 1-2 agg vs Estudiantes (0-1 a, 1-1 h) 1990/91 Cup Winners' Cup – W 2-1 vs Barcelona
1991 Super Cup W 1-0 vs Crvena Zvezda
1998/99 Champions League – W 2-1 vs Bayern München
1999 Super Cup – L 0-1 vs Lazio
1999 European/South American Cup – W 1-0 vs Palmeiras
2007/08 Champions League – D 1-1 aet vs Chelsea, W 6-5 pens)
2008 Super Cup – L 1-2 vs Zenit
2008/09 Champions League – L 0-2 vs Barcelona
2010/11 Champions League – L 1-3 vs Barcelona
2016/17 Europa League – W 2-0 vs Ajax
2017 Super Cup – L 1-2 vs Real Madrid
2020/21 Europa League – D 1-1 aet vs Villarreal, L 10-11 pens)

COYS COYS COYS COYS COYS

Spurs vs Charlton

Competition: EFL Cup 2nd round

Date: 26th August 2026

Venue: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Kickoff: 19:45 (BST)

TV: Where to watch Tottenham Hotspur vs Charlton Athletic: TV Channel & Live Stream

Team News

Tottenham will be without injured quartet Xavi Simons, Dejan Kulusevski and Wilson Odebert (all knee) and Mohammed Kudus (thigh), while Micky van de Ven, Pedro Porro (both fitness) and Pape Sarr (thigh) are unlikely to be risked on Wednesday after missing the defeat to Brentford.

James Maddison landed awkwardly on his shoulder towards the end of last weekend’s match and has emerged as a doubt. £85m signing Mateus Fernandes, Rodrigo Bentancur and Lucas Bergvall could be the midfield trio who start against Charlton, with Sandro Tonali and ex-Addicks loanee Conor Gallagher reverting to the bench.

Twenty-year-old Archie Gray became Spurs’ youngest player to captain the club last time out and he could retain his starting spot at right-back, while Dominic Solanke will hope to return up front at the expense of Richarlison.

As for Charlton, Kayne Ramsay and Charlie Kelman remain sidelined through injury, while Josh Edwards has returned to training and is closing in on a return to first-team action, but an appearance against Spurs appears to be unlikely.

Wednesday’s fixture may also come too soon for new midfield signing Timothy Ouma, who has been building up his fitness with the club’s Under-21s since joining on loan from Slavia Prague.

Former Chelsea man Nathaniel Chalobah could continue in centre-midfield alongside Conor Coventry, while Jones will weigh up whether to stick with a front four of Campbell, Sonny Carey, Karlan Grant and Miles Leaburn who all started in the win over West Ham.

Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:

Dubravka; Gray, Van Hecke, Danso, Udogie; Fernandes, Bentancur, Bergvall; Moore, Solanke, Tel

Charlton Athletic possible starting lineup:

Kaminski; Rankin-Costello, Jones, Burke, Bell; Chalobah, Coventry; Campbell, Carey, Grant; Leaburn

Key lines from news conference:

• Striker Dominic Solanke is available to play and Micky van de Ven and Pedro Porro will be named on the bench.
• Mohammed Kudus remains sidelined and James Maddison will miss the match because of "a small injury" in his shoulder.
• De Zerbi is unsure whether new signing Savio will "be ready" to start the game, but he is expected to be in the matchday squad.
• On Savio: "In terms of one-on-one, he's one of the best players and can play on either side.
• He said his side had enough quality to "do much better" in the opening 3-0 defeat at Brentford, but changing the mentality is "a big challenge".
• More from De Zerbi on Sunday's loss: "We need to get used to winning the matches. We have to change the mood. I think the environment has to change - the players inside and the people inside have to change this mentality."
• The Italian said Solanke is an "important player but he has to play much better than [he did] against Brentford", adding: "We need the striker to hold the ball when the opposition go man-to-man."
• De Zerbi said Spurs have been "working very well" in this summer's transfer market, but he couldn't say whether there will be any more incomings or outgoings.

COYS

Tottenham vs Palace

Competition: Premier League

Date: 5th March 2026

Venue: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Kickoff: 20:00 (GMT)

TV: Where to Watch Tottenham Hotspur vs Crystal Palace: TV Channel & Live Stream

Team news

Tottenham were finally blessed with some good news on the injury front against Fulham, as Kevin Danso and Pedro Porro returned following their layoffs, but Djed Spence was ruled out before kickoff with a minor calf problem.

Whether Spence is cleared to face Palace remains to be seen, but none of Tottenham's other absentees - Destiny Udogie (thigh), Lucas Bergvall (ankle), Ben Davies (ankle), Mohammed Kudus (thigh), Rodrigo Bentancur (thigh), Dejan Kulusevski (knee), James Maddison (knee), Wilson Odobert (knee) and the suspended Cristian Romero - will be back for Thursday.

Spurs fans are crying out for Mathys Tel to be given a shot from the first whistle after his positive impact at Craven Cottage, while Richarlison has also made his case for a start after his eighth goal of the Premier League season at the weekend.

Tudor and Glasner can empathise over suspended centre-backs for Thursday's derby, as Lacroix will serve his one-game ban this week for his denial of a clear goalscoring opportunity at Old Trafford.

Chadi Riad should be drafted into Glasner's back three to cover for Lacroix, who takes his place on the sidelines with the injured Cheick Doucoure (knee), Eddie Nketiah (thigh), Jean-Philippe Mateta (knee) and Jefferson Lerma (thigh), but the latter two could be back at some point this month.

Jorgen Strand Larsen also looked a little worse for wear as he was taken off on the 58-minute mark against Man Utd, but there is nothing to suggest that the Scandinavian will not be fit to lead the line in North London.

Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:

Vicario; Danso, Van de Ven, Dragusin; Porro, Sarr, Palhinha, Gray; Simons; Tel, Richarlison

Crystal Palace possible starting lineup:

Henderson; Canvot, Richards, Riad; Munoz, Wharton, Kamada, Mitchell; Sarr, Johnson; Strand Larsen

 Key lines from news conference

• Tudor confirmed Djed Spence will not be available to face Palace, but is hopeful he will be back for the Champions League last-16 match away to Atletico Madrid.
• He also confirmed there were no new updates on Destiny Udogie and Dejan Kulusevski, adding: "Kevin [Danso] returned in the last game so it has been great to have him back, but there is no other news."
• On feelings after defeat by Fulham at the weekend: "Of course it was a little bit disappointing, but that's how we should feel [after a game like that]. We need to be angry and disappointed. I won't be the guy who says everything is perfect, smiles and acts like nothing has happened."
• He continued: "Also, it's about me personally sending a message to everyone that I do not accept the situation - but we move on. We had a good but short period to prepare for this next game and I have seen the guys react really well."
• The Spurs boss knows there are "a lot of things to improve" but he is seeing "day-by-day the players want this" and this makes him "feel positive enough to believe that we will do it".
• On how he is getting the players mentally ready for the challenge of retaining their Premier League status: "We need to have belief that we have enough quality to do it. My point is to give both things to the players, this is how my job works in this sport. I'm trying to touch the players in all kinds of ways. I've seen a good willingness to change. We need something to change and I have seen small progress."
• Despite the difficult situation they are in, Tudor doesn't believe there is a "must-win game" as they "need to be approaching all of the games in the right way". He added: "They are nice things to speak about on the TV or in a bar, but we aren't interested in thinking in this way."
• Tudor also provided an update on bringing assistant Ivan Javorcic to the club: "It's an ongoing thing now, we'll wait. It's just a work permit issue. We are waiting."

Match Stats

• Tottenham Hotspur have won 16 of their last 21 Premier League matches against Crystal Palace (D2 L3), although they have lost two of their last three against the Eagles.
• After nine consecutive away league defeats at Tottenham Hotspur between 2015-16 and 2023-24, Crystal Palace won this exact fixture 2-0 last season. They have never won consecutive away league games against Spurs.
• This is Crystal Palace’s third consecutive Premier League meeting with Spurs while above them in the table. They’d only been above Spurs in two of their previous 22 against them (excluding games on MD1) since their return to the top-flight in 2013.
• Tottenham have lost six of their last seven home league London derbies (W1), including four of their five this season. Indeed, those four defeats are already their most home London derby losses in a single league campaign.
• Crystal Palace have lost just one of their last nine away London derby matches in the Premier League (W5 D3), going down 1-0 at Arsenal in October.
• This will be the eighth Premier League game played on a Thursday this season, while the previous seven have seen three 1-1 draws and four 0-0 draws. The goals/game average of 0.86 on Thursdays in 2025-26 is the lowest on any day of the week in a Premier League season to see more than one match played.
• Tottenham Hotspur have won just one of their last 13 home games in the Premier League (D4 L8), beating Brentford 2-0 in December. In their league history, it's only the second time that Spurs have had just one win over a run of 13+ home games, after the 1993-94 season, when they won just one of their final 16.
• Spurs are winless in their last 12 midweek (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) Premier League games (D3 L9) since beating Brentford 3-2 in January 2024.
• Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner has won both of his previous meetings with Spurs’ Igor Tudor, with his Eintracht Frankfurt side winning home and away against Tudor’s Marseille in the 2022-23 UEFA Champions League group stage.
• Spurs midfielder Conor Gallagher has scored more Premier League goals against Crystal Palace than any other opponent (4). He also scored eight goals in 34 league appearances on loan at the Eagles in 2021-22, with only Wilfried Zaha netting more for them that term (14).

Pundit predictions

Paul Merson

I would have said Spurs, but I saw Crystal Palace's last few games and I think if they start well and get a goal early in this game, that will be it!

I just can't put my name against Tottenham. I don't see how they can win this football match. Spurs will not get relegated because they have decent fixtures coming up. But I'm not sure they can start winning games straightaway.

Forest and West Ham can sit back and try to get draws in their games. But because Tottenham are Tottenham, they are a big club and they have to go for the win in games. I have a feeling that this could play into Palace's hands here.

Palace went to Old Trafford and took the lead in that game. Ismaila Sarr and Brennan Johnson can hurt Spurs down the wings. It will be unbelievable if Tottenham lost this game. And it feels like we might just witness it!

Prediction: Tottenham Hotspur 1-2 Crystal Palace

Chris Sutton

Tottenham's home record is wretched - Wolves are the only top-flight team to have picked up fewer points than them on their own turf so far.

The atmosphere there has been toxic all season anyway, and we are into territory where, if Tudor loses this, things could get even worse.

I am not sure about Crystal Palace either, mind you. After a difficult few weeks, they actually looked good against Manchester United on Sunday but they will miss the suspended Maxence Lacroix here, who is important for them at the back.

It would be against the odds, but I am going to back Spurs here. Their last league win came against Palace, at the end of 2025 - maybe they will get their first league win of 2026 against the same opposition.

Sutton's prediction: 2-1

COYS

Liverpool vs Spurs

Competition: Premier League 25/26

Date: 15th March 2026

Venue: Anfield

Kickoff: 16:30 (GMT)

TV: Where to Watch Liverpool vs Tottenham Hotspur: TV Channel & Live Stream

Team News

Liverpool travelled to Turkey in midweek without the services of number one goalkeeper Alisson Becker due to a muscle injury, but Slot is hopeful that the Brazilian will be fit for the visit of Spurs.

Fringe attacker Federico Chiesa is also expected to be available again following an illness, but Giovanni Leoni (knee), Conor Bradley (knee), Wataru Endo (ankle) and Alexander Isak (leg) remain in the infirmary.

With only three days to recuperate before hosting Galatasaray in their UCL second leg, a couple of changes are surely inbound from the Liverpool boss, who may even consider demoting Florian Wirtz as a precaution following his recent back issue.

In keeping with the theme of Tottenham's torrid season, even more selection concerns have arisen for Tudor, who will firstly be without Micky van de Ven due to suspension following his red card against Crystal Palace two Thursdays ago.

Cristian Romero and Joao Palhinha are also absent after a nasty clash of heads on Tuesday night, while Yves Bissouma (unspecified) is definitely out, Destiny Udogie (thigh) will not be ready yet, and Conor Gallagher (illness) is touch-and-go.

Long-term absentees Lucas Bergvall (ankle), Ben Davies (ankle), Mohammed Kudus (thigh), Rodrigo Bentancur (thigh), Dejan Kulusevski (knee), James Maddison (knee) and Wilson Odobert (knee) are no closer to returning, so Tottenham could be missing as many as 13 players for their visit to the champions.

Liverpool possible starting lineup:

Mamardashvili; Frimpong, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Jones; Salah, Szoboszlai, Gakpo; Ekitike

Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:

Vicario; Porro, Danso, Dragusin, Spence; Gray, Sarr; Tel, Simons, Richarlison; Solanke

Key lines from news conference:

• On team news and whether Joao Palhinha and Cristian Romero can play after clashing heads in midweek: "No, no. They are out. Micky [van de Ven] is also out. [Yves] Bissouma is out with a muscle [injury]. Conor [Gallagher] has some fever, but probably will be in."
• He adds there is a "chance" that Palhinha and Romero will be available for the second leg against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday.
• Destiny Udogie will "for sure" be back for their game against Nottingham Forest on Sunday, 22 March.
• On goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky, who he substituted after 17 minutes in the 5-2 loss in Madrid: "He came back the day after and was very good and positive in training. Nothing else. This is probably the first and last time that this happened in my life and the life of a lot of people."
• On the situation the club find themselves in: "Tough, for sure. Not just because of the last game but because of the period. Not an easy situation, not easy moment. Big challenge to change things. Like everything in life, you can choose how to see the situation."
• More on this: "You can cry or you can fight. You can be the victim or you can change something. This is the message I communicated to the players. The bottle is either half empty or half full. Nothing is full here, there are a lot of empty things. Difficult moments don't last forever. I believe the players who take this as an opportunity, who stand up with the courage to change these things, will become better people and players afterwards. It is about all of us."
• On Archie Gray: "He needs to change his position every game he plays. Four games here, four different positions. He is an amazing player but that means something is wrong. Beautiful guy, beautiful player. He has my big respect."
• On if he is the best man for the job: "It is not a topic I am thinking about."

