This may just be Tottenham Hotspur's biggest league game in a generation, albeit not in a way anyone hoped or envisaged. Well, at least the mood around Spurs right now is exponentially better than it was merely a week ago, even if their precarious position has not exactly improved.
Last Sunday, Richarlison's last minute equaliser at Anfield saw Igor Tudor collect his first Premier League point, pinching a share of the spoils against Liverpool. Then, on Wednesday, the Lilywhites beat Atlético Madrid 3-2 in the Champions League which, despite the fact they exited the competition 7-5 on aggregate, helped increase belief and confidence.
Nevertheless, back in the Premier League, Spurs remain 16th, just one point above both West Ham and their next opponents Nottingham Forest. The Tricky Trees will travel to North London on a high, after reaching the Europa League quarter-finals on Thursday, ousting Midtjylland via a penalty shootout in Herning. They too are embroiled in this relegation battle of course, making Sunday's clash unimaginably crucial, so here are three players Tudor must start as he seeks a priceless win.
Destiny Udogie
As Tottenham's injury crisis starts to be alleviated somewhat, the return of Destiny Udogie could be very welcome news. Djed Spence has been primarily filling in at left-back for elongated periods of this season, but, as good a defender as he is, the fact that Spence is right-footed really limits Spurs going forward, especially when another right-footer is ahead of him, which is almost always.
Udgoie, for his part, was introduced shortly after the hour mark against Atlético Madrid. This took his tally to just 1,124 minutes across all competitions this season, missing each of the last five Premier League fixtures since suffering a hamstring injury at Old Trafford. At his best, every Tottenham supporter knows how good Udogie can be, so they'll be desperate for him to enjoy a run in the side.
Xavi Simons
Further forward, with VÃtor Pereira's team expected to defend in a low block, the onus will be on Spurs to create opportunities, hence why a statement performance from Xavi Simons is required. After missing out on Morgan Gibbs-White, who will be lining up for the opposition in this game, and then Eberechi Eze, most Spurs fans were pleased when the Duthcman arrived from RB Leipzig for £52m.
However, he is yet to live up to expectations, his one and only Premier League goal coming against Brentford in December. This has resulted in him being on the bench for the last two league games against Crystal Palace and Liverpool, but that surely won't be the case this time round.
That's because, on Wednesday, Simons arguably had his best performance in a Tottenham shirt. He scored twice during the spirited victory over Atlético Madrid, the first a thunderous strike from the edge of the area, before converting a spot-kick past Juan Musso in injury time. Overall, he racked up five key passes, created one big chance, had four successful dribbles, mustered four shots and touched the ball 77 times, the most of any player on the pitch. If Simons can carry this form into the Premier League, there is no way Spurs are ending up in the bottom three.
Dominic Solanke
Given that aforementioned well-documented injury crisis, Tudor has had very limited options in pretty much every position, with centre-forward the sole exceptions. Richarlison scored on Merseyside last Sunday before both Randal Kolo Muani and Mathys Tel started in the Champions League, but supporters surely want to see Dominic Solanke spearheading the attack come Sunday. He was absent in mid-week due to a hip problem, but is forecast to return.
Before this, the Englishman did not feature between 23 August and 10 January due to ankle surgery, but still has six goals to his name this season, the best scoring frequency of anyone at the club.
Solanke scored both when Spurs produced that miraculous second half comeback against Manchester City in February, before also opening the scoring against Crystal Palace on a rather less enjoyable night for those in N17. In his Premier League career, the 28 year old has scored four in five against Nottingham Forest, including a hat-trick at the City Ground in December 2023, so Spurs fans will be hoping he can replicate that.