Wonderkid Wharton
Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner refused to blame fatigue for the comprehensive defeat at Leeds in their most recent Premier League outing.
The Austrian lamented his team's defending in the 4-1 reverse and said they "fully deserved to lose", but did not acknowledge the fact that some of his key players looked more than a little jaded.
"I think we had the wrong mindset," added the 51-year old. "We lost every second ball."
The Elland Road result was the most recent example of Palace struggling after a European fixture and they have failed to win any of their six top-flight games this season following a match in the Conference League proper.
The Eagles will be glad then of a return to Selhurst Park, although they have also gone four home games without a victory in all competitions since a 3-1 success over Dutch outfit AZ Alkmaar in early November.
Palace, however, have won their final league match of the calendar year in each of the past four seasons and they will expect to do so again when they take on Spurs, a side who they defeated twice in the Premier League in the previous campaign.
Adam Wharton has been integral to much of Palace's recent success and keeping him fit and at the club will be key to any future endeavours. The midfielder has started 15 of the club's 17 top-flight games this season and contributed three assists so far.
If Wharton keeps his place in side for this game, he will have made more Premier League starts for Crystal Palace than any other player aged 21 or under.
He is currently on 46, the joint-most for the Eagles alongside France international Michael Olise.
Spurs on the slide
Tottenham started the season unbeaten in eight away games in league and cup but those bright beginnings have faded. They have since failed to win any of their past five fixtures on the road in all competitions, losing four and drawing the other.
Spurs will seek to arrest that form without captain and defender Cristian Romero and attacking midfielder Xavi Simons after both were sent off during last weekend's defeat by Liverpool. Romero's red was his fifth as a Spurs player and first since November 2023 against Chelsea.
The Liverpool loss was Tottenham's fifth at home this season and performances in front of their own supporters have been largely lacklustre for quite some time. The overall picture this season also evokes negativity when it is compared to 2024-25. Spurs have fewer wins and fewer points, while they have scored 13 fewer goals than they had at this stage in the previous campaign.