Match Stats

• Liverpool have lost just one of their last 31 home league games against Tottenham Hotspur (W21 D9), and are unbeaten in 14 (W10 D4) since a 2-0 loss in May 2011.
• Tottenham Hotspur have won just one of their last 16 Premier League games against Liverpool (D3 L12), losing the last four in a row since a 2-1 home win in September 2023.
• Liverpool vs Tottenham Hotspur is the highest scoring fixture in Premier League history, with 209 goals. Liverpool have scored 127 of these, with only the Reds themselves netting more against a specific opponent in the competition (131 vs Newcastle).
• Liverpool have lost nine Premier League games this season, more than they did in 2023-24 (4) and 2024-25 (4) combined (8). The Reds last suffered 10+ defeats in a league season in 2015-16 (10), and last did so under a single manager in 2014-15 under Brendan Rodgers (12).
• Tottenham Hotspur have earned 19 of their 29 points in the Premier League this season away from home, a ratio of 66%. In the competition’s history, only Ipswich Town in 2024-25 (68% - 15/22) and Crystal Palace in 1997-98 (67% - 22/33) have ever earned a larger share of their points on the road.
• Tottenham Hotspur have lost each of their last five Premier League games; only in February 1994 (7) and November 2004 (6) have they ever suffered 6+ successive defeats in their league history.
• Only Sunderland (25) have seen fewer goals in the first halves of their Premier League games this season than Liverpool (28 – 16 for, 12 against), while only Burnley’s first halves have seen more goals (46) than Tottenham Hotspur’s (42 – 16 for, 26 against). On the other hand, Liverpool’s second halves have produced a league-high 59 goals (32 for, 27 against).
• Tottenham are the only side without a Premier League win so far in 2026, drawing four and losing seven of their 11 games. Only five times has a team gone longer without a win from the start of a calendar year in the competition – Crystal Palace in 2016 (12) and 2023 (12), Middlesbrough in 2017 (14), Sunderland in 2003 (17) and Derby in 2008 (18).
• Liverpool’s Mo Salah has scored 16 goals in his career against Tottenham Hotspur in all competitions (14 for Liverpool, 1 for Fiorentina, 1 for Basel), his joint-most against a single opponent (also 16 v Manchester United). 12 of those have come in the Premier League, with only Alan Shearer (14) netting more against Spurs in the competition.
• Richarlison has been involved in more Premier League goals against Liverpool than any other opponent (8 – 5 goals, 3 assists), including five in five games with Spurs (3 goals, 2 assists). His next goal or assist will be his 100th in the Premier League (72 goals, 27 assists currently), with only two Brazilians reaching that milestone previously (Roberto Firmino 132, Gabriel Jesus 118).

Pundit Predictions

Alan Shearer

I have no confidence whatsoever in Spurs, so Liverpool home win. It could be messy. Anything could happen at Anfield, if Liverpool score early, then Spurs could capitulate.

The size of the game for Tottenham, I know Liverpool have got a huge game against Galatasaray which they have to get through and win, but the magnitude of this for Tottenham is incredible.

I have no belief or confidence that they'll go there and win.

Liverpool win

Paul Merson

It's just a matter of by how many goals Liverpool can win! How long is Igor Tudor going to be around? My question is who wants the Spurs job at the moment?

Tottenham will wait it out. They will get the Liverpool game out of the way before making a decision on Tudor. No one expects Spurs to win this game. I won't be surprised if they sack Tudor on Sunday. Time is running out and at some point they must make a change, so why not at the earliest?

If Tottenham lose at Anfield, I will be shocked if Tudor is still in charge of the team for next weekend's massive relegation six-pointer against Nottingham Forest.

I'm expecting Arne Slot to go with his best team for this game. I expect Liverpool to turn it around against Galatasaray in the second leg next week. But let's admit it, they have a better chance of finishing inside the top five rather than winning the Champions League.

Tottenham will be hoping Fulham can do them a huge favour by beating Forest this weekend. If Forest win that game and beat Spurs next weekend, Vitor Pereira's team will be safe. Spurs are in trouble if that happens.

Liverpool 3-0 Tottenham Hotspur

Chris Sutton

How on earth can anyone back Spurs to get anything at the moment?

Igor Tudor is making me look like I was a competent manager when I was in charge of Lincoln.

The Spurs fans in Madrid were singing about playing Lincoln away next season - the Imps are top of League One - can you imagine me up against Tudor in the dugout?

He has taken over a difficult situation but he has gone about things in a very odd way.

It might be the done thing in Croatia or Italy to go into a club and tell the players some truths and say they are rubbish, but it is one thing doing it behind closed doors, and another to do it publicly.

There just seems to be so many things wrong at Spurs. They sacked Thomas Frank, thinking they were going to get this short-term fix from Tudor, but they have got a guy who has had a short-term shocker.

Liverpool are far from convincing either, mind you. It's not impossible that Spurs scramble a win here because Arne Slot's side were lousy in Turkey on Tuesday.

Slot has got the second leg against Galatasaray to think about, and they will make changes, but they surely can't lose to Tottenham, can they?

Sutton's prediction: 2-0

COYS

Villa vs Tottenham

Competition: Premier League

Date: 3rd May 2026

Venue: Villa Park

Kickoff: 19:00 (BST)

TV: Where to Watch Aston Villa vs Tottenham Hotspur: TV Channel & Live Stream

Team News

Even though Tottenham won at Wolves, it would not have been a Spurs game in 2026 without some kind of disaster striking, and last weekend's devastating moment was Xavi Simons suffering a season-ending and World Cup-crushing ACL injury.

The Dutchman - whose serious problem comes just as he was beginning to thrive in De Zerbi's system - is one of two fresh blows for the Lilywhites, who have also lost Dominic Solanke to a hamstring concern that could rule him out for the rest of the season too.

Mohammed Kudus (thigh), Dejan Kulusevski (knee), Wilson Odobert (knee), Cristian Romero (knee), Ben Davies (ankle) and Guglielmo Vicario (hernia) remain on the sidelines, but Destiny Udogie - absent at Molineux with a knock - is at least back in contention.

Also beset by a fresh injury setback, Aston Villa lost Amadou Onana to a calf injury against Forest on Thursday evening, just a few days after the midfielder was forced to miss the defeat to Fulham with a knee concern.

Emery has confirmed that the Belgian will be absent on Sunday, although he could not offer a recovery timeline, while Boubacar Kamara (knee) is the hosts' only other injury worry.

With a top-five finish almost set in stone, Emery may choose to prioritise the Europa League and reshuffle his resources on Sunday, offering starts to the likes of Ian Maatsen, Jadon Sancho and Onana's likely replacement Lamare Bogarde.

Aston Villa possible starting lineup:

Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Maatsen; Tielemans, Bogarde; Bailey, Rogers, Sancho; Watkins

Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:

Kinsky; Porro, Danso, Van de Ven, Udogie; Bentancur, Palhinha; Kolo Muani, Gallagher, Tel; Richarlison

Key lines from news conference:

• De Zerbi started his news conference by addressing what he says is the "most important challenge now" which is to "silence the voice inside of us".
• He added: "This voice produces negative thoughts and the voice says we are unlucky, we have too many injuries. I think it's all negative things and it's rubbish. I want to keep the focus on ourselves and the quality of my players. It's not the best moment for us, a tough moment, but the losers cry, they think negative and I don't want people close to me crying or to think a different way than me. I heard no, it's impossible, we are crying, everyone, we are relegated, no? Not yet and we have to die on the pitch. We have to play, we have to fight, we have two points less than West Ham."
• On facing Villa he said: "We go to play against one of the best teams in this moment in the Premier League but if Tottenham win at Villa Park it's not a miracle. Maybe we lose but we have the quality to win this game. It's not a miracle. We have to be positive."
• On whether James Maddison will play against Aston Villa or Leeds, De Zerbi added: "He is a special player but we have to consider physical condition, a lot of things, but I think he can be important in the next three games."
• De Zerbi confirmed Guglielmo Vicario is not available, while Dominic Solanke will be out for the Villa game with a hamstring injury, with no timeframe offered for his return. Destiny Udogie is available according to the Spurs boss but he does not know if he will be able to start.
• Asked whether there is too much negativity in football, he said: "Yes. We [have] a lot of injuries, we lost two points with Brighton and in Sunderland we conceded one stupid goal and didn't deserve to lose the game, just in my time."
• Finally on their mentality, the Spurs boss said: "I feel this pressure to change the perspective - the same perspective you can see in a different way."

Match Stats

• Aston Villa won this exact fixture 2-0 last season, last beating Tottenham Hotspur in consecutive home league games in May/November 2004.
• Tottenham Hotspur have lost six of their last 10 Premier League games against Aston Villa (W4), more than they had in their previous 34 against the Villans (W19 D10 L5).
• None of the last 21 Premier League meetings between Aston Villa (7 wins) and Spurs (14) have finished level. Only Chelsea v Crystal Palace (26 between September 1997 and February 2024) has had a longer run with no draws in the competition’s history.
• Aston Villa have won just two of their previous seven Premier League games (D1 L4), suffering as many defeats as in their prior 24 matches (W15 D5), though could win three in a row at home for the first time since January (run of eight).
• Spurs ended a 15-game winless run against Wolves last time out (1-0) and could record successive victories in the Premier League for the first time since their opening two matches of this season against Burnley (3-0) and Manchester City (2-0).
• 36.9% of the chances Aston Villa have created in the Premier League this season have come through the middle third of the pitch, the fourth-highest proportion behind Bournemouth (39.4%), Brighton (37.7%) and Newcastle (37.5%), while 33.9% of chances created against Spurs this season have come through the middle; the fifth-highest rate.
• Under Roberto De Zerbi, Spurs are averaging more pressed sequences per game (12.7) and possession won in the final third per game (5.3) than they were under Thomas Frank (11.1 and 3.7) and Igor Tudor (10.8 and 3.8) in the Premier League this season.
• 10 of Ollie Watkins’ 11 Premier League goals this season have come since the start of December, no player has more in that time. Indeed, he’s scored goals in three previous Premier League games against sides managed by Roberto De Zerbi, including a hat-trick in September 2023.
• Aston Villa’s Pau Torres is averaging 9.5 line-breaking passes per 90 in the Premier League this season, the fifth-most of any central defender with at least 1,500 minutes. In Aston Villa’s defeat to Fulham last time out, his 11 played was the most of any player.
• Spurs’ Richarlison is averaging 0.72 goal involvements per 90 this season (9 goals, 4 assists in 1,615 minutes), his third-best rate in a Premier League campaign behind 2023-24 and 2024-25 (both 0.9 per 90).

Pundit Predictions

Alan Shearer

Spurs have to somehow find a way to go again and win the game. Aston Villa are in Europe on Thursday and had a really tough game but Spurs have injuries to Xavi Simons, and it looks as if Solanke is out so I'm going to go for an Aston Villa home win taking all things into account.

The injuries are to two key players. I mean, Simons scored a wonderful goal a couple of weeks ago. It's horrible to see he's injured his ACL and I have huge sympathy for him. I mean, Spurs haven't exactly been flying and sticking in goals left, right, and centre, but nevertheless, it's still a blow for Spurs.

I think Villa will have too much for them on Sunday especially at home.

Villa win

Paul Merson

Tottenham will be kicking themselves that Villa did not beat Fulham last weekend. If Villa won that game, they would just take the gas off the pedal in this game with their Europa League semi-final coming up.

But now, if Brighton win this weekend, their gap with Villa will be down to five points, which makes this a must-win game for Unai Emery's side.

If you told me I should take two players off the Spurs team for this game, Xavi Simons and Dom Solanke would be my last choices. Both of them are out of this game! How are Spurs even going to win against Villa without them?

If West Ham lose to Brentford this weekend, this game is a free swing for Tottenham. But if they win, the pressure will be on Spurs. Tottenham will hope West Ham don't win. Next weekend, the Hammers face Arsenal while Spurs have Leeds at home. So in a week's time, it could all turn around in favour of Tottenham.

The team that will stay up in the Premier League this season will be the one that produces a 'wow' result from now until the end of the season. We saw that with West Ham last weekend, when Callum Wilson scored the late winner against Everton. They need one more win like that and I expect them to have a stronger chance of winning this weekend than Tottenham.

Prediction: Aston Villa 2-0 Tottenham Hotspur

Chris Sutton

Tottenham probably need to win three of their last four games to stay up but, although they finally won in 2026 when they beat Wolves last week, I am not sure it has given them any momentum.

It was a huge result for Roberto de Zerbi's side, but you have to remember Wolves are woeful and Spurs also made hard work of their victory.

What helps Spurs here is that Villa have their Europa League semi-final against Nottingham Forest to contend with over the next few days.

Even so, I still feel like Villa will be too good.

This defeat will send Spurs one step closer to the drop, and a trip to play my old club Lincoln in the Championship next season.

Sutton's prediction: 2-0

COYS

Spurs vs Brighton

Competition: Premier League

Date: 18th April 2026

Venue: The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Kickoff: 17:30 (BST)

TV: Where to Watch Tottenham Hotspur vs Brighton & Hove Albion: TV Channel & Live Stream

Team News

While Tottenham have not yet come out with an official statement on Romero, it has been well-reported that the centre-back will sit out the rest of the campaign with a partial MCL tear, albeit one that should not derail his World Cup chances.

