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Arsenal face Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final on Wednesday, with the La Liga side hoping to continue their impressive home record

Arsenal will be braced for another pitch battle at Atletico Madrid.

Gunners boss Mikel Arteta faces a tough semi final against Atletico on Wednesday night as the Spanish giants have turned their home into a fortress this season.

Tottenham complained the pitch was watered too heavily before their last 16 tie in March and that led to players slipping on the wet surface. Barcelona boss Hansi Flick said the grass was too long before their quarter final to try and slow the game down.

It will be a genuine concern for Arsenal ahead of their semi-final tie as Atletico are underdogs but their 70,000 capacity Metropolitano Stadium could be a huge weapon. The crowd will be passionate and lively while manager Diego Simeone has vast experience of making life difficult for opponents.

There are strict UEFA rules on the state of the pitch which say “the home club must make every reasonable effort to ensure that the pitch is in the best possible condition” and they will undergo strict pre-match checks.

UEFA’s Article 34 also states: “The home club must respect the pitch-cutting guidelines for natural grass pitches. The height of the grass must not exceed 30mm and the entire playing surface must be cut to the same height.

“The height of the grass should be the same for both the training sessions and the match. If deemed necessary by the referee or the UEFA match delegate, the home club may be required to reduce the height of the grass for the match and training sessions.

“The pitch-watering schedule must be communicated by the home club at the organisational meeting. The pitch must be watered evenly and not only in certain areas.

“As a general rule, pitch watering must finish 60 minutes before kick-off. However, upon the decision of the home club, pitch watering may also take place after that time: between 10 and 5 minutes before kick-off; and/or during half-time, for a maximum of 5 minutes.”

That states that Atletico can water the pitch just before kick-off and therefore Arsenal are certain to keep an eye on what happens.

Meanwhile, Arsenal are still waiting on defender Jurrien Timber to return to fitness. The Dutch defender has been a big miss for the Gunners because of a groin injury and he has yet to step up his training levels.

But Timber has done some work and the hope is that he will be able to kick on and be available for the run-in even though his continued absence is a worry for Arsenal and also Holland ahead of the World Cup.

Eberechi Eze has insisted that he expects to be fit after a scare against Newcastle but Kai Havertz is likely to be out for longer but it is not expected to be a serious lay-off.

Tottenham and West Ham are both scrapping for Premier League survival and have only four games remaining before the season comes to a close

Tottenham and West Ham have just four matches left before their Premier League fate is decided. But who would be facing relegation if their upcoming results mirrored the reverse games?

The battle for top-flight survival will soon reach its conclusion, with Wolves and Burnley already down. One relegation place remains and it is currently occupied by Roberto De Zerbi's Tottenham.

Spurs were winless in 2026 before overcoming Wolves 1-0 on Saturday and despite this victory, remain in 18th, destined for the drop as things stand. Both Leeds United and Nottingham Forest have put together results in the last few matches and while they could be dragged back into the scrap, West Ham find themselves in 17th.

The Hammers left it late to beat Everton 2-1 over the weekend and they have two more points than Tottenham. With only four games left, Mirror Football has a look at Spurs and West Ham's run-in and what happened the last time they faced their remaining opponents.

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Beginning with Tottenham's schedule, they travel to Villa Park on Sunday to face the top-five-chasing Aston Villa. Unai Emery's side currently occupy fifth spot.

Villa are in action midweek as they face Forest in the first leg of a Europa League semi-final, having beaten Spurs 2-1 in the reverse fixture. The two teams also came to blows in the FA Cup and it was Villa who sent Tottenham packing from this year's competition, beating them 2-1 again in January.

Next up for De Zerbi's men is a home match against Leeds United on May 11. When Tottenham visited Elland Road in October, they beat their upcoming adversaries 2-1.

Spurs close out their season with an away clash against Chelsea and a match on home soil against Everton. Tottenham lost 1-0 to their London rivals in November, after dismantling the Toffees 3-0 a month earlier.

If Tottenham mirrored these four results, two losses and two wins, they'd finish the campaign on 40 points. West Ham's next opponents are Brentford, who beat them 2-0 in the reverse fixture in October.

Nuno Espirito Santo's side then take on the current Premier League leaders in Arsenal on May 10. The reverse of this match-up saw the Gunners prevail 2-0.

The Hammers then face a trip to Newcastle United and a final-day home match against Leeds that could hold major relegation implications. West Ham beat the Magpies 3-1 in November but did lose to Leeds 2-1 in October.

