With no Champions League football to worry about, Spurs have no distractions to avoid relegation from the Premier League now
Fresh off their first win under Igor Tudor—albeit one with no impact on their European fate—Tottenham Hotspur continue their search for a first Premier League victory of 2026 as they host relegation rivals Nottingham Forest on Sunday.
Separated by just a single point and one place near the foot of the table, both Spurs and Forest are in danger of slipping into the relegation zone if results go against them this weekend.
Tottenham’s hopes were briefly revived when they hosted Atletico Madrid in the Champions League last 16, buoyed by a hard-fought draw at Premier League champions Liverpool days earlier. Despite falling short of overturning a heavy first-leg deficit, a spirited 3-2 win over Atletico ended their winless streak and offered a glimmer of hope to their supporters.
Taking points off Liverpool and defeating Atletico in consecutive matches is an impressive feat for any side—especially one battling relegation. For now, Spurs fans have reason for cautious optimism.
However, Tottenham still sit 16th in the table, just one point clear of the drop zone, after a 12-match winless run in the league since the start of the year—their longest such streak since 1935. Worryingly, the last three teams to go winless in their first 12 Premier League games of a calendar year were all relegated, most recently Middlesbrough in 2016-17. Spurs have also struggled at home, collecting just 10 points from 15 matches—the worst home record in the league this season.
While Tottenham’s European journey ended midweek, Nottingham Forest enjoyed better fortunes, overturning a first-leg deficit to progress past FC Midtjylland in the Europa League. Goals from Nicolas Dominguez and Ryan Yates secured a 2-1 win, and Forest capitalized on a disastrous penalty shootout from the Danish side.
Forest now look ahead to a quarter-final tie with Porto, but first must focus on Premier League survival. Their winless run in the league has stretched to seven games, and a goalless draw with Fulham last time out left them hovering above the relegation zone only on goal difference. It was also the 14th time this season Forest have failed to score in a league match—second only to Wolves.
However, Forest will take confidence from their recent record against Spurs, having won the last three Premier League meetings between the sides—including a 3-0 victory in December and a 2-1 win at Tottenham last season.
Tottenham vs Nott'm Forest Prediction
Forest and both teams to score - 5/1 ( William Hill )
Igor Jesus to score anytime - 12/5 ( William Hill )
Tottenham vs Nott'm Forest Team News
For the first time in a while, Tottenham’s injury list has dropped to single digits. Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Conor Gallagher, Lucas Bergvall, and Destiny Udogie all made their returns from injury or suspension in the Champions League second leg against Atletico Madrid. Richarlison is also available again after serving a European ban, and both Dominic Solanke (hip) and Joao Palhinha (head), who missed out midweek, are expected to be fit for the weekend.
However, Spurs are still without Yves Bissouma (muscle), Ben Davies (ankle), Mohammed Kudus (thigh), Rodrigo Bentancur (thigh), Wilson Odobert (knee), Dejan Kulusevski (knee), and James Maddison (knee).
Xavi Simons, previously on the fringes under Tudor, made a strong case for a starting spot by scoring twice against Atletico, and he is likely to be included in Sunday’s lineup.
For Nottingham Forest, winger Dilane Bakwa was forced off on Thursday with an unspecified injury, but there are currently no major concerns about his availability. In contrast, Willy Boly (knee), Jair Cunha (ankle), Chris Wood (knee), Nicolo Savona (knee), and John Victor (knee) are all expected to remain sidelined until after the international break.
Manager Vitor Pereira’s midweek team selection suggested a focus on Premier League survival, so key players such as Murillo, Morgan Gibbs-White, Elliot Anderson, and Igor Jesus are expected to return to the starting XI in North London. Callum Hudson-Odoi’s status remains uncertain after he was absent from the squad on Thursday.
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