Premier League | Gameweek 18

Dec 26, 2024 at 3pm UK

The City Ground

Nottingham Forest vs Tottenham Hotspur

Match preview

Channeling his inner Russell Crowe with his "aren't you entertained" quip after Tottenham's thrilling EFL Cup quarter-final win over Manchester United, Postecoglou watched his troops provide another sensational spectacle for the neutrals against Liverpool, but cut a far less affable figure afterwards.

The league leaders exposed Spurs' high line at will and, despite a late defensive collapse, never looked in danger of squandering their healthy advantage as Liverpool ran out 6-3 winners and condemned Tottenham to a fourth successive Premier League home game without a win.

As mesmerising and memorable as Tottenham can be under Postecoglou - for all the right and wrong reasons - the grim reality is that the Lilywhites will spend Christmas Day in the bottom half of the Premier League table, eight points adrift of the Champions League places.

Postecoglou's defiant claim that he "always" wins trophies in his second season in charge may still ring true, but Spurs would have to get past Liverpool and then one of Arsenal or Newcastle United in the EFL Cup to do so, and their disheartening winter record reads three wins from their last 11 games in all competitions.

However, Spurs' never-say-die attitude at Liverpool saw them score at least three goals for the fourth time in their last five games, and Postecoglou's men are remarkably the best defensive team away from home this season, having conceded just eight Premier League goals away from home.

Speaking of defences that excel away from home, few would have predicted that Nottingham Forest would be able to contain a goal-hungry Brentford at the fortress that is the Gtech Community Stadium, where the Bees had scored a whopping 26 goals in just eight games prior to Saturday's clash.

But Thomas Frank's men were outclassed by Santo's Champions League chasers, who struck twice on either side of half-time through Ola Aina and Anthony Elanga to end Brentford's unbeaten home run in the Premier League and record a third successive win.

Fourth-placed Garibaldi, who have shown few signs of slowing down in their unexpected bid for European football's elite, moved to within two points of Arsenal - who they will overtake with victory on Boxing Day - and four points clear of reigning champions Manchester City.

Nine Premier League wins from 17 games is already as many as Forest managed in the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons, and a 10th win of the season on Thursday would be Forest's fourth successive Premier League title, a feat they have not achieved since 1995.

Nor should Santo need any extra incentive to beat the side that sacked him after just 17 games in charge in 2021, but Forest are on a six-game losing streak against Tottenham in the Premier League, having been held to a goalless draw in each of their last three meetings at the City Ground.

Recent Performance

Nottingham Forest Premier League form:LWLWWW

Tottenham Hotspur Premier League form:WDLLWL

Tottenham Hotspur form (all competitions):LLDWWL

Team News

Seven games on, Tottenham's midfield fulcrum Rodrigo Bentancur is finally available for domestic action after a lengthy suspension, and Postecoglou has also confirmed that Destiny Udogie should be available after being limited to a watchful eye at the weekend.

However, Guglielmo Vicario (ankle), Cristian Romero (thigh), Micky van de Ven (hamstring), Mikey Moore (illness), Wilson Odobert (hamstring), Richarlison (thigh) and Ben Davies (thigh) remain sidelined, although the latter could be available for the trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers on 29 December.

With Bentancur continuing to feature in the Europa League during his domestic ban, Postecoglou should have no qualms about recalling him for Thursday's game, where Son Heung-min will be looking to add to his four goals and two assists from previous Boxing Day fixtures.

While Tottenham will welcome back a South American midfielder from suspension, Nottingham Forest have lost one of their own through suspension, with Nicolas Dominguez receiving his fifth booking of the season in the win over Brentford.

Dominguez was a second-half substitute at the Gtech Community Stadium as Santo surprised everyone by switching to a 3-4-2-1 formation, with Morato at the back and Elliot Anderson and Morgan Gibbs-White in an attacking midfield partnership.

Ryan Yates is expected to return for a game of this magnitude, possibly in place of Anderson if Santo sticks with Morato at the back, but Danilo (ankle) and Ibrahim Sangare (hamstring) remain sidelined.

Possible starting lineup

Nottingham Forest possible starting lineup:

Sels; Morato, Murillo, Milenkovic; Aina, Yates, Gibbs-White, Moreno; Hudson-Odoi, Elanga; Wood

Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:

Forster; Porro, Gray, Dragusin, Udogie; Bergvall, Bentancur; Kulusevski, Maddison, Son; Solanke