So, if the results of these reverse games repeat, West Ham's season would end with three defeats and one win, meaning they'd hypothetically be relegated on 39 points.

Of course, both teams could play out different results than the reverses, for better or for worse, as both did on Saturday. Spurs had drawn 1-1 with Wolves in the reverse match before their win and West Ham did the same, being held by Everton when they met in September.

Tottenham will see their clash with Chelsea rearranged due to the Blues making the FA Cup final - leaving them with the prospect of being relegated at Stamford Bridge if results go against them

Tottenham's penultimate Premier League game of the season against Chelsea will need to be rearranged after the Blues made the FA Cup final - and could leave the north Londoners in a do-or-die situation.

The two sides had been due to meet at Stamford Bridge on Sunday May 17, but the FA Cup final is the day prior and the west London side will face Manchester City at Wembley. It leaves them and Tottenham needing to find a new date before the final day of the season on Sunday May 24.

A date for the rearranged fixture between Tottenham and Chelsea is expected to be announced imminently, but it is likely to take place after the FA Cup final. Tottenham themselves are playing a home to Leeds on Monday May 11, which makes it almost impossible for the game to be played in that midweek.

If it is rearranged for the days leading up to the final day, where Tottenham face Everton at home, then they will play after relegation rivals West Ham have taken on Newcastle at St James’ Park.

It means a situation exists whereby Tottenham, who are already two points off the Hammers, may need to respond to West Ham's result and anything but a win at Chelsea could relegate them.

It adds further spice to a fixture that has previously seen tensions boil over. It was in 2016 that a draw with the Blues saw Tottenham miss out on the title and crown Leicester. They had led 2-0 that night before conceding twice as tempers flared with Tottenham receiving a record nine yellow cards.

Tottenham only have four games to save their season and head to Aston Villa this weekend before hosting Leeds. Saturday saw them win a first league game in 2026 as they narrowly saw off already relegated Wolves, Joao Palhinha scoring a second-half winner.

The blow for Tottenham was a stoppage time strike for West Ham, which saw them pick up three points at home to Everton. It leaves Roberto De Zerbi's side on 34 points, two shy of the Hammers. A thumping win for Nottingham Forest on Friday means they are five points clear of the north Londoners.

De Zerbi said after their win at Molineux: "I'm happy for the result. I hope this result can change something in our head, in our mentality for the other results. It's already very tough to win a game for us. If we put our heads on the other teams, it becomes too tough for me."

The battle for survival at the bottom of the Premier League continued on Saturday afternoon with West Ham and Tottenham both fighting for points after Nottingham Forest's huge win

The games are running out for Tottenham. And the dramatic events of Saturday afternoon underlined why even an upturn in form might not be enough to save them as a late West Ham winner condemned them to another week in the relegation zone.

Spurs did their part: they beat already relegated Wolves 1-0 courtesy of an 82nd minute goal from Joao Palhinha. Minutes after his goal, Everton even equalised against West Ham to propel Spurs to safety, for a few minutes at least.

But Callum Wilson struck right at the death to clinch a 2-1 win for West Ham - leaving Tottenham two points adrift of safety with just four Premier League games remaining.

Both teams suffered a blow before a ball had even been kicked with Nottingham Forest beating Sunderland 5-0 on Friday night. That statement victory put Vitor Pereira's men on 39 points, seven clear of Spurs and five of West Ham.

If Nottingham Forest's stunning result did light a fire under either team, then it failed to translate on the pitch initially. Both sides went in goalless, with Tottenham losing striker Dominic Solanke to injury in a first half where they failed to overly trouble Wolves.

Things got even worse for Spurs not long after play got back underway with West Ham taking the lead against Everton through Tomas Soucek.

The midfielder's header from a corner, given after penalty appeals were waved away moments earlier, piled even more pressure on Tottenham in their bid to bring points back from Molineux.

Xavi Simons was then stretchered off with what looked like a serious injury as Tottenham's afternoon took another devastating twist. But with time running out, Palhinha popped up to put Spurs on their way to what looked to be a priceless victory.

Wilson, however, had other ideas: his intervention in added time wiped out Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall's 88th minute goal to lift the roof from The London Stadium. A complete contrast to Molineux.

After weeks of damaging results, Tottenham can at least take solace from the fact that winning keeps them in touch of West Ham and, to a degree, Nottingham Forest, even it it was not enough to lift them out of the relegation zone.

Defeat would have been disastrous. Instead, Tottenham stay alive - for now.