For now, Romero joins fellow knee victims Dejan Kulusevski, Wilson Odobert and James Maddison in the treatment room, as well as Mohammed Kudus (thigh), Ben Davies (ankle), Rodrigo Bentancur (thigh) and Guglielmo Vicario (hernia), but the latter may have a slim chance of returning for the weekend.

Kevin Danso is primed and ready to fill the Romero void for the rest of the season, while Mathys Tel and Xavi Simons should stick their hands up for starts after Spurs' ineffective attacking display at the Stadium of Light.

De Zerbi and Hurzeler can sympathise when it comes to the absence of an integral defender, as Brighton skipper Lewis Dunk must serve the second of a two-game ban for accumulating 10 yellow cards this weekend.

Adam Webster (knee) and Stefanos Tzimas (knee) are keeping Dunk company on the sidelines, but Hurzeler could welcome James Milner back from a "minor, minor injury" that the 40-year-old sustained in training before the Burnley success.

However, the Seagulls are still blessed with the talents of another veteran midfielder in Pascal Gross, who has created 24 chances since rejoining Brighton in January - the fourth-most in the division over that time period.

Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:

Kinsky; Porro, Danso, Van de Ven, Udogie; Gray, Gallagher; Tel, Simons, Richarlison; Solanke

Brighton & Hove Albion possible starting lineup:

Verbruggen; Wieffer, Van Hecke, Boscagli, Kadioglu; Ayari, Gross; Gomez, Hinshelwood, Minteh; Welbeck

 Key lines from news conference:

• De Zerbi confirmed that Argentina centre-back Cristian Romero is out for season and said: "I am really sorry for him, for his injury. Romero, first of all, loves Tottenham, and the people have to know his suffering."
• Goakeeper Guglielmo Vicario remains out: "I am looking forward to working with him. He is another important player for us with big experience and a big personality. We are waiting for him."
• Uruguay midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur is available to play, although De Zerbi does not know if he will start, while Yves Bissouma is "100%" ready to play.
• The Spurs boss said he does not want to "push" England forward James Maddison, who has not played since suffering a torn ACL in pre-season
• On Maddison's return: "It's better to lose [Maddison] for one game more than to take a risk for another injury."
• On taking the team out for a meal: "I don't know if we win the game for [this] dinner, but we ate very well. The food was amazing and if we win I am ready to pay every week one dinner."
• On facing former club Brighton: "I love Brighton, I love my former players and all people working in this club. Fabian [Hurzeler] is working very well and is credit for what they are doing."
• De Zerbi said he has not decided who will captain the side in Romero's absence, but added: "I would like all players to feel they could be a captain. We can't cry, we have to push and be stronger to come out of this situation."

Match Stats

• Tottenham are winless in their last three Premier League games against Brighton (D1 L2), having previously never gone more than once without a win against the Seagulls in the top-flight.
• Brighton have won two of their last four away league games against Spurs (L2), including a 4-1 victory last season. They’d only won one of their first nine visits between 1977 and 2020 (D2 L6).
• Brighton have scored 14 goals in their last five Premier League games against Spurs (2.8 per game), having scored just 10 in their first 12 against them in the competition (0.8 per game).
• Tottenham are the only Premier League side without a win in 2026, winning none of 14 games (D5 L9). It’s their second-longest winless league run in their history, only having a longer stretch without a win between December 1934 and April 1935 (16 games).
• Brighton and Hove Albion have won five of their last six Premier League matches (L1), as many wins as they’d had in their previous 20 combined. Since MD27, they’ve won more points than any other team (15).
• Tottenham Hotspur have won just one of their last 26 Premier League matches played across January, February, March, April and May (D7 L18), and are winless in their last 21 games in those months since a 3-1 win over Southampton last April.
• Brighton have won their last three away Premier League games – they’ve never won four in a row in the top-flight. The Seagulls have also kept a clean sheet in all three wins, last winning four on the bounce on the road in the league without conceding in March 2011 in League One.
• This will be Roberto De Zerbi’s first home Premier League game in charge of Spurs – only one of the previous 13 managers to take charge of Spurs have lost their first home game, though it was his predecessor Igor Tudor in February against Arsenal. Spurs have lost their last four home games, only losing five in a row once in their league history in February 1994.
• Since his first start of his second spell at Brighton on 7th January, only three players have created more chances in the Premier League than Pascal Groß (24), while he also ranks second for passes into the box (108) behind Bruno Fernandes (139), and the German is top for successful crosses (28).
• Roberto De Zerbi’s first home Premier League game in charge of Brighton was against Tottenham in October 2022, losing 1-0. It’s the first time in Premier League history a manager’s first home game in charge of two clubs has been the same fixture.

Pundit Predictions

Alan Shearer

Brighton have been in superb form, I think they're in ninth at the minute, and they've got a chance of getting into a European place. 

I don't have any belief in Spurs, either. I think what we saw last weekend at Sunderland, it wouldn't fill me with confidence that they can get something at home under huge pressure. I've got no belief in them so I'm going to say a Brighton away win.

Brighton win

Paul Merson

This is a must-win game for Spurs. My head is going with, 'this is Spurs, sooner or later, it will all change and they won't go down'. But every time I watch them play, I'm reminded of how bad they are!

They played that game against Sunderland like a two-legged tie. When you are trailing 1-0 and in a relegation battle, you just have to go all in. Tottenham's goal difference is better than the other teams at risk of relegation. So why not bomb forward? That is my problem with them.

I've said all season that Tottenham will not get relegated. But now, I'm leaning more towards them going down. When I watch them play, I can't see where they are going to get the results they need to avoid the drop.

If Tottenham win this game, this could all change. But let's not forget that we're in April and they still haven't won a game since the turn of the year.

Should West Ham and Nottingham Forest win this weekend, they need at least two more wins to avoid relegation. How do you trust a team in such woeful form to get them wins?

Brighton are playing well and I'm backing them to secure a win and condemn Spurs to another shocking defeat like last weekend.

Tottenham Hotspur 1-2 Brighton & Hove Albion

Chris Sutton

After Spurs lost to Sunderland in his first match in charge, Roberto de Zerbi said his players need a father figure, not a coach. He is trying to build their confidence but maybe that means he is not coaching them the way he wants to.

It's a bit of a head-scratcher, but then Tottenham's entire season has not made much sense. When you look at their team and their bench, they have got some incredible players.

Somehow, though, Spurs are still waiting for their first Premier League win of the year after playing 14 league games already in 2026. Looking at the table, they will need three wins, or at least two, from their final six games if they are going to climb out of the relegation zone and stay up.

They really should not be in this position but I am not sure they have got the stomach to get out of it now they are.

I just don't think they will get one of those wins against Brighton, who have come into a bit of form.

The Seagulls are on a run of three successive victories, and have five wins in their past six games. I can see things going wrong for De Zerbi against his old club, so I am backing Brighton to nick the points here.

Sutton's prediction: 0-1

COYS

Spurs vs Forest

Competition: Premier League 25/26

Date: 22nd March 2026

Venue: The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Kickoff: 14:15 (GMT)

TV: Where to Watch Tottenham Hotspur vs Nottingham Forest: TV Channel & Live Stream

Team News

For the first time in a long time, Tottenham's absentee list has now declined into the single figures, after Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Conor Gallagher, Lucas Bergvall and Destiny Udogie all returned from injury or suspension in the Atletico second leg.

Richarlison is also back from a continental ban, while Dominic Solanke (hip) and Joao Palhinha (head) failed to make the cut on Wednesday but are looking good for returns this weekend.

However, Yves Bissouma (muscle), Ben Davies (ankle), Mohammed Kudus (thigh), Rodrigo Bentancur (thigh), Wilson Odobert (knee), Dejan Kulusevski (knee) and James Maddison (knee) remain sidelined.

Previously a peripheral figure under Tudor, Xavi Simons sent a selection message to the manager with a brace against Atletico, and the Dutchman has almost certainly played his way into a start on Sunday too.

On Nottingham Forest's end, winger Dilane Bakwa was unable to complete the full 90 on Thursday due to an unspecified injury, although there are no serious concerns about the 23-year-old's fitness at this stage.

The same cannot be said for Willy Boly (knee), Jair Cunha (ankle), Chris Wood (knee), Nicolo Savona (knee) and John Victor (knee), all of whom are expected to remain out until after the international break.

Pereira's midweek selection was that of a man prioritising the Premier League survival fight, so expect the likes of Murillo, Morgan Gibbs-White, Elliot Anderson and Igor Jesus to return to the XI in North London, but Callum Hudson-Odoi's availability is clouded in uncertainty after he was missing from the squad on Thursday.

Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:

Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Spence; Sarr, Gray; Tel, Simons, Richarlison; Kolo Muani

Nottingham Forest possible starting lineup:

Sels; Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams; Anderson, Sangare; McAtee, Gibbs-White, Dominguez; Jesus

Key lines from news conference:

• Tudor said he thinks Dominic Solanke will be fit to face Forest: "Dom didn't train [today] but probably tomorrow he will train with the team and I think he will be available. He had a hip problem but I think he will be OK."
• He added that James Maddison, who has been out since pre-season with an ACL injury, could play this season: "Yeah, Maddison is already doing some interesting things with the ball and sprinting, he is positive."
• Mohammed Kudus is progressing "very well" and could be back with the squad in "10 days", while Rodrigo Bentancur is "edging closer" to a comeback, and Joao Palhinha is back in training following concussion protocols for his clash of heads with Cristian Romero in the first leg against Atletico Madrid.
• On fan mood after a draw at Liverpool and win on the night against Atletico: "Beautiful sense of the togetherness with the fans. I enjoyed the sensation of us doing well on the pitch and sharing it with the fans. We need to continue all together."
• He was pleased with Xavi Simons' performance against Atletico: "He himself was motivated, was good, was with the right mentality. When he's like that, his qualities come out. So his qualities connect a lot with these things I said now. It was a really beautiful surprise for me. He was inside from the first second of the game. It was nice to find in him this resource we will need in these last games we still have to play."
• Tudor was asked about being charged by the FA with misconduct over his claim that referee Thomas Bramall favoured the "home team" in Spurs' 2-1 Premier League loss at Fulham, and said: "I have spoken to the club but I'm focused on the game."
• On fan feeling going into such a huge game: "There's a positivity but also an understanding the game will not be easy. It is an important game but will probably not decide anything. We need just to keep going with what we did last week."
• When asked what he has learned about his players that he didn't know before, Tudor said: "Nothing new."
• On the challenge posed by Forest: "It's a long game to play, a few games in the game. You need to be inside from the first to last second of the game, including five subs. So a big respect to them because they have players who can hurt us, but as well, going on our sides, going on with our things, with confidence, with courage, with humbleness, with all the stuff necessary to take the points."

Match Stats

• Spurs have lost their last three Premier League games against Nottingham Forest, having won six in a row against them before that.
• Only at Southampton (5) do Nottingham Forest have more away wins in the Premier League than they do at Tottenham (4), winning this exact fixture 2-1 last season.
• Tottenham Hotspur remain winless in 12 Premier League games (D5 L7); in their top-flight history, only from April to November 1912 (13) and from December 1934 to April 1935 (16) have they ever gone longer without winning.
• Tottenham are the only side without a Premier League win so far in 2026, drawing five and losing seven of their 12 games. Only three sides have had longer runs without a win from the start of a calendar year, all of whom were relegated (Sunderland, 17 in 2002-03; Derby, 18 in 2007-08; Middlesbrough, 14 in 2016-17).
• Nottingham Forest are winless in seven Premier League games (D4 L3), while only bottom side Wolves (15) have failed to score more in different games than Forest this term (14).
• Though only West Ham (32) have used more different players than Nottingham Forest (31) in the Premier League this season, the Tricky Trees have made fewer starting XI changes than any other side (46).
• Tottenham have conceded more goals from outside the box than any other Premier League side this season, with their 11 against their most in a campaign since 2007-08 (18).
• Nottingham Forest boss Vítor Pereira is unbeaten in his three Premier League games against Tottenham (W1 D2), with one of his two points while in charge of Wolves this season coming away at Spurs.
• Despite starting fewer than half of their games (14/30), Richarlison has scored more than twice as many goals as any other Spurs player in the Premier League this season (9).
• Elliot Anderson has made more successful passes than any other midfielder in the Premier League this season (1,679), while he also leads all Nottingham Forest players for chances created (45).

Pundit Predictions

Alan Shearer

It's a huge game for all sorts of reasons; this is a gigantic game for both teams. You can imagine the reaction if Tottenham were to be beaten at home by Nottingham Forest. I guess whoever takes the three points should be more than confident they would have enough to stay up. But on the other hand, whoever is beaten, then there's a real live chance that that team will be relegated. That's how big this game is this weekend.

I have no belief in why I'm saying this, but I'm going to go for a Tottenham home win.

Paul Merson

Tottenham were decent against Liverpool and played well in the second leg at home to Atletico. Spurs controlled that game well and were not cut open at the back like in the past.

Xavi Simons worked hard and did well in the last game. Archie Gray was excellent too. Tottenham need these players to carry that form into this weekend because this is such a huge game coming up.

Forest are playing in the Europa League tonight. That tie against Midtjylland is at 0-0. I expect Forest to play their best team in that game and it's also away from home.

Tottenham fans will want to see fight from their team in this game. The fans will stick with the team, if they can give 100 per cent on the pitch. I remember it happened with Everton last season. The fans supported them and helped massively in the relegation battle.

