‘New’ kick-off time for Tottenham Hotspur vs. Nottingham Forest – prediction, team news, lineups
Tottenham Hotspur managers past and present collide in North London during Easter Monday’s Premier League offering, as the Lilywhites square up to Nuno Espirito Santo’s Nottingham Forest in the capital.
Spurs are soaring after saving their season with a gritty Europa League quarter-final triumph, while the Garibaldi have a renewed fight on their hands to bring Champions League football to the City Ground
Match preview
Always one to crack jokes in the face of adversity, Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou quipped to the media that they would have to put up with him for a little while longer after he masterminded a marvellous away win over Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday evening.
Seemingly fighting an uphill battle after being held to a 1-1 draw in the first leg, Tottenham drew first blood at the Deutsche Bank Park through Dominic Solanke’s spot kick and produced one of their most dogged defensive displays in recent memory to arguably save the Australian’s job.
Ahead of a very winnable two-legged semi-final with Bodo/Glimt in the coming weeks, Spurs must complete the formalities of what has been an atrocious Premier League campaign, one where they have been beaten on a whopping 17 occasions – their most since 19 losses in 2003-04.
Four of those defeats have arrived in Tottenham’s last six top-flight games, including a chastening 4-2 reverse at the hands of fellow bottom-six battlers Wolverhampton Wanderers last weekend, and they have only picked up more points than the doomed Leicester City, Southampton and Ipswich Town since slaying Manchester City 4-0 in late November.
Furthermore, the Lilywhites have been beaten in eight of their last nine Premier League contests against teams starting the gameweek in the top half of the table, but if there is one crumb of comfort for the home faithful, it is their side’s four-match unbeaten run at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in all tournaments.
From four matches to four months, ex-Spurs and current Forest boss Santo only lasted one-third of a year in the Tottenham hotseat before being given the boot by Daniel Levy, but the Portuguese has found the safest haven possible at the City Ground.
Only a couple of years ago, Spurs would have been expecting to challenge for the top three while Forest scrapped for survival, but the tables have turned to the maximum this season as the former European Cup winners remain in control of their Champions League destiny.
However, Forest have been knocked off their precious podium place owing to back-to-back defeats to Aston Villa and Everton since the start of the month, losing the latter contest 1-0 last weekend on account of a last-gasp Abdoulaye Doucoure winner at the City Ground.
Another reverse on Sunday would equal their worst-ever Premier League losing run under Santo – a three-match sequence between February and March of last season – and the absence of any defensive discipline on the road has been costing them dear recently.
Indeed, the Tricky Trees have conceded at least twice in each of their last five Premier League away games – losing four of them – but having beaten Spurs 1-0 on home turf on Boxing Day, Forest are just 90 minutes away from a first league double over the Lilywhites since 1997.
Tottenham Hotspur Premier League form:
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Tottenham Hotspur form (all competitions):
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Nottingham Forest Premier League form:
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Nottingham Forest form (all competitions):
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Team News
Spurs’ success in Frankfurt was not without significant sacrifice, as Solanke’s defining penalty was won by James Maddison after the playmaker was taken clean out by airborne Adler goalkeeper Kaua Santos.
Maddison remarkably managed to continue for a short while before calling it quits, holding his hip as he made his way off the pitch, but Postecoglou confirmed that the Englishman had suffered no lasting damage after the incident.
An appearance on Monday therefore cannot be ruled out, but skipper Son Heung-min is still sidelined with a niggling foot injury, while Radu Dragusin (ACL) remains out for the long-term.
With Son still missing, Mathys Tel could write a new chapter of Spurs history; the Bayern Munich loanee has scored in each of his last two Premier League appearances and could become the first teenager to strike in three in a row in the competition for Tottenham.
On Forest’s end, Santo was typically tight-lipped when asked for a team news update in his press conference, only stating that the doubtful Ola Aina (calf) and Taiwo Awoniyi (thigh) would need assessing “day-by-day” ahead of the contest.
As pitiful as Forest’s performance was against Everton, Santo should keep faith with 10 of the 11 starters from gameweek 32, but Jota Silva will almost certainly cede his place in the final third to the returning Anthony Elanga.
Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:
Vicario; Gray, Danso, Davies, Spence; Kulusevski, Bissouma, Sarr; Odobert, Solanke, Tel
Nottingham Forest possible starting lineup:
Sels; Williams, Milenkovic, Murillo, Moreno; Anderson, Dominguez; Elanga, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Wood
We say: Tottenham Hotspur 0-0 Nottingham Forest
Feeling the effects of Thursday’s exertions and struggling for any sort of inspiration in the Premier League, Tottenham’s performance on Monday night may be a bit of a reality check after the highs of midweek, especially if Postecoglou makes a multitude of alterations as expected.
Only Liverpool and Arsenal have conceded fewer goals than Santo’s Forest this season, but the visitors have scored just twice in their last four games too, so this Easter Monday battle may be anything but a cracker.
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