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Tottenham head to Molineux in a must-win match against already-relegated Wolves as Roberto De Zerbi seeks his first win since returning to the Premier League

Molineux stages a major relegation clash on Saturday as already-relegated Wolves welcome a Tottenham side sinking deeper into trouble.

Wolves’ drop into the Championship was sealed on Monday night and Rob Edwards’s men now play out the season with pride on the line. Their brief three-game unbeaten spell sparked hope of a late escape, but it quickly evaporated as they were thrashed in back-to-back defeats to fellow strugglers, losing 7-0 on aggregate. A 3-0 loss to Leeds last time out was their 22nd league defeat of the campaign, and another heavy setback this weekend would see them lose three straight top-flight matches by three or more goals for the first time since 1983.

Tottenham, though, are hardly flying. Roberto De Zerbi’s side remain below the safety line and are still searching for their first league win of 2026, stretching their winless run to 15 games. They looked set to end that drought against Brighton, with Xavi Simons curling home after setting up Pedro Porro, only for Georginio Rutter to strike late and snatch a 2-2 draw. Spurs sit just two points behind West Ham after the Hammers were held by Crystal Palace, but failure to win at Wolves would match the club’s longest ever league winless run — 16 games, set in 1934-35.

Wolves can at least take encouragement from the head-to-head, having gone six games unbeaten against Spurs, and Tottenham’s season-long struggles give the hosts a chance to end their Premier League campaign with a rare high.

Wolves vs Tottenham Prediction

Tottenham to win and both teams to score - 21/10 ( BetGoodwin )

Xavi Simons to score anytime - 5/2 ( BetGoodwin )

Wolves vs Tottenham Team News

James Maddison was back in Tottenham’s matchday squad against Brighton for the first time this season, but he stayed on the bench and is not yet ready to start.

Roberto De Zerbi is still without Guglielmo Vicario, Mohammed Kudus, Ben Davies, Dejan Kulusevski, Cristian Romero and Wilson Odobert, while Destiny Udogie is a fresh doubt. Changes are possible after a poor showing last week, with Lucas Bergvall pushing for a midfield start.

Wolves have new injury worries after losing to Leeds, with Angel Gomes (toe) and Ladislav Krejci (whiplash) both doubts, along with Jose Sa and Matt Doherty. Enso Gonzalez and Sam Johnstone are out, as is suspended Yerson Mosquera. If Gomes misses out, Mateus Mane is likely to step in, while Krejci’s fitness could force a defensive reshuffle.

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Manchester United are reportedly weighing up a move for Tottenham star Micky van de Ven, who's also said to be a target for Liverpool during the summer transfer window

Liverpool would be Micky van de Ven's preferred destination if he leaves Tottenham, despite interest from Manchester United. Van de Ven, 25, is considering his future after three years with Spurs, who are fighting to avoid a shock relegation to the Championship.

The Netherlands international made a good first impression when he arrived from German side Wolfsburg for £43million. His pace and ball-playing ability with his left foot quickly made him one of the most coveted centre-backs in the Premier League, although a series of hamstring injuries blighted his second season.

Van de Ven has only missed one game through injury this term, Tottenham's worst campaign in recent history, and he remains a top target for some of England's elite clubs. But in bad news for United, Van de Ven would turn down a move to Old Trafford if a switch to Liverpool was also on the table, according to talkSPORT.

A departure from Spurs isn't guaranteed, though. It's added that if Roberto De Zerbi's side avoid relegation, Van de Ven could extend his stay in north London, especially if Tottenham sell captain Cristian Romero, who's been linked with Atletico Madrid.

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Both United and Liverpool are expected to be in the market for central defenders. United's current crisis at centre-back has highlighted concerns over squad depth as they prepare to return to playing European football next season.

Matthijs de Ligt has been sidelined since November while Lisandro Martinez and Harry Maguire are also prone to injuries. For Liverpool, it's a similar situation.

Ibrahima Konate is out of contract at the end of this season, although he's expected to sign a new deal, while summer signing Giovanni Leoni has only made one appearance to due a serious knee injury. Their only other recognised centre-backs, Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez, sees their contracts expire in 2027.

Who should Micky van de Ven join - Liverpool or Man Utd? Have your say in the comments section.

Liverpool have already signed two centre-backs ahead of the summer - 20-year-old Jeremy Jacquet from Rennes and Austria Wien starlet Ifeanyi Ndukwe, who's 18. But Arne Slot may want a more senior figure who can be Van Dijk's successor.

As for United, they'll need to decide how much to spend on a defender, with Van de Ven likely to cost in excess of what Tottenham paid for him in 2023. The Red Devils are set on buying at least one midfielder while they also want to sign an experienced striker and potentially a new backup goalkeeper.