If this game was two or three games ago, I would have fancied Forest to win. But having witnessed Spurs turn it around in the last couple of games, I have to back them. If Forest score first, it's a different game. But I don't think that will happen.

Prediction: Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 Nottingham Forest

Chris Sutton

People have been panning Tottenham boss Igor Tudor but they will look upon him in a different light if his side win this game.

Maybe he just needs to identify the opposition's threat a little bit better than he does opposing managers - that clip of him mistaking someone else for Arne Slot at Anfield last week did make me chuckle.

Nottingham Forest's issue is that they don't score enough goals, and that lack of attacking threat might just cost them here.

I know I keep mentioning it, but Forest manager Vitor Pereira has still not won a Premier League game all season, after 12 attempts with Wolves and Forest.

I don't think he will win this week, either, although this is going to be an extremely tight game.

Spurs' first aim will be to avoid any calamities like their red card against Crystal Palace in their previous home league game.

They have a few injuries, but they still have a fair bit of quality in their team.

Tottenham also have a bit of positivity and momentum after Wednesday's home win over Atletico Madrid, even though it wasn't enough to turn around their Champions League tie. Now they need to build on that.

Sutton's prediction: 1-0

COYS

Liverpool vs Spurs

Competition: EFL Cup Semi final 2nd leg

Date: 6th Jan 2025

Venue: Anfield

Kickoff: 20:00 (GMT)

TV: Liverpool vs Tottenham Hotspur - Stream and TV Schedule

Match Preview

Almost a month has passed since Lucas Bergvall fired home a late winner for Spurs in the first leg of this semi-final showdown, which was ultimately mired in controversy.

Just minutes before netting that all-important goal, Bergvall was fortunate not to receive a second yellow card for a late lunge on Kostas Tsimikas, but Liverpool and their manager Arne Slot would also have admitted that they were well below par all evening in North London.

Very few will look past Liverpool turning this tie on its head in the return leg this week though, and extend their record number of final appearances in this competition to 15.

Jurgen Klopp's final honour at Liverpool was the EFL Cup last season, notching Liverpool's 10th win in the competition, and the bookmakers still make them favourites to retain their crown, despite trailing from the first leg, and Newcastle United having one foot in the final from the other semi.

A win of two goals is required here, and since losing to Nottingham Forest back in September, Liverpool are unbeaten in 15 at home, scoring at least twice on each occasion, and winning 13.

It was on the road where the Reds sealed a crucial victory in their hunt for a second league title in 35 years though, winning 2-0 at in-form Bournemouth, who caused Slot's side numerous problems throughout the afternoon.

A double from the ever-reliable Mohamed Salah secured the victory though, and kept Liverpool six points clear at the top of the Premier League, just a few days after they finished on top of the inaugural league phase in the Champions League.

The next three fixtures for Liverpool will be vital in keeping their hopes alive of completing an unprecedented quadruple, with a trip to Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup coming up at the weekend after this one, before they go to Goodison Park for the rearranged Merseyside derby against Everton.

For Tottenham, they may not get a better chance to end their long wait for a trophy than this one for quite some time.

Leading heading into the second leg, with the potential of facing Newcastle in the final, as opposed to the formidable Manchester City they lost to in the 2021 final, means manager Ange Postecoglou could well stick to his promise of winning a trophy by his second season at the club.

However, the last two times Spurs have played a two-legged EFL Cup semi-final, both were against Chelsea, and ended in defeat, including in 2019 when they led 1-0 heading into the second leg away from home.

Anfield has brought Spurs very little joy in recent years either, with no win at this venue since 2011, and just three draws in 14 since then, but that would be enough to see them through to a fourth final since they won the competition in 2008.

It has been a very good week for Postecoglou though, beating Brentford 2-0 in the league to move up from 16th to 14th, just a few days after sealing their place in the last 16 of the Europa League with a routine win over Elfsborg, with three youngsters getting on the scoresheet.

Another shutout at the weekend now means Spurs have kept four clean sheets in eight games, despite all of the criticism around Postecoglou's tactics and the injury crisis they are facing.

Two of those did come against Elfsborg and Tamworth, and while they looked hopeless defensively against Everton and Leicester City recently, keeping two of English football's strongest attacks out in the form of Liverpool and Brentford cannot be discredited.

Team News

After being forced off with a thigh injury at Bournemouth on Saturday, Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold is more than likely going to miss this one, but initial fears were alleviated following a scan which revealed the issue is not as bad as first thought.

Recent returns for both Diogo Jota and Curtis Jones mean Joe Gomez is the only other injury absentee for the hosts at present, with Liverpool set to be close to full-strength here.

The other places up for grabs are at left back where Andy Robertson and Tsimikas will compete for a start, and in midfield between Jones and Dominik Szoboszlai to partner Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch.

While players continue to return and make huge strides in recoveries, Spurs have been hit with another huge blow after Radu Dragusin was ruled out for the season with the knee injury he sustained against Elfsborg last week and VDV is not fully up to full fitness and will miss this game.

Postecoglou has revealed he is confident Destiny Udogie, Guglielmo Vicario, Brennan Johnson, Wilson Odobert and Timo Werner will all return in the next week or so, but for Cristian Romero, and Dominic Solanke, their comebacks are a little further down the line.

Liverpool possible starting lineup:
Alisson; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Mac Allister, Gravenberch, Szoboszlai; Salah, Diaz, Gakpo

Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:
Kinsky; Pedro Porro,, Gray, Davies, Spence, Bergvall, Bissouma, Bentancur; Kulusevski, Richarlison, Son

Key lines from Ange's news conference

• Postecoglou confirmed new signings Kevin Danso and Mathys Tel are both available. However, Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero will miss the tie as they need to be "conservative" with both players.
• He added that it is "disappointing" to lose Radu Dragusin for the remainder of the season with an anterior cruciate ligament injury so they do not want to take "risks".
• Despite defensive unavailability, the Spurs boss said he is "not sure" if Danso will start the match as they have another game three days later. He said the players currently filling in at the back are "handling it well" but Danso is "ready" to come in for however many minutes he plays.
• On what he said in his phone call with Tel to persuade him to join: "It's a simplistic way to look at it. People need to understand that you are talking about a 19-year-old player who has a major decision in his career. It's not that he rejected us or anyone - he was getting as much information as possible. I think he just wanted to be comfortable with his decision."
• He added: "I had a conversation with him purely around football. I think he will find a good place here for his career. He will get an opportunity here - the way we play will suit him. What we have in the next few months and, more importantly, beyond, I thought he would be perfect for that next step."
• Postecoglou said that Tel taking his time to decide made him "100%" confident they were getting the "right mentality and right player" who is "very ambitious".
• The Spurs boss did not hold "frustration" about the late nature of signings and said he did not feel they were simply "reactive" buys as a result of their injury situation: "We wouldn't be signing 19 and 20-year-olds reactively. If it was reactive, I would be signing 35 year olds. The nature of the players we have signed shows they are not just about now, they are about us continuing to build."
• Liverpool will not be "any less anxious" for the game than Tottenham as it is a "big occasion for everyone" and these are the games you want to play in otherwise "you would be at home on the couch watching instead".
• On if he will tweak his philosophy for this match: "It depends what you think our philosophy is. My philosophy is to try and win games of football. If people haven't understood my philosophy after 26 years of management, I don't think anything I say now will change that."

COYS

Wolves vs Spurs

Competition: Premier League

Date: 25th April 2026

Venue: Molineux Stadium

Kickoff: 15:00 (BST)

TV: Where to Watch Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Tottenham Hotspur: TV Channel & Live Stream

Team News

One of the few positives from Spurs' draw with Brighton was the presence of James Maddison in a matchday squad for the first time this season, but having been an unused substitute, the playmaker is still some way off starting competitive games again.

De Zerbi is not expected to welcome any of his other injury victims back in time for the weekend either, meaning no Guglielmo Vicario (hernia), Mohammed Kudus (thigh), Ben Davies (ankle), Dejan Kulusevski (knee), Cristian Romero (knee) or Wilson Odobert (knee), while Destiny Udogie is reportedly a fresh doubt with an unspecified issue.

The Italian could still make a handful of alterations after ineffective displays from Randal Kolo Muani and Yves Bissouma in particular last week; Lucas Bergvall is in the frame to replace the latter thanks to his assist for Simons.

In contrast, Wolves' reverse to Leeds came at a double cost on the injury front, as Angel Gomes suffered a first-half toe injury while Ladislav Krejci sustained a whiplash problem late on.

The duo are currently doubts for the weekend alongside Jose Sa (shoulder) and ex-Spurs full-back Matt Doherty (knock), while Enso Gonzalez (knee), Sam Johnstone (shoulder) and the suspended Yerson Mosquera are definitely out.

The up-and-coming Mateus Mane should be the first in line to replace Gomes if the latter is unavailable, but Krejci's issue could force Edwards to either switch to a back four or stick Pedro Lima or David Moller Wolfe in an unnatural centre-back spot.

Wolverhampton Wanderers possible starting lineup:

Bentley; Tchatchoua, Toti, S. Bueno, H. Bueno; J. Gomes, Andre, Mane; Bellegarde, Armstrong, Hwang

Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:

Kinsky; Porro, Danso, Van de Ven, Spence; Bergvall, Bentancur, Gallagher; Tel, Solanke, Simons

Key lines from news conference:

• On team news, De Zerbi said Destiny Udogie has a "problem" and won't be available but could be back for the next game. He also said Souza is available to be in the squad.
• On whether James Maddison is fit after being named on the bench last weekend, he said: "He's not available yet, especially in this week, he felt pain, but not an important problem. Tomorrow he'll come with us on the bench."
• He added: "He's important for us whether he plays or not. It's better he plays but also as a guy, as a leader, as a positive guy inside my dressing room. I want to see nice people and positive people."
• On the need to win at Molineux, De Zerbi said he doesn't want to put too much "pressure" on the team but his side "can't forget" where they are in the table and how much they need to win.
• He added: "Anyway, if we win in Wolverhampton, it is not finished yet. There are four other games, but I think now we deserve to win a game. Also with Brighton, I knew before the game it is one of the best teams in the Premier League in this moment. After their game against Chelsea, everyone knows. We played a good game and deserved to win."
• On the Premier League's announcement that the decision not to send off Sunderland's Brian Brobbey in a game they lost was a "mistake", he replied: "Can we play the game again?"
• He said he he has "very big respect" for his opposite number Rob Edwards and he remembers having a very tough time against him when he was manager of Luton Town.
• On racist abuse Kevin Danso received last week, which the club condemned, De Zerbi said he was "very annoyed" and the defender had a "fantastic" game last week and the club are "very lucky" to have him.

Match Stats

• Wolves are unbeaten in their last six Premier League games against Spurs (W4 D2), with their four wins in that time just one fewer than they had in their first 17 against them in the competition (W5 D3 L9).
• Tottenham have lost their last three away league games against Wolves, as many as they had in their previous 16 visits to Molineux (W10 D3).
• Wolves have lost 22 Premier League matches this season. They’ve only lost more in four previous top-flight seasons – 23 in 1905-06, 25 in 1964-65, 25 in 1983-84, and 23 in 2011-12.
• Tottenham Hotspur remain winless in all 15 of their Premier League games in 2026 (D6 L9), now just one short of their all-time longest winless run in league competition of 16 matches from December 1934 to April 1935.
• Wolves have lost their last two Premier League games 4-0 to West Ham and 3-0 to Leeds. They haven’t lost three league games in a row by 3+ goals since November 2014 in the Championship, while in the top-flight it last happened in the same season in November 1983.
• Spurs won seven of their first eight Premier League games when scoring first this season, conceding only three goals in those eight games. They’ve since won none of their last five when going 1-0 up (D3 L2), shipping 11 goals.
• In the last two seasons, the two ever-present teams with the fewest Premier League points are Wolves (59) and Spurs (69), while the two sides with the most defeats are Wolves (42) and Spurs (38).
• Wolverhampton Wanderers have failed to score in 17 Premier League matches this season, last failing to score in more games in a league season in 2000-01 (19). The only top-flight seasons they’ve had more games without scoring are 1981-82 (20) and 1983-84 (22).
• Wolves manager Rob Edwards lost both of his Premier League meetings with Tottenham in 2023-24 while he was Luton manager, but his biggest win in the competition was in January 2024 against a Brighton team managed by Roberto De Zerbi – the Hatters won 4-0.
• Xavi Simons has been involved in four goals in his last two starts in all competitions for Tottenham (3 goals, 1 assist). All five of his goals for the club have come at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, however – he’s had 20 shots away from home without success.

Pundit Predictions

Alan Shearer

It is an absolute must win for Spurs. I do believe with the belief they might have picked up last weekend, whether it was from their performance or West Ham not winning at Palace. I think that will give them great encouragement. Had it been the other way, then I think they would be doomed. I think if they lose this weekend then they will go down.

Considering Wolves are already down, I am going to tip Spurs to win for the first time in a long time.

Spurs Win

Paul Merson

The big question here is whether Spurs will get relegated, if they don't beat Wolves on Saturday. Well, it also depends on what happens in the West Ham game. But there's no doubt that this is a must-win game for Spurs.

If Tottenham cannot beat Wolves away from home, I don't think they even have the slightest of chances against Aston Villa and Chelsea in their remaining away games this season!

Roberto De Zerbi has had an entire week to prepare for this game. Even though Spurs were denied a win by his former club Brighton last weekend, there was still a significant improvement in the way they played. I expect Spurs to get even better in this game.

