Factfile
Manager: Thomas Frank
League Position: 14th
Ground: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Founded: 1882
In their manager's words...
Thomas Frank was asked at his pre-match press conference whether he can take any comfort from the fact he led Brentford to a Premier League double over Palace last season.
The Dane responded: "It's two different teams. Sometimes teams suit each other in different ways, good or bad. I know we face a team that is very well organised.
"I know they are very good on the counters, I know they have such a threat going forward.
"It's a game where you need to be super concentrated throughout it so you don't give too much unnecessary transitions away for example or open space to defend."
When asked directly about the job Oliver Glasner was doing at Selhurst Park, Frank gave a typically graceful answer.
"I think Oliver has done a top job at Palace in many ways," he added. "They're really, really impressive.
"Clear identity of the team, they defend low, very compact, very difficult to break down, incredibly good on the counters - probably one of the best in the league.
"They are very good on set pieces as well, one of the best on corners, long throws, so, very strong on set pieces as well. Also, when they build, they have a clear identity with their 3-4-3 system. So, they've done a really good, impressive, job."
Tottenham Team News
Ahead of the trip to South London, Frank said he would have the same pool of players to pick from that was available to him for their last game against Liverpool, a 2-1 defeat last Saturday.
"Team news is the same as before the Liverpool game, so everyone who was available there is available for the Crystal Palace game," he explained.
"Both of them [Dominic Solanke and Dejan Kulusevski], are the same [stage of recovery] as I said before. I will be very happy when I can announce they are part of the squad, so that's where it is."
Their Season So Far...
Just where do you even begin with Tottenham Hotspur? In their final fixture of the calendar year, it’s difficult to pick out another club in England that can legitimately claim to have endured more of a roller coaster 12 months than Spurs.
Rewind to May and Ange Postecoglou had just led the club to a first major trophy in 17 years, defeating Manchester United in the Europa League final. It was a significant achievement but undermined by an appalling Premier League season that saw the Australian depart before the 2025/26.
Frank’s arrival in the managerial hotseat was considered a coup for the club, after the Dane had spent the last four years turning Brentford into a consistent Premier League club.
But Frank has endured a tricky first-half of the season in North London, despite initially overseeing a strong start.
A win in Manchester City in his first away game in charge made it seem that Spurs were top-four contenders once again.
But a 1-0 home defeat to Bournemouth in their next game was the first of five league defeats inside their first nine home fixtures.
Away from home though, Spurs have a better record. As well as the excellent win at the Etihad, they have also taken maximum points from trips to West Ham, Leeds United and Everton.
It's certainly a transitional phase for the Lilywhites, which was perhaps always inevitable after the departures of Chairman Daniel Levy and talismanic figure and former club captain Son Heung-min in the summer.
But in a congested Premier League table they will still have hopes of recovering to make a top-six finish. They also will be eyeing a deep run in the Champions League.
Spurs sit 11th in the league phase after the first six rounds of fixtures and are likely to at least qualify for the play-off stage, even if they miss out on the top eight and an automatic place in the last 16.
The Boss: Thomas Frank
Prior to joining in the summer, Frank was the third longest serving manager in the Premier League, having taken Brentford from the Championship and turned them into a solid top-flight outfit.
The Dane is used to English football, having first arrived in the capital over nine years ago as Brentford's assistant head coach in May 2016.
Taking over the top job in October 2018 Frank consistently outperformed expectations at the Gtech Stadium.
Appointed as Spurs First Team Head Coach on 12 June, Frank put pen to paper on a three-year deal with the club. He is Tottenham's Tottenham’s fourth permanent manager since June 2021.