The race for UEFA Champions League berths will probably be one of many huge focuses on Boxing Day, when fourth place Nottingham Forest host Eleventh-ranked Tottenham Hotspur.
Forest, led by Spurs’ ex-manager Nuno Espirito Santo, are one of many shock storylines of the season and lead the pack within the top-four hunt, however it is going to be a aggressive race to the end line. Solely 9 factors separate Forest from Thirteenth-place Manchester United, that means 10 groups really feel like a spot in Europe’s prime membership competitors is inside attain with half the season to go. That features Spurs, who’ve all of the instruments wanted to win on Thursday however should discover some stability to make sure they will stand up the desk within the second half of the marketing campaign.
This is what you should know earlier than tuning in.
Methods to watch and odds
- Date: Thursday, Dec. 26 | Time: 10 a.m. ET
- Location: Metropolis Floor — West Bridgford, England
- Dwell stream: Peacock
- Odds: Nottingham Forest +135; Draw +260; Tottenham Hotspur +185
Storylines
Tottenham’s up-and-down season hit one other spherical of highs and lows within the final week alone, advancing to the EFL Cup quarterfinals after a 4-3 win over Manchester United after which shedding a wild 6-3 sport to Liverpool on Sunday. The set of outcomes leaves them with simply three wins of their final 11 throughout all competitions, portray an image of inconsistency that has annoyed many after an optimistic begin below supervisor Ange Postecoglou final season.
Spurs are nonetheless the Premier League’s best-attacking aspect, main the league with 39 targets in 17 video games, overperforming their anticipated targets tally of 32.46. It is a sign that not less than one thing goes proper for Postecoglou, who prefers an attack-minded tactical strategy and has overseen Spurs’ progress on this division. The crew averages 2.3 targets a sport within the league this season, a big improve from their common of 1.9 targets per sport final marketing campaign from an identical anticipated targets and shot depend. The targets are coming from a variety of gamers, too – 5 gamers have seven-plus targets throughout all competitions, together with shock main goalscorer Brennan Johnson and new addition Dominic Solanke.
The protection has been a degree of rivalry in latest weeks for Spurs, who’ve conceded 23 targets of their final 11 video games. They’ve needed to play with out beginning goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario and centerbacks Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven for a lot of this stretch, which has price them drastically. Vicario’s understudy Fraser Forster is a poor match for Postecoglou’s tactical strategy and has made a number of particular person errors that led to targets, whereas back-up centerback Radu Dragusin was somebody Liverpool efficiently focused and uncovered over the weekend. Many have referred to as upon Postecoglou to vary up his stylistic preferences to account for the defensive points, although he’s standing by his ways and recommended that the change will not be as straightforward as some counsel.
“If folks need me to vary my strategy, it isn’t going to vary,” Postecoglou mentioned post-match on Sunday, per the Night Normal. “We’re doing it for a purpose, we’re doing it as a result of we predict it is going to assist us to achieve success. If folks do not perceive the circumstances we’re in for the time being, the challenges now we have from a squad perspective that are as apparent as you wish to make them. I get the concept that folks assume that I ought to simply flip a change and alter and someway that can miraculously make us a greater crew. It’s what it’s. I am simply going to proceed, keep targeted on making an attempt to construct this crew to be the crew we would like. Within the interim we’re going to settle for there are going to be challenges alongside the way in which.”
Projected lineup
Tottenham: Forster, Porro, Dragusin, Grey, Spence, Sarr, Bentancur, Kulusevski, Maddison, Johnson, Solanke
Prediction
Tottenham have a capability to attain in opposition to most groups, even these as defensively sturdy as Forest, who’ve conceded simply 19 targets in league play this season. The guests may even have the benefit of enjoying in opposition to a crew that doesn’t rating rather a lot – Forest have simply 23 targets this season – however their capacity to concede off of foolish errors might drive the groups to share the factors. Choose: Nottingham Forest 1, Tottenham Hotspur 1