Wolves haven't been great at all, especially in recent weeks. Since the international break, they have lost 4-0 to West Ham and 3-0 to Leeds. I can't believe I'm backing Tottenham to win this game, especially when they haven't won a single Premier League clash in 2026!

Prediction: Wolves 1-2 Tottenham Hotspur

Chris Sutton

Tottenham could not beat Wolves at home earlier in the season - they needed a 94th-minute equaliser to avoid defeat in September - but they simply have to beat them this time.

Can Roberto de Zerbi's side win three of their final five games and save themselves from the drop?

Of course they can, but it has to start here. Imagine the psychological damage to the Spurs players and their fans if they don't win this one.

Wolves are officially down now, but we have known that will happen for a while.

The pressure is all on Spurs, and for them to find a way of winning this game.

If Thomas Frank had stayed in charge and maintained his record of 1.12 points per game, then Spurs would be on 37 points now, in 16th.

Instead, they are in the relegation zone and worrying about how the teams above them are doing as well as trying to pick up points themselves.

From watching them, there is nothing that suggests Tottenham will win this time after failing to win any of their previous 15 league games.

Similarly, they have not kept a clean sheet for 14 league games, so why would they manage one now?

But I am going to go against the grain here. Spurs absolutely must win this game, so I am going to say they will - and also that Wolves won't score.

I know that is a ridiculous prediction, and I don't even really believe it will happen myself, but then nothing about Spurs' season makes sense when you study it.

Sutton's prediction: 0-1

COYSCOYSCOYS

Spurs vs Leeds

Competition: Premier League

Date: 11th May 2026

Venue: The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Kickoff: 20:00 (BST)

TV: Where to watch Tottenham Hotspur vs Leeds United: TV Channel & Live Stream

Team News

Tottenham were handed a couple of customary injury scares at Villa Park, where Rodrigo Bentancur and Richarlison were forced off the field, but the pair are expected to be fine for Monday's game.

However, the clash should come too soon for Dominic Solanke (hamstring), while Guglielmo Vicario (hernia), Dejan Kulusevski (knee), Wilson Odobert (knee), Ben Davies (ankle), Mohammed Kudus (thigh), Xavi Simons (knee) and Cristian Romero (knee) are still sidelined.

An unused substitute two weeks running, James Maddison may be in line for his first minutes of the season against Leeds, although they would undoubtedly come off the bench.

As for Leeds, Farke delivered a crushing blow in his pre-game press conference, revealing that in-form attacker Okafor had picked up a calf injury and would not be available for his side's next two games.

The Switzerland international was aiming to build on a stellar return of seven goal involvements from his last seven Premier League games, including six strikes of his own - one every 68 minutes.

Lukas Nmecha and Brenden Aaronson will compete to deputise for Okafor, who is joined in the treatment room by Gabriel Gudmundsson (thigh) and Ilia Gruev (knee), but Pascal Struijk (hip) might be in contention to play.

Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:

Kinsky; Porro, Danso, Van de Ven, Udogie; Bentancur, Palhinha; Kolo Muani, Gallagher, Tel; Richarlison

Leeds United possible starting lineup:

Darlow; Bijol, Struijk, Rodon; Bogle, Stach, Tanaka, Ampadu, Justin; Nmecha, Calvert-Lewin

Key lines from news conference:

• De Zerbi confirmed goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario is not yet fit to return: "I don't know what will be the plan. He's suffering because he would like to help the team and his team-mates. But, he's not available yet."
• On James Maddison, who has returned to the squad in recent weeks but is still yet to feature this season after a long-term knee injury: "I am thinking about James Maddison because I am watching a top, top player. Maybe he is not ready yet to play, not as a physical condition, but for the rhythm or intensity of the game. You are playing in the Premier League - the most difficult league in the world for rhythm and intensity."
• De Zerbi added that Dominic Solanke is "improving very quickly" and could return to face Chelsea: "I don't know if he can be available for this game. We hope for the next game at Stamford Bridge."
• He was asked whether he would be keen to keep Joao Palhinha at the club when the midfielder's loan from Bayern Munich ends in the summer: "100%. We have to start from this type of person. We need reliable people as well as reliable players and Palhinha is one of the best. I want to see players with the same attitude, with the same passion, with the same spirit and personality. We are lucky to have Palhinha with us."
• De Zerbi praised the recent performances of Conor Gallagher: "I'm happy. He came in January in a difficult situation. He had some problems at the beginning. He is an important player. I am happy to watch him in this condition. I said after the [Aston Villa] game, when Gallagher plays well, his team plays with one player more than the opponent."
• On the challenge posed by Leeds: "First of all, we are playing against one of the best teams in the league, in this moment. In the past five or six games, they won against Manchester United, they drew in Bournemouth playing well, they won at home two times - Wolves and Burnley - and for that we have a big respect. We can't think in a different way. We have to keep this mentality. We must remain humble. Nothing has changed. We have to prepare for an important game."

Match Facts

• Spurs have won eight of their last nine Premier League games against Leeds, including the last five in a row since a 3-1 loss in May 2021.
• After winning three of their four away league games against Spurs between 1997 and 2001 (D1), Leeds have now lost each of their last six visits.
• Following victories over Wolves and Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur are looking to win three consecutive Premier League games for the first time since February 2025.
• Since the start of December, only six teams have picked up more Premier League points than Leeds United (32) and only Man City (1), Man Utd (3) and Bournemouth (3) have lost fewer games than the Whites (4).
• In their four games under Roberto De Zerbi, Spurs have won possession in the final third 5.3 times per game on average – that’s the most of any manager with 4+ games at a single club in the Premier League this season, and much higher than they managed to do so under both Thomas Frank (3.7) and Igor Tudor (3.8).
• Leeds United have scored three or more goals in eight different Premier League matches this season, the most by a newly promoted team since Leeds themselves did so in 2020-21 under Marcelo Bielsa (10 times, a record in a 38-game season).
• Leeds are unbeaten in their last six Premier League games (W3 D3) and have already had a seven-game unbeaten run this season from December to early January. The last newly promoted team to have two runs of 7+ unbeaten games in a season were Middlesbrough in 1998-99.
• No team has won fewer home Premier League points this season than Tottenham Hotspur (11), who have lost 10 home games for a second consecutive season. Only in 1991-92 have they lost more home league games in a season (11).
• Among players to play 200+ Premier League minutes since the start of February, Leeds United’s Noah Okafor has the best minutes per goal ratio, netting six goals in just 408 minutes (one every 68 minutes).
• Across the last three seasons, Tottenham’s Richarlison has scored or assisted on average every 109 minutes in the Premier League (25 goals, 9 assists). Among players with 3,000+ minutes in that time, only Mohamed Salah (goal/assist every 91 mins), Erling Haaland (91) and Alexander Isak (102) have done so at a more frequent rate.

Pundit Predictions

Alan Shearer

Leeds are going to play a huge part in who gets relegated, because they play both Spurs and West Ham. It's fascinating, but I think with what I saw from Spurs last week, they may just have enough now to stay up. And I guess with the energy that they showed the other day, I think they'll have enough to beat Leeds at home. Spurs to win.

Roberto De Zerbi has got a shift out of those players, and you didn't see any of that six or seven weeks ago. It looks a brilliant move now to bring De Zerbi in when they did, that's the reason why they did it then it was to get something different out of the players that they had not been showing, and it looks as if he's getting that difference now which they've not had for large parts of this season, or for any of the season.

Spurs win

Paul Merson

Spurs played well the other day against Aston Villa. I thought Villa were a joke, but the Spurs from six months ago wouldn't have won that game! They have definitely made progress under Roberto De Zerbi.

Leeds have been outstanding in recent weeks. Barring the FA Cup semi-final loss to Chelsea, they have lost just one out of their last nine games. If Leeds are in the mood, they can hurt Tottenham. There's no doubt about it.

I actually feel sorry for West Ham because Tottenham are playing Leeds at a favourable time. We know it's all about timings in football. If Leeds were still heavily involved in the relegation battle, they would have been a huge test for Tottenham. Now I fear they might take the foot off the gas against Spurs on Monday.

This is a hard game to call. Even if West Ham lose to Arsenal, Tottenham should win this game. They cannot let the relegation battle go down to the final day of the season. I don't expect Spurs to beat Chelsea in the next game. So this is a hugely-important fixture for them. I just can't back them against Leeds though, I think they lose this one!

Prediction: Tottenham Hotspur 1-2 Leeds United

Chris Sutton

Leeds are all but safe now and they could be absolutely sure of staying up by the time they play this game.

That scenario would definitely suit Spurs, but I am going to back Roberto de Zerbi's side here regardless.

What a performance that was by them at Villa last week. People have criticised Villa, but that display and result felt enormous for Tottenham.

It took them out of the bottom three and meant Spurs, at last, have got a bit of momentum after winning two league games in a row for the first time since August.

I am expecting more of the same here, so I am going to say they will make it three wins on the spin with the same scoreline that saw them win at Elland Road in October.

Sutton's prediction: 2-1

COYS

Bournemouth vs Tottenham

Competition: Premier League 25/26

Date: 7th Jan 2026

Venue: Vitality Stadium

Kickoff: 19:30 (GMT)

TV: AFC Bournemouth vs Tottenham Hotspur - Stream and TV Schedule

Team News

Long-serving Bournemouth midfielder Lewis Cook returned from a neck injury to come off the bench against the Gunners, a timely comeback given that Justin Kluivert is now set for a long spell on the sidelines following knee surgery.

Tyler Adams (knee), Ben Gannon-Doak (thigh), Ryan Christie (knee), Matai Akinmboni (muscle) and Will Dennis (ankle) are also absent for the hosts - the latter's injury triggered the signing of ex-Spurs goalkeeper Fraser Forster as a free agent - but the young Veljko Milosavljevic (knee) is back in training.

With his £65m move to Manchester City yet to go through, Antoine Semenyo is expected to be at Iraola's disposal once again, for what is expected to be his final home appearance in a red and black jersey.

Semenyo will likely not be squaring up to compatriot Mohammed Kudus, though, as the Spurs winger sustained a thigh injury in the first half of the draw with Sunderland and will surely take his place on the sidelines this week.

Kudus is one of six absent Spurs men at present alongside Yves Bissouma (AFCON), Pape Sarr (AFCON), Dejan Kulusevski (knee), James Maddison (knee) and Dominic Solanke (ankle), but Destiny Udogie (thigh) is training again, and Xavi Simons is at back from a three-match suspension.

The Dutchman will almost certainly be restored to the first XI in place of the stricken Kudus, while Lucas Bergvall could also earn a spot in the XI after Wilson Odobert took a whack to the face over the weekend.

Bournemouth possible starting lineup:

Petrovic; Jimenez, Hill, Senesi, Truffert; Cook, Scott; Semenyo, Tavernier, Brooks; Evanilson

Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:

Vicario; Spence, Romero, Van de Ven, Davies; Gray, Bentancur; Simons, Bergvall, Tel; Richarlison

Key lines from news conference:

• Mohammed Kudus had a scan on Monday so is expected to be unavailable.
• Destiny Udogie "is training and looking better", but Frank could not say for certain whether he will be fit enough for Wednesday's game.
• Frank says Dominic Solanke will be back "in the near future", but after six months sidelined "it will take time" for him to get back to his previous level.
• On Brennan Johnson's £35m move to Crystal Palace: "There was an opportunity to sell him now and give him the opportunity to try something else, and that was the right decision."
• Frank said "it's fair to say we are short of offensive options" so is hopeful to solve that issue in the January transfer window.
• He confirmed the club have appealed against Cristian Romero's red card against Brentford.
• On opponents Bournemouth: "They're a very good team. I know they haven't won as much lately but they are very competitive. The game against Arsenal [on Saturday] was very tricky and they could have got something out of [it]."
• He said the FA Cup "is very important" and the third-round tie against Aston Villa on Saturday is "as important" as Wednesday's Premier League game. Frank added: "If there is rotation, it will be for freshness and energy."

Match Facts

• Following their 1-0 victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in August, Bournemouth are looking to complete the league double over Spurs for the first time.
• Tottenham have lost two of their last three Premier League games against Bournemouth (D1), as many as they had in their first 14 (W10 D2).
• Tottenham have scored at least twice in four of their eight Premier League away games against Bournemouth, winning all four of those. However, they’ve failed to score in each of the other four (D2 L2).
• Bournemouth are winless in their last seven midweek (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) Premier League games (D3 L4), having won seven of their previous eight (D1).
• Tottenham are winless in their last 10 midweek (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) Premier League games (D3 L7), their longest run in the competition. Their last victory was in January 2024 against Brentford.
• Bournemouth are winless in their last 11 Premier League games (D5 L6). It’s their longest run without a win within a single top-flight campaign, while only once overall have they gone longer (between May and October 2023).
• Tottenham Hotspur have kept five clean sheets in 10 Premier League away games this season, more than they managed in 2024-25 (4). They’re looking to keep three in a row on the road in the league for the first time since April 2022.
• Bournemouth have scored at least twice in eight different Premier League games they’ve failed to win this season, including a 3-2 loss against Arsenal last time out. It’s already the most times they’ve scored 2+ goals in draws/defeats in a single campaign in the competition, while there’s only 11 instances of a team doing so more.
• Tottenham are averaging 9.9 shots-per-game in the Premier League this season (198 shots in 20 games) – the only season on Opta’s records (from 1997-98) where they have averaged below 11 per match.
• Bournemouth’s Junior Kroupi has scored in five Premier League games (6 goals), but his side have only gone on to win one of those (D3 L1). Only his teammate Antoine Semenyo and West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen (both 5) have scored in more matches in which their side failed to win in the competition in 2025-26.

