A North London reunion awaits Nottingham Forest head coach Nuno Espirito Santo on Sunday, as his Tricky Trees side pit their wits against Tottenham Hotspur in the capital.
The visitors head south on the back of a stellar 3-1 beating of Fulham in midweek, while the Lilywhites dropped two more points in the race for fourth as they were held by West Ham United.
Match preview
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Despite snapping their streak of slow Premier League starts at the London Stadium, where a fifth-minute goal from Brennan Johnson saw Spurs end their six-game sequence of failing to score in the first half of top-flight games, Ange Postecoglou's side made the short journey home despondent.
Just 14 minutes after Johnson - another man renewing acquaintances with his former employers this weekend - broke the deadlock in the London derby, Kurt Zouma exposed Tottenham's set-piece frailties, rising highest and directing the ball past a hapless Guglielmo Vicario via the top of his back.
David Moyes's men carved out the more promising chances to win the capital clash as the clock wound down, but thanks to the Irons' lack of ruthlessness and Aston Villa's crushing loss to Manchester City the next night, fifth-placed Tottenham are in charge of their Champions League fate.
Indeed, Postecoglou's troops have just two points to make up to the Lions with a game in hand, and four of the hosts' last five Premier League games at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium have ended in victory, although their 2-1 beating of Luton Town was far from comfortable.
In addition, Spurs are now without a clean sheet in an alarming 11 Premier League home games on the bounce - as well as failing to score a single first-half goal on familiar soil in 2024 - and the hosts have already been outwitted by one former head coach in North London this term.
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Bidding to emulate the striking 4-1 win that Mauricio Pochettino masterminded for Chelsea against Spurs earlier this season, Forest manager Santo returns to the club whom he only took charge of 10 Premier League matches for, in between the ill-fated Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte reigns.
The erstwhile Wolverhampton Wanderers boss returns to the English capital with a spring in his step too, having overseen the end of Nottingham Forest's six-game winless run in all competitions during Tuesday's showdown with a Fulham side who put Tottenham to the sword with ease.
Callum Hudson-Odoi, Morgan Gibbs-White and Chris Wood ripped Fulham to pieces in the first half - so much so that Marco Silva made a trio of tactical changes before the whistle sounded - but the Cottagers boss' changes only helped Fulham nab one consolation through Tosin Adarabioyo.
With a respectable five points taken from their last three Premier League games in the wake of their financial penalty, the Garibaldi are in control of their survival fate in 17th position, three points better off than Luton Town with only 21 left to fight for.
However, none of the visitors' five Premier League games away from home in 2024 has seen them emerge victorious, and Forest were swept aside 2-0 by Spurs during December's City Ground battle, which represented the hosts' fifth straight top-flight win over their lowly counterparts.
Team News
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Postecoglou's call to reinstate Johnson to the starting lineup against West Ham was vindicated, and even though the Welshman sustained a knock and had to be substituted late on, he is expected to be fine to line up against his former club.
No Tottenham player has been directly involved in more goals than Johnson (seven) since the turn of the year, but Postecoglou has confirmed that Richarlison will miss the match with a minor knee issue, one which should clear up in time for next weekend's early kickoff with Newcastle United; the Brazilian rejoins long-term absentees Manor Solomon (knee), Ryan Sessegnon (hamstring) and Fraser Forster (foot) in the medical bay for now.
A familiar sight in recent weeks, James Maddison failed to complete the full 90 against West Ham as he struggles to regain his hot streak from the first half of the season, but he should still fend off the under-performing Dejan Kulusevski to act as Spurs' creative focal point.
Speaking of absent attackers, Forest's central talisman Taiwo Awoniyi will take his place on the sidelines due to his "serious" injury, although Nuno is optimistic that the Nigerian striker will be seen on the pitch again before the campaign concludes.
The availabilities of Willy Boly (muscle) and Arsenal-owned left-back Nuno Tavares (thigh) remain clouded in uncertainty, but the ex-Tottenham boss will surely see no need to disrupt the harmony after the Tricky Trees' exceptional midweek performance.
Of his nine Premier League goals, former Chelsea winger Hudson-Odoi has struck more than half of them (five) during his debut campaign at the City Ground, having only managed a paltry four during his lengthy time in Stamford Bridge blue.
Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:
Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Bentancur, Bissouma; Johnson, Maddison, Werner; Son
Nottingham Forest possible starting lineup:
Sels; Williams, Omobamidele, Murillo, Aina; Danilo, Yates; Elanga, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Wood
We say: Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 Nottingham Forest
Tottenham and clean sheets at home do not go hand in hand, offering a reinvigorated Nottingham Forest a glimmer of hope as Santo bids to earn a small measure of revenge, but we can only envisage a familiar pattern being followed again.
Even if the visitors can subject Postecoglou's men to more first-half misery, Spurs have five come-from-behind home wins under their belt this season, and an in-form Johnson can haunt his old employers to help keep Spurs in control of the chase for fourth.
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Ben Knapton
