Nottingham Forest face Tottenham Hotspur on Boxing Day as Nuno Espirito Santo aims to overcome his struggling former employers.
Nuno's spell at Tottenham was short and remarkably forgettable, but the former Portuguese goalkeeper has worked wonders at the City Ground. After holding on to Forest last season, the East Midlanders entered Christmas fourth in the Premier League table and boasting real aspirations to win European football.
The function Nuno performs is similar to his work at Molineux. After returning Wolves to League One in 2018, an impressive season saw them qualify for the Europa League, and they thoroughly enjoyed the continental journey before eventual winners Sevilla cut it short in the quarter-finals.
Tottenham will be hoping to win this competition this season, with the team's indifference at home meaning Ange Postecoglou will have to rely on trophies to ease his tenure in charge for a third year.
The depleted Lilywhites were blown away Liverpool at the weekend and struggled defensively throughout December in the absence of key players. They sit 11th in the table, and there is a worrying sense of that developing Things could get worse for the Lilywhites Before their fortunes improve.
here 90 minutes Evidence of this Premier League Boxing day clash.
Nottingham Forest vs Tottenham H2H record (last five matches)
Current form (all competitions)
|
Nottingham Forest |
Tottenham |
|---|---|
|
Brentford 0-2 Nottingham Forest – 21/12/24 |
Liverpool 3-6 Tottenham – 12/22/24 |
|
Nottingham Forest 2-1 Aston Villa – 12/14/24 |
Tottenham 4-3 Manchester United – 12/19/24 |
|
Manchester United 2-3 Nottingham Forest – 12/07/24 |
Southampton 0-5 Tottenham – 12/15/24 |
|
Man City 3-0 Nottingham Forest – 12/04/24 |
Rangers 1-1 Tottenham – 12/12/24 |
|
Nottingham Forest 1-0 Ipswich – 30/11/24 |
Tottenham 3-4 Chelsea – 12/08/24 |
|
nation |
TV Channel/Live Broadcast |
|---|---|
|
UK |
Amazon Prime Video |
|
US |
peacock |
|
Canada |
fuboTV Canada, Fubo Sports Network 4 Canada |
Unlike their Premier League rivals, Forest have not been hampered too much by injuries this season and it is a familiar story ahead of the visit of Tottenham.
Nuno Espirito Santo has been without midfielders Danilo and Ibrahim Sangari for most of the season, and they will not be available until the new year. While Sanjari has a hamstring problem, Danilo has a broken ankle.
There could be a call-up for Ryan Yates with Nicolas Dominguez suspended and we could see Nuno return to the back four after winning a back three at Brentford.
Forest's expected lineup against Tottenham (4-2-3-1):cells; Aina, Milinkovic, Murillo, Moreno; Yeats, Anderson. Ilanga, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; wood.
Postecoglou remains vulnerable in defence, but Destiny Udoji was among the substitutes against Liverpool and could be in contention on Boxing Day after sustaining an injury in the 5-0 win over Southampton.
Christian Romero and Micky van de Ven will not play until the new year, but Ben Davies is thought to be close to returning from a hamstring injury. Richarlision could also return during the first week of 2025, while Mikey Moore is back on the training field after a long period of illness.
Wilson Odubert and Guglielmo Vicario are set to return in February.
Brennan Johnson is likely to be called into the starting line-up with Postecoglou likely to bring Rodrigo Bentancur back into the team after serving a seven-match ban.
Expected Tottenham lineup against Forest (4-3-3):Forrester; Spence, Gray, Dragsosen, Udoji; Bentancur, Sarr, Kulusevski; Johnson, Solanki, Jr.
Things will improve for Spurs, but Postecoglou may have to wait until the new year to oversee a return to action. There have been impressive individual performers for the Lilywhites recently, including Djed Spence and Archie Gray, but they have faltered as a group and have performed poorly away from home. We can't read too much into their 5-0 win over lowly Southampton at St Mary's Stadium.
This is a fast-paced team that faces a thriving Nottingham Forest side who thrive when given space in transition. Tottenham will have to play a near-perfect game to dominate their host, something they will find difficult to do with the perfect lineup.
Given the strength of Forest's backline and their efficiency on the counter-attack, it looks as if Tottenham will capitulate on Boxing Day.