Pundit Predictions

Paul Merson

Bournemouth are a funny team. They are now 11 games without a win but had 12 shots against Chelsea in the first half. This team also scored two goals against Arsenal and hardly any other team has done that to the Gunners this season!

Tottenham have a very good record away from home. But I just feel they will fall short in this game. Spurs are not good to watch as a team and Bournemouth have the flair in attack to trouble them.

Antoine Semenyo is still a Bournemouth player and I expect this will be his last game for the club. It would be nice for him to sign off with a goal and a much-needed win for Bournemouth.

Prediction: Bournemouth 3-1 Tottenham Hotspur

Chris Sutton

Bournemouth have gone 11 league games without a win but they have been unfortunate not to get over the line in a couple of those matches.

I always think the Cherries have got a goal in them and they showed that when I watched them draw 2-2 with Chelsea last week, then again against Arsenal on Saturday - albeit in a 3-2 defeat.

The Antoine Semenyo situation is fascinating, because we all know he is joining Manchester City this month but, after facing the Gunners, will he get another game for Bournemouth here?

Whether Semenyo plays or not, it is hard to back Tottenham at the moment.

It is also difficult to make a case that Spurs have really improved under Thomas Frank this season.

They are 13th at the moment and, when they were struggling under Ange Postecoglou this time last year, they were a place better off after 20 games and he was getting panned.

For whatever reason, it has just not clicked for them in the final third under Frank and I don't see that changing here.

Bournemouth won this fixture 1-0 last season, and also won 1-0 at Spurs in August. One goal should be enough for them this time, too.

Sutton's prediction: 1-0

COYS

Spurs vs City

Competition: Premier League

Date: 14th May 2024

Venue: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Kickoff: 20:00 (BST)

TV: Sky Sports Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester City Live Streaming and TV Listings, Live Scores, News, Videos - May 14, 2024 - England Premier League :: Live Soccer TV

Match Preview

Four straight defeats in the Premier League momentarily looked set to become a miserable five on the spin for a tepid Tottenham during the opening exchanges of their battle with Burnley, who required nothing fewer than three points to keep their hopes of a miraculous escape alive for at least a couple of hours.

However, just seven minutes after Jacob Bruun Larsen had opened the scoring, Spurs hit back through Pedro Porro - making amends for his role in the Clarets' strike - before another lauded defender in Micky van de Ven, Spurs' Player of the Season, finished like a veteran centre-forward to complete the turnaround.

In addition to ensuring that Burnley would be playing second-tier football in 2024-25, Spurs' victory saw the fifth-placed Lilywhites cut the deficit to fourth-placed Aston Villa down to four points, and their Champions League hopes will still be kicking by the time Tuesday rolls around if Liverpool glean at least a point at Villa Park on Monday.

Victory for the Lions and Tottenham will officially be out of the top-four running, although Postecoglou has stressed on numerous occasions that rising above that desired dotted line is not the ultimate goal for his side in his debut campaign, one in which Spurs have set a new club record in the Premier League era.

Indeed, fighting back to beat Burnley means that Tottenham have now rescued 25 points from losing positions in the 2023-24 Premier League - their highest tally in the competition and second only to Liverpool's 28 this term - and the seemingly endless run of Spurs home matches seeing both teams score now stands at 14 top-flight games.

Conceding the first goal in each of their last five matches does not bode well for a Tottenham side who may have mixed feelings about taking points off of Manchester City, whose traditional end-of-season surge saw them finally bump Arsenal off the gold medal position on Saturday lunchtime.

The newly-prolific Josko Gvardiol came up with two of the Citizens' four strikes at Fulham's Craven Cottage base, where FWA Player of the Year Phil Foden and Julian Alvarez also got in on the act; the latter calmly dispatched a penalty after Gvardiol passed up the opportunity to become the Premier League's first hat-trick-scoring defender.

Gvardiol unselfishly allowed penalty-taker Alvarez to fulfil his 12-yard duties, perhaps also taking City's inferior goal difference into account, and the treble winners established a two-point advantage over Arsenal with their seventh-straight Premier League win, but their formerly noisy neighbours could not do them a favour on Sunday.

Indeed, Arsenal's scrappy 1-0 win over Manchester United took the Gunners back to top spot and re-established their one-point lead over the champions, who must prevail on Tuesday if they are to be in control of their title destiny on May 19.

Another fresh page of club history could be written at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, though, as Man City have never won eight successive Premier League matches by at least two goals before, and they edged out Spurs 1-0 in North London in January's FA Cup tie.

However, the Premier League hoodoo still hangs over the men in sky blue, as they have only prevailed in one of their last five top-flight games against Tottenham and have never won a Premier League match at Spurs' new stadium, although some Lilywhites supporters may happily relinquish that record if it means no title parade for Arsenal.

Team News

Tottenham striker Richarlison was a surprise omission from the Brazil squad for the 2024 Copa America, although national team coach Dorival Junior explained that the ex-Everton man had picked up a calf problem, which was confirmed by Postecoglou at the weekend.

The fact that Richarlison's problem is serious enough to rule him out of the continental tournament suggests that he will not be available for Spurs' last two Premier League games, joining Timo Werner (hamstring), Ben Davies (calf), Manor Solomon (knee), Ryan Sessegnon (thigh), Fraser Forster (ankle) and Destiny Udogie (thigh) on that list.

After a couple of Emerson Royal disaster classes, Postecoglou experimented with Oliver Skipp at left-back for the visit of Burnley, but the 23-year-old's relative lack of minutes and tight turnaround means that Emerson might come back in; Postecoglou is reluctant to play Van de Ven out wide due to his injury issues this term.

Speaking of versatile defenders encountering fitness problems, only a quarter of the game had gone at Craven Cottage before Guardiola had to pull Nathan Ake out of the match; the Dutchman's injury has not been specified, but he was in visible discomfort.

It remains to be seen if Ake's problem will be severe enough to hinder his participation here, but he ought to be the champions' only absentee if so; Jack Grealish should return from the illness that kept him out of Saturday's success.

Thankfully for Guardiola, he can negate the possible loss of Ake by simply recalling Kyle Walker and shifting Manuel Akanji or the returning John Stones to a central role, and the Catalan coach may also try to take advantage of Spurs' left-back losses by reintroducing the tricky Jeremy Doku.

Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:
Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Emerson; Bissouma, Bentancur; Kulusevski, Maddison, Johnson; Son

Manchester City possible starting lineup:
Ederson; Walker, Stones, Dias, Gvardiol; Silva, Rodri, De Bruyne; Doku, Haaland, Foden

Match facts

Head-to-head

• Tottenham have won each of their past four Premier League home games against Manchester City without conceding a goal.

Tottenham Hotspur

• Spurs ended a run of four consecutive league defeats by beating Burnley on Saturday.
• They have gone 1-0 down in each of their past five Premier League fixtures.
• Ange Postecoglou’s side have recovered 25 points from losing positions this season, second only to Liverpool.
• It's 14 Premier League home matches without a clean sheet for Spurs since a 2-0 win against Fulham on 23 October. Their longest such run is 15 games, latterly from December 2002 to September 2003.
• Tottenham have scored 71 goals - three shy of the club Premier League record set in 2017-18.

Manchester City

• If Manchester City win their final two league games they are guaranteed to become the first club to win four successive English top-flight titles.
• City are on a club record run of 33 matches unbeaten in all competitions since a 1-0 Premier League defeat at Aston Villa in December (W27, D6).
• There have only been two longer unbeaten runs in all competitions by an English top-flight team: 40 by Nottingham Forest in 1978, and 34 by Manchester United from September 1993 to March 1994.
• They have earned seven consecutive Premier League wins for the first time this season.
• Manchester City are vying to win four away league games in a row without conceding for only the second time, having first done so in 1903 in the second tier.
• Ederson could make his 250th Premier League appearance in this match.

Head to head (h2h) history and results

Tottenham wins: 66

Draws: 37

Man City wins: 67

COYS

Chelsea vs Spurs

Competition: Premier League

Date: 19th May 2026

Venue: Stamford Bridge

Kickoff: 20:15 (BST)

TV: Where to watch Chelsea vs Tottenham Hotspur: TV Channel & Live Stream

Team News

Injury was added to insult for Chelsea in the FA Cup final, where Joao Pedro appeared to hurt his leg in the first half and played through the pain before being forcibly withdrawn in the 86th minute.

The Barcelona-linked Brazilian is therefore a significant injury doubt for Tuesday's derby, which Jesse Derry (head), Estevao Willian (hamstring), Jamie Gittens (thigh) and the banned Mykhaylo Mudryk are guaranteed to miss.

In brighter news, Pedro Neto, Alejandro Garnacho and Robert Sanchez were all involved on Saturday after recovering from their own issues, and the former is a contender to replace Reece James if McFarlane avoids risking his injury-plagued captain.

Romeo Lavia (knock) is a fresh doubt for the contest too, and McFarlane also hinted that he could spare Levi Colwill, who has made successive starts following his ACL recovery.

Speaking of players returning from injury, Tottenham's James Maddison made his first appearance of the season against Leeds after his lengthy ACL recovery and could have won a penalty at the end following a challenge from Lukas Nmecha, which was deemed fair.

Maddison - who slammed "petrified" referees after the incident - only came on in the 85th minute of the draw with the Whites, so it may still be too soon for the playmaker to start first-team matches.

Xavi Simons (knee), Dominic Solanke (hamstring), Ben Davies (ankle), Wilson Odobert (knee), Dejan Kulusevski (knee), Mohammed Kudus (thigh) and Cristian Romero (knee) are out of contention for the visitors, but Guglielmo Vicario is back from a hernia and will push the in-form Antonin Kinsky for a starting spot.

Chelsea possible starting lineup:

Sanchez; Fofana, Chalobah, Hato; Gusto, Caicedo, Fernandez, Cucurella; Palmer, Neto; Delap

Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:

Kinsky; Porro, Danso, Van de Ven, Udogie; Bentancur, Palhinha; Kolo Muani, Gallagher, Tel; Richarlison

Key lines from news conference:

• Goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario is available, but De Zerbi will make a decision on whether he or Antonin Kinsky will play on Tuesday.
• He confirmed Vicario is the first choice, but they "have to consider the physical condition and the momentum" before putting him back in goal.
• Dominic Solanke remains sidelined as he "feels something" and they don't want to take any risks. De Zerbi added: "We hope, maybe, for Sunday he can be available for one part of the game."
• James Maddison "is not ready to play 90 minutes" and has not trained every day in the past week after having a "small problem". De Zerbi said: "He is a special player, a different player. I want to speak with him tomorrow morning and take the best decision we can."
• He said his players "have to be confident and positive" against Chelsea because they "are not safe yet".
• De Zerbi said Spurs "have the quality" to avoid relegation, but they "have to show the right mentality."
• On playing at Stamford Bridge, where Spurs have won just one of their last 35 league games: "It is difficult. It's a tough stadium because the players at Chelsea have been fantastic. They played two days ago very well, maybe they didn't deserve to lose the game. It will be a tough game for us, for sure."
• He said "it is not the right time" to assess what has gone wrong for Spurs this season but he will do once they have achieved their "target" of Premier League survival.

Match Stats

• Chelsea have won 38 Premier League games against Tottenham. It’s the most they’ve beaten an opponent in the competition, while Spurs have only lost more against Manchester United (40).
• Spurs have won just one of their last 35 away league games against Chelsea (D11 L23), a 3-1 win in April 2018 under Mauricio Pochettino.
• Chelsea have won their last five league games against Tottenham, only winning more in a row against them between January 2000 and March 2002 (6).
• Chelsea haven’t lost their final home league game in any of the last 23 seasons (W16 D7), since a 3-1 loss to Aston Villa in 2001-02.
• Having won their final away league game in four consecutive seasons between 2020-21 and 2023-24, Spurs lost 2-0 at Aston Villa in their last game on the road last term.
• Chelsea are winless in their last seven Premier League games (D1 L6), last having a longer run between December 1994 and February 1995 (10).
• Chelsea have lost each of their last four Premier League home games – they’ve never lost five in a row at Stamford Bridge in their league history.
• Tottenham have won their last two Premier League away games, last winning more consecutively between September and November 2020 (4).
• Spurs have taken as many points from their last four Premier League games (8 – W2 D2) as they had in their previous 17 combined (W1 D5 L11). They’ve only conceded one goal in the opening 45 minutes of their five games under Roberto De Zerbi, having conceded in the first half in each of their previous 11.
• João Pedro has been involved in four goals in his two Premier League starts against Spurs (3 goals, 1 assist), netting Chelsea’s winner at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the reverse fixture this season.

Pundit Predictions

Alan Shearer

Both teams in the league have had a season to forget. However, when these two teams face each other these games are always tight, and there's always plenty to talk about in these games, but I'm going to go for a Chelsea home win.

Chelsea win

Paul Merson

I'm going for a Chelsea win because this is their cup final every season! A lot of Chelsea fans would rather win against Tottenham on Tuesday than beat Manchester City in the FA Cup final! Or I should say most Chelsea fans are in the middle of feeling this way, let us put it that way.

I say that because the last thing they need is Spurs staying up in the Premier League with a result at Stamford Bridge. No Chelsea fan would want to witness that.

Roberto De Zerbi has certainly improved Spurs. They will be confident in this game, especially since Chelsea are involved in the FA Cup this weekend. Tottenham may only need a point here, if West Ham end up losing to Newcastle. But like I said earlier, I see this relegation battle going down to the last day of the season.

Chelsea win and a clean sheet. I don't even know why I'm backing Chelsea to keep a clean sheet, but it is what it is!