Referee Rob Jones came under fire after deciding not to send Brian Brobbey off for a shove on Tottenham captain Cristian Romero during Spurs' recent 1-0 loss against Sunderland

The referee who failed to send Brian Brobbey off against Tottenham has been at fault for FIVE key match incidents this season, a Premier League panel has ruled. Rob Jones took charge of the clash between Sunderland and Spurs on April 12, during which Brobbey made a late challenge on Cristian Romero.

In the 63rd minute, the Sunderland striker tried getting on the end of a pass from team-mate Nordi Mukiele. Romero, however, shielded the ball which ended up in the hands of Tottenham goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky.

Brobbey then nudged Romero in the back, sending him into Kinsky. In the process, the Spurs captain suffered a knee injury which will keep him out for the rest of this season.

Although Jones gave a foul against Brobbey, the Dutchman - who was crucially already on a yellow card - avoided a sending off. VAR are unable to intervene on potential second yellows.

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The Premier League's key match incidents (KMI) panel have now voted 3:2 that Jones made an error, with the majority concluding that 'there was a two-handed push which was an unnecessarily reckless action'.

Of the 12 KMI errors relating to second yellow cards not being shown this season, Jones has been responsible for five. Newcastle's Malick Thiaw (versus Bournemouth), Manchester City defender Ruben Dias (vs Nottingham Forest), team-mate Rodri (vs Tottenham) and Chelsea star Cole Palmer (vs Leeds United) are the other four incidents.

Over the past two seasons, Jones has the joint-most mistakes on second bookings. The Merseyside-born referee, who also overturned a Tottenham penalty earlier in the game, is culpable for 10 of the 42 errors.

When Jones' mistake against Tottenham was revealed to Spurs boss Roberto De Zerbi during a press conference on Friday, he replied: "Can we play that game again or not? I think not. It was clear but no problem. We have to move on."

Should Brian Brobbey have been sent off? Have your say in the comments section.

Tottenham will move on when they travel to face already-relegated Wolves for vitally important game at 3pm on Saturday. De Zerbi's side remain in the relegation zone, languishing two points adrift of West Ham, who host Everton at the same time as Spurs are in action.

"It's a tough game because they have nothing to lose," the Tottenham manager said. "It's an important game for us, for sure, but we have to be able to play with not too much pressure.

"Sometimes when one team is losing too many games the rumours are not nice and behaviour and the people speak about not too much serious players, but no, it is not like this in this case."

The closest Paul-Jose M'Poku got to a Tottenham Hotspur appearance came in February 2010. The winger, signed with great fanfare from Standard Liege as a teenager, was named on the bench by Harry Redknapp for a 4-0 FA Cup win over Bolton but didn't make it onto the pitch.

Eleven years later, M'Poku was back in the capital as his younger brother Albert Sambi Lokonga joined Arsenal. Sambi Lokonga got the taste of Premier League football which eluded his sibling but his arrival was a matter of pride - despite it being on the other side of the north London divide.

" I was there as a big brother to advise him like, okay, England is like this, and some of the people that I know in England that can maybe help you to adapt if you ever need anything," M'Poku told Mirror Football. "I was just there as a big brother. I didn't really tell him to do anything or to do something.

"If he needed me then he knew I was there. Obviously we went there for the signing and everything and it was I was so happy for me to see him in the Prem."

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Sambi Lokonga would end up making 51 Premier League appearances - 25 for Arsenal and 26 during loan spells at Crystal Palace and Luton Town - before joining current club Hamburg in September. Rather than holding any bad blood due to the rivalry, M'Poku considered his brother's arrival in England as mission accomplished after his own nearly moment.

"I always said to him that the place that I didn't reach you have to reach, what I didn't win, you have to win," he said. "So for me, I'm so proud to be his big brother and yeah, yeah, I'm proud of him. Not only as a footballer but as a man."

M'Poku's career has gone down a rather different path. He returned to boyhood club Standard Liege after leaving Spurs in 2011 and also spent time at top-flight clubs in Italy, Greece, the UAE, Turkey, South Korea, Romania and Saudi Arabia.

He came through at the same time as Harry Kane, spending time on loan at Leyton Orient alongside the England captain in a spell which had formative elements for both men. While the pair aren't in regular contact these days, they have mutual friends and M'Poku knows Kane's club manager Vincent Kompany and members of the Belgian's Bayern Munich coaching staff.

Now 34, the Congolese international winger is spending