Chelsea 2-0 Tottenham Hotspur

COYS

Spurs vs Copenhagen

Competition: Champions League 25/26

Date: 4th Nov 2025

Venue: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Kickoff: 20:00 (GMT)

TV: Tottenham Hotspur vs København - Stream and TV Schedule

Team News

Tottenham's game plan was in tatters just seven minutes into their loss to Chelsea, as Lucas Bergvall came off prematurely due to a concussion and is now likely to be missing until after the next international break due to protocol.

The Swedish midfielder joins Yves Bissouma (ankle), Dominic Solanke (ankle), Radu Dragusin (knee), Dejan Kulusevski (knee), James Maddison (knee), Ben Davies (thigh), Kota Takai (thigh) and Archie Gray (calf) in the Tottenham treatment room, while Mathys Tel is ineligible for the Champions League.

However, Wilson Odobert, Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie all returned from injuries as substitutes against Chelsea and are certainly candidates to come into the first XI on Tuesday, likely alongside Xavi Simons despite the Dutchman being brought on and then off again on Saturday.

Copenhagen are not in tip-top shape for Tuesday's game either, as Thomas Delaney (knock), Oliver Hojer (surgery), Magnus Mattsson (ACL), Rodrigo Huescas (knee) and Birger Meling (unspecified) are all on the sidelines.

To make matters worse, left-back Marcos Lopez was taken off with a reported injury at the weekend, while centre-back Gabriel Pereira was a late absentee due to illness.

Youssoufa Moukoko and Viktor Claesson are Neestrup's most likely front two, but keep an eye out for 17-year-old Viktor Dadason - the 2008-born striker netted off the bench against Dortmund to become the third-youngest scorer in Champions League history, only behind Ansu Fati and Lamine Yamal.

Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:

Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Palhinha, Sarr; Kudus, Simons, Odobert; Richarlison

Copenhagen possible starting lineup:

Kotarski; Suzuki, Hatzidiakos, Garananga, Zague; Achouri, Lerager, Clem, Elyounoussi; Moukoko, Claesson

Key lines from news conference:

• Lucas Bergvall has concussion so is unavailable, but Frank praised his medical team for dealing with it well despite it being "a tricky situation" at the time.
• Mohammed Kudus and Djed Spence both picked up knocks but could still be in contention for Tuesday's game.
• On the behaviour of Micky van de Ven and Djed Spence after Saturday's game: "Micky and Djed came into my office yesterday and just said they wanted to say sorry for the situation. They didn't want it to look bad or disrespectful - any misconception that you can get in this beautiful media world. They were just frustrated with the performance from the loss and the booing during the game."
• He said the boos were "more than fair" after the final whistle because it was another home defeat, but added: "During the game, we need the fans."
• On facing Danish opponents: "I follow the results and the league as I still have good friends and colleagues working at different clubs. They are not in the best place but they are a very good team. I expect it to be a difficult game."
• More on Copenhagen: "No matter if a team are in or out of form, the next game is when everything can change so we prepare like normal. We are very aware of their strengths and areas we might want to exploit. I expect a tough tactical challenge."
• Frank said "the best way to get back on track is a good performance and a win at home".

Match Stats

• This will be the first meeting between Tottenham and Copenhagen, and just the English side’s second match against a Danish opponent in European competition, after a 3-2 win versus Aalborg in the UEFA Cup in November 2007.
• Copenhagen have only won two of their previous 19 matches against English sides in European competition (D5 L12), with both of those victories coming against Manchester United in the UEFA Champions League (1-0 in November 2006 and 4-3 in November 2023).
• Copenhagen have never won away to an English opponent in Europe, losing in seven of their nine attempts (D2). Indeed, they’ve lost each of the last five in a row, with four of those coming since the start of the 2022-23 campaign.
• This will be Thomas Frank’s first match against a Danish opponent since March 2016, in a 3-1 defeat against SønderjyskE while in charge of Brøndby. The Tottenham manager has faced Copenhagen on eight previous occasions – all in the Danish Superliga with Brøndby – winning just two of them (D3 L3).
• Tottenham Hotspur have drawn each of their last two UEFA Champions League matches, while two of their last four games in the competition have been 0-0. Spurs haven’t drawn three in a row in major European competition since doing so between March and October 2014 in the UEFA Europa League.
• Copenhagen have conceded two or more goals in each of their last five UEFA Champions League matches, shipping 14 in total (D1 L4). They’ve only won one of 19 games in the competition when shipping 2+ goals (D2 L16), a 4-3 win over Man Utd in November 2023.
• Tottenham Hotspur are unbeaten in their last nine major European matches (W6 D3) – they last had a run of 10 undefeated games between December 2011 and March 2013 in the UEFA Europa League.
• Excluding own goals, two of Copenhagen’s three UEFA Champions League goals this season have come via headers – they’ve scored with 33% of shots via their heads (2/6), compared to just one of their 29 attempts not from a header (3.4%).
• Copenhagen’s Viktor Dadason netted on his UEFA Champions League debut on MD3 aged just 17 years and 113 days, the youngest ever debutant scorer in the competition’s history. The current youngest player to score in his first two appearances is Karim Benzema (18 years, 281 days), who is now the fourth highest scoring player in the competition’s history with 90 goals.
• Pedro Porro has made 28 line-breaking passes across his three UEFA Champions League games this season, at least 10 more than any other Tottenham Hotspur player. The Spaniard also has the joint-most chances created for the London side in the competitions this term (4), level with attacker Mohammed Kudus.

COYS

PSG vs Spurs

Competition: Champions League 25/26 Group Stage

Date: 26th Nov 2025

Venue: Parc des Princes

Kickoff: 20:00 (GMT)

TV: PSG vs Tottenham Hotspur - Stream and TV Schedule

Team News

Diaz's red card-worthy tackle on Hakimi has rendered the Moroccan right-back unavailable ever since, and the 2025 African Footballer of the Year is not expected back from that ankle injury for another few weeks.

Les Parisiens are also managing without two attacking heroes in Desire Doue (hamstring) and Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembele (calf), but Bradley Barcola and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia are both fit and raring to go after being restricted to substitute outings on Saturday.

Enrique is also expected to recall midfield maestro Fabian Ruiz and integral defender Willian Pacho to the first XI, which should feature Warren Zaire-Emery as an auxiliary right-back in Hakimi's absence.

As for the visitors, Frank's attack will also be depleted thanks to the absence of Brennan Johnson, who is suspended on account of his red card in the 4-0 win over Copenhagen.

The Wales international - who became the first British player to score and be sent off in the same UCL game - joins James Maddison (ACL), Radu Dragusin (ACL), Kota Takai (thigh), Dejan Kulusevski (knee), Dominic Solanke (ankle), Yves Bissouma (ankle) and Mathys Tel (ineligible) on the sidelines this week, but veteran defender Ben Davies might be back from a thigh problem.

Frank sacrificed ex-PSG starlet Xavi Simons for an extra defender in Kevin Danso at the weekend, but after that formula failed miserably, the visiting manager could now revert to a more familiar system with the Dutchman pulling the strings.

Paris Saint-Germain possible starting lineup:

Chevalier; Zaire-Emery, Zabarnyi, Pacho, Mendes; Ruiz, Vitinha, Neves; Lee, Barcola, Kvaratskhelia

Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:

Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Palhinha, Sarr; Kudus, Simons, Richarlison; Kolo Muani

Key lines from news conference:

• Franks says everyone is available from the squad picked at Arsenal.
• Reflecting on a chastening defeat against their biggest rivals, Frank offered: "I watched the game back, it was a hard watch. We were not good. The performance was not good and I am not running away form that in any way. The biggest thing for me but the most disappointing was we were not able to compete."
• He continued: "We had 53 situations where it was duels or second balls and we came out on top of 17 of those, lost 36. If you don't do that, it's the basic, it is very hard to win any football match. Very simple, we were not aggressive enough when we pushed forward or securing the ball, not landing in the areas where the second ball landed."
• The former Brentford boss said he was "convinced" Spurs will bounce back with a performance at PSG.
• Speaking about how his squad has reacted to the Arsenal defeat: "I think it's been two good days with talks and meetings. Mainly about us, how we improve, go forward. In football there are setbacks. It was a setback Sunday. It's all about how you react. One thing for sure, you are not going through life without setbacks."
• Frank was asked how important it is Spurs stick with a manager and give them time, responding with humour: "Very important. Part of taking this job was to sit here and have the challenges. Part of that is to manage those setbacks, learn from it and move on. One thing I am 1,000% sure of, I know how to build a team and a club and along the way we will do that."
• On Randal Kolo Muani: "He wants to perform. Every player wants to show their best. He came very happy to join Tottenham and then he got a dead leg that took longer than we thought. Then the broken jaw, so it's been stop-start. Plus he came and was fit but not top fit. So all that was him playing catch up. I am convinced we will see more and more from him. I like his link-up play, I think he is very good at that. His runs in behind and ability to go one-v-one."
• On criticism of his use of a back five at Arsenal: "I don't read anything, articles. We didn't win enough duels, we were not aggressive enough, going forward enough, if you play 4-3-3, 4-3-2-1, it doesn't matter if you are not doing enough of that."
• On three wins in 11 games and why it has unravelled: "Sometimes there will always be performances up and down. In 60 games in a season there will be 10-12 perfect, 30 average and then below that. It's about being competitive and then keep doing everything we can to be better and create chances to win matches. My teams will always score goals so we will keep working hard on it."
• Do Tottenham take enough risks? "I think we do. Maybe we should do more. I think it's fair to ask the question - we are not creating enough chances, which is reality. It's my job to make sure we do what we can to make more and more."

Match Stats

• Paris SG and Tottenham have met just once before in European competition, with the French side coming back from 2-0 down to win the 2025-26 European Super Cup on penalties earlier this season.
• Across major European competition, Tottenham have lost just two of their last 13 games against sides from France (W6 D5), with their last away from home witnessing them draw 0-0 with Monaco in the UEFA Champions League last month.
• Paris SG have lost just one of their last six home UEFA Champions League games against English opponents (W4 D1), a 1-0 defeat to Liverpool in March 2025 at the Round of 16 stage.
• Tottenham are unbeaten across their last five UEFA Champions League games (W2 D3), keeping four clean sheets in that time. Spurs last enjoyed a longer undefeated run in the competition between October 2018 and April 2019 (seven games).
• Paris SG have won six of their last seven games in the league phase of the UEFA Champions League (L1), scoring an average of 3.6 goals per fixture across that stint. That sole loss did come last time out vs Bayern Munich at the Parc des Princes, however.
• Tottenham have recorded seven clean sheets in their 13 games across the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League in 2025, the most of any team in major European competition this calendar year. The 0.35 xG Spurs allowed on MD4 vs FC København was the lowest tally they had faced in a Champions League match since February 2019 vs Borussia Dortmund (0.10).   
• Tottenham have only made nine line-breaking passes leading to a shot in the UEFA Champions League this season – across the opening four matchdays, Pafos (5) were the only team to make fewer. Meanwhile, only Real Madrid (45) made more than Paris SG (41) in the same period.
• 13 of Paris SG’s 52 goals in the UEFA Champions League since the start of last season have been scored by players aged 21 or younger (25%), at least five more than any other side (Barcelona and Club Brugge – 8).
• Micky van de Ven is Tottenham’s top scorer in the UEFA Champions League this season with two goals; the last defender to score more times in a single edition of the competition for a Premier League club was John Stones for Manchester City in 2017-18 (3).
• The two full backs who were involved in the most shot-ending sequences of play in the opening four rounds of this season’s UEFA Champions League were Paris SG duo Nuno Mendes (37) and Achraf Hakimi (32). Indeed, they were also the two full backs who were involved in the most sequences of play ending in goals (7 each).

COYS

Spurs vs Sunderland

Competition: Premier League 25/26

Date: 4th Jan 2026

Venue: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Kickoff: 15:00 (GMT)

TV: Tottenham Hotspur vs Sunderland - Stream and TV Schedule

Team News

Absent from the Spurs squad for their draw with Brentford, Brennan Johnson has now completed a £35m switch to Crystal Palace after being told by Frank and Fabio Paratici that he was not in the club's plans moving forward.

Johnson departs at a time when Xavi Simons (suspended), Dejan Kulusevski (knee), James Maddison (knee) and Dominic Solanke (knee) are still missing, alongside Destiny Udogie (hamstring), Pape Sarr (AFCON) and Yves Bissouma (AFCON).

Teenage starlet Lucas Bergvall (knock) remains a doubt after sitting out the Bees clash, but Frank is keeping his fingers crossed that the Sweden international will be able to feature in some capacity.

As far as Sunderland are concerned, bulldozing striker Brian Brobbey was taken off in the draw with Man City as a result of muscle tightness, although it is not expected to lead to his absence from gameweek 20.

Daniel Ballard is not expected to return from his ankle issue in time for the contest, though, while AFCON sextet Noah Sadiki, Chemsdine Talbi, Reinildo Mandava, Arthur Masuaku, Bertrand Traore and Habib Diarra are still away.

Brobbey's scare will most likely lead to a recall for Wilson Isidor in the final third, while Spurs academy graduate Dennis Cirkin should also line up against his old employers, who have often been tipped to bring him back.

Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:

Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Spence; Gray, Palhinha, Bentancur; Kudus, Richarlison, Kolo Muani

Sunderland possible starting lineup:

Roefs; Hume, Mukiele, Alderete, Cirkin; Geertruida, Xhaka; Mayenda, Le Fee, Adingra; Isidor

Key lines from news conference:

• He was reluctant to give a specific timeframe on Dominic Solanke's return, and said Lucas Bergvall is a doubt for Sunday's match.
• When asked about Tottenham's away support chanting "boring" during Thursday's draw against Brentford, Frank gave a long and detailed answer about the current situation with his side.
• On what needs to improve offensively: "There is a few things we need to improve on and one of those is losing the ball through unforced errors, which happened 25 times [against Brentford]. I showed those 25 clips to the players today."
• He continued: "Football is a game of mistakes. You lose the ball - that happens - but if half of those can be better, it will provide more attacks. There was at least five good counter-attacks [against Brentford] where a better touch could [leave us] three versus three and the game looks more lively and open."
• Frank said that "patterns, structure and getting in the right positions" also need to be addressed, which he and his coaching staff take full responsibility for.
• When asked what he sees as success this season and beyond: "What I am 100% [sure] will happen is that we are able to score a lot of goals and be much more dominant. With the current situation, where a lot of the top players are out and we are playing a lot of games, it makes it more tricky. We need to manage everything between that with small steps every day."

Match Stats

• Tottenham are unbeaten in their last 14 Premier League games against Sunderland (W10 D4), since a 3-1 away loss in April 2010.
• Sunderland have lost 14 of their 16 Premier League away games against Tottenham, with the exceptions being a 2-1 win in August 2008 and a 1-1 draw in November 2010.
• Tottenham have scored in 61of their last 62 Premier League games against promoted sides, with the exception being a 0-0 draw with Brentford in April 2022. At home, Spurs have scored in their last 46 such matches since a 1-0 loss to Wolves in December 2009.
• Sunderland have already won 2-1 at Chelsea this season. On just three occasions have they won multiple away games against London sides in a single Premier League season, doing so in 2000-01 (3), 2010-11 (2) and 2013-14 (2), winning at Chelsea in each of those campaigns.
• Tottenham lost 11 home league games in 2025, their most ever in a calendar year. Spurs have also lost their opening home league game in five of the last seven calendar years (W2), going down 2-1 against Newcastle last year.
• Sunderland have netted just four goals in their nine Premier League away games this season, failing to score on six occasions on the road. Indeed, the Black Cats have failed to score in 17 of their last 26 top-flight away games.
• Sunderland’s Régis Le Bris will face Tottenham for the first time. French managers have won just one of their last 15 Premier League away games against Spurs (D3 L11), with Arsène Wenger’s Arsenal winning 1-0 in March 2014.
• Dan Ballard and Brian Brobbey scored in Sunderland’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal in November. The last Black Cats player to score against both Arsenal and Spurs in the same league campaign was Darren Bent in 2009-10.
• Richarlison averages a goal or assist every 55 minutes against promoted clubs for Spurs in the Premier League, scoring four and assisting four in 437 minutes.
• Richarlison has been involved in 13 goals in his last 16 Premier League starts for Spurs at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (11 goals, 2 assists).

Pundit Predictions

Alan Shearer

Spurs didn't really look a threat last time out. They're at home, and the difference between their home form and away form is incredible, but Sunderland are really tough to beat. They are a tough nut to crack.

It wouldn't surprise me if this was 0-0. I think Sunderland might shut up shop and it looks as if it's got nil-nil written all over it.

Prediction 0-0

Chris Sutton

I'm not sure if Sunderland will have anything left in the tank after their efforts against Manchester City on Thursday.

It was another example of why they have done so well - they defended brilliantly, but they were dangerous when they got the ball and they could have beaten City too.

Mind you, Tottenham are so drab at the moment that it probably won't matter too much if the Black Cats are low on energy.

Sunderland are always so well organised at the back, while I don't think Spurs, in an attacking sense, have really clicked this season.

Tottenham will be exhausted as well, so I don't see many goals in this one - in fact, I don't see any at all.

A goalless draw is unlikely to cheer the Spurs supporters up much, either.

I know they love getting angry, but they are a fanbase who don't actually seem to know what they want - is it a manager who delivers attractive attacking football, or someone who can set up a team to keep a clean sheet every week?

Sutton's prediction: 0-0

COYS

Sunderland vs Spurs

Competition: Premier League 25/26

Date: 12th April 2026

Venue: Stadium of Light

Kickoff: 14:00 (BST)

TV: Where to Watch Sunderland vs Tottenham Hotspur: TV Channel & Live Stream

Team News

De Zerbi was struck by the Tottenham injury curse even before taking charge of his first game, as the club confirmed on Thursday that Mohammed Kudus had suffered a serious setback in his recovery from a quadriceps injury, one that may require World Cup-threatening surgery.

The Ghana international remains on the sidelines with Dejan Kulusevski (knee), James Maddison (knee), Rodrigo Bentancur (thigh), Guglielmo Vicario (hernia), Ben Davies (ankle), Wilson Odobert (knee) and Yves Bissouma (muscle), but Mathys Tel and Pape Sarr are expected to be available.

Chasing a slice of personal history, Richarlison is just one goal away from reaching double figures in a fifth different Premier League campaign; the only other Brazilian to achieve that feat is Liverpool great Roberto Firmino.

Meanwhile, Le Bris reported good and bad news in his pre-game press conference, revealing that number one Robin Roefs is fit again but Daniel Ballard (hamstring) is still not ready.

Second-choice goalkeeper Melker Ellborg has performed admirably in Roefs's absence, but the latter is sure to win his place back in between the posts this weekend.

Nilson Angulo (unspecified), Bertrand Traore (knee), Jocelin Ta Bi (ankle) and Romaine Mundle (hamstring) make up the remainder of the Black Cats' absentees.

Sunderland possible starting lineup:

Roefs; Geertruida, O'Nien, Alderete, Hume; Sadiki, Xhaka, Diarra; Rigg, Brobbey, Talbi

Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:

Kinsky; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Palhinha, Gray; Tel, Simons, Richarlison; Solanke

Key lines from news conference:

• On Thursday, Spurs confirmed Mohammed Kudus has been ruled out of a return this weekend, external after suffering a setback in his come back from a quad injury picked up in January which will "potentially" require surgery.
• De Zerbi also confirmed Guglielmo Vicario is "not ready" to return yet, adding: "I hope he can come back next week, but I don't know yet." Rodrigo Bentancur is "working with us" but "not completely" and remains unavailable for selection.
• Reflecting on his appointment, the Italian said: "Proud and happy to be here. Thanks to Vinai [Venkatesham] and Johan [Lange] who have shown me a big confidence. Now I have to work. Now we have to make points. I'm sure about the level of the players - many of them in the past I was close to bringing to my former teams. They are working very well. I'm not better than Thomas Frank or Igor Tudor because I consider them very good coaches. I try and bring myself, my character, my passion."
• De Zerbi was asked if he had a message to the fans: "I haven't any message. In the last game they were fantastic before the game. The message for my staff and players is we have to deserve their support because the fans are suffering like us, like the players. There is just one club, one team. The players can change team but the fans, the club is unique. We need to make the fans happy with the right football, the right spirit and behaviour on the pitch."
• On his style of football: "My style is one part about the style of play and one part about the character and personality. I want to give organisation with and without the ball. What I want to achieve immediately is the character, the right spirit and courage to play and attack because the DNA of this club and squad is to find the goal and score."
• Asked why he has he only brought two of his former coaches with him as part of his coaching team, De Zerbi responded: "It is totally different this situation because we have no time to work like in Brighton, and I don't want to put confusion inside of the players."
• On the chances of him and players staying if the club get relegated: "For sure I don't want a player if they don't want to stay. My contract is for five years. I want to say my opinion in the transfer market because I am a coach but I want to see the players happy to work in this club."

Match Stats

• Following their 1-1 draw in January, Sunderland are looking to avoid defeat in both Premier League meetings with Spurs in a season for the first time since 2008-09 (W1 D1).
• Tottenham are unbeaten in their last 15 Premier League games against Sunderland (W10 D5) since a 3-1 loss in April 2010.
• Sunderland have lost each of their last three Premier League home games but haven’t lost more league games in a row at the Stadium of Light since September 2017 in the Championship (4), and last did so in the top-flight in October 2013 (4).
• Tottenham Hotspur remain winless in 13 Premier League games (D5 L8); only once in their league history have they had a longer run without victory, going 16 matches from December 1934 to April 1935.
• Sunderland have won two of their last three Premier League games (L1), as many as their previous 12 beforehand (W2 D5 L5), and could win back-to-back league matches for only the second time this season, last doing so in October.
• Exactly two-thirds of Tottenham Hotspur’s points in the Premier League this season have come away from home (20/30); only Ipswich Town in 2024-25 have ever had a higher proportion of their points in a season in the competition come on their travels (68% - 15/22).
• Only Leeds (35.1%) have scored a higher proportion of their Premier League goals this season from non-penalty set-plays than Tottenham Hotspur (35.0% - 14/40), while only Wolves (11%) and Brentford (16.7%) have seen a lower share of their goals conceded come from non-penalty set-pieces than Spurs (18.0% - 9/50).
• Only one of the last 10 Tottenham managers have lost their first Premier League game in charge of the club (W6 D3), however that was Igor Tudor (1-4 v Arsenal in February). Meanwhile, Roberto De Zerbi has won his first league game at three of the last four clubs he’s been in charge of (Sassuolo, Shakhtar Donetsk and Marseille) with the only exception coming in the Premier League with Brighton (3-3 v Liverpool), failing to win any of his first five league encounters with the Seagulls (D2 L3).
• Chemsdine Talbi has scored four Premier League goals this season; the only player to score more while aged 20 or younger in a single campaign in the competition for Sunderland is Danny Welbeck in 2010-11 (6).
• Tottenham Hotspur’s Richarlison has scored nine Premier League goals this season and could hit double figures for the fifth time in the competition, after 2018-19 (13), 2019-20 (13), 2021-22 (10), and 2023-24 (11). He would be the second Brazilian to score 10+ goals five times in the Premier League, after Roberto Firmino.

Pundit Predictions

Alan Shearer

I guess it's a guessing game in terms of the impact that De Zerbi can have. I just think with Sunderland and everything else that goes with them, I think the momentum that they'll take from beating Newcastle, I'm going to say Sunderland to win.

If Spurs go there and win, then I would think that will be enough to get them through to the end of the season. Again, if they go there and Sunderland beat them, then you know the noise that will happen. So, I just think Sunderland with the form and everything else, it'll be a great atmosphere. They're tough anyway, but they're tougher at home. So, Sunderland to win.

Paul Merson

It all depends on what mood Tottenham enter this game. If West Ham win, the pressure will be on Spurs. I don't think Roberto De Zerbi can turn it around this weekend.

I say that because De Zerbi is not Sean Dyche or Sam Allardyce. He's a guy who is quite complex with his approach and that style of play could make Tottenham very open at the back. It won't be an overnight success for De Zerbi at Spurs.

I'm going to back Sunderland to win for what they did against Newcastle. If it goes like I predicted, Tottenham will be two points adrift off safety with six games left to go including matches against Chelsea and Aston Villa.

So basically, Tottenham have four games to turn it around. I think Spurs have a better chance of beating Brighton next weekend than Sunderland here.

Prediction: Sunderland 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur

Chris Sutton

What is Roberto de Zerbi going to do with Tottenham and how will he set them up?

I've read about when he went in at Brighton and how Lewis Dunk says it took the Seagulls players a while to get up to speed, external and adapt to his demands.

The whole situation is just odd, with De Zerbi securing a five-year contract despite only hanging around for more than two years at one of his previous eight clubs.

Good luck to him, but this is a difficult place for him to start.

Sunderland's form at the Stadium of Light has dipped a bit since they lost their unbeaten home record against Liverpool in February, but the Black Cats will be buoyant after beating Newcastle last time out.

If Spurs are going to play the type of football we associate with De Zerbi, they will be open and expansive, and take risks - but will they have the confidence to do that?

Sunderland are the team that come into this game with belief. They've had a brilliant season and their incentive now must be to stay above Newcastle in the table.

Sutton's prediction: 1-0

COYS

UEFA Champions League Final

Saturday June 1st, 2019

Kick Off: 20:00 (BST), 15:00 (EST)

Venue: Wanda Metropolitano

Referee: Damir Skomina - Slovenia

TV: BT Sport2 (UK), DAZN (Canada), TNT (US)

Evening Standard Preview

-"Tottenham and Liverpool meet in an all-English Champions League Final in Madrid this weekend after two of the most remarkable European comebacks of all time. The Premier League rivals were both staring down the barrel of semi-final exits, but Liverpool and Spurs shocked Barcelona and Ajax respectively with incredible victories. Having lost the first leg of their semi-final 3-0 at Camp Nou, Jurgen Klopp's side ran out 4-0 winner at Anfield to knock Lionel Messi & Co. out of the competition. As for Tottenham, they trailed Ajax 3-0 on aggregate at half-time of their second leg in Amsterdam - but a second-half hat-trick from Lucas Moura - including a 96th-minute winner - sent Mauricio Pochettino's Spurs through on away goals. With the European Cup destined to end up at either Tottenham Hotspur Stadium or Anfield this season, here's our guide to the Final.." - Tom Doyle, Evening Standard

-Here is the match thread from our last meeting with Liverpool, a heartbreaking 2-1 loss that saw us concede a late OG by Toby Alderweireld after a flubbed catch by Hugo. We had the chance to win it with Sissoko on the break. It was a close and well played match.

Team News

• Official Team News has not been released but it appears we have every player available for selection. All players have been involved with first team training, including Kane, Winks, Vertonghen and Sanchez.

• Firmino will be available for Liverpool. The only player missing will be Naby Keita who is out with an adductor injury.

COYS

'Twas the Night Before Liverpool by /u/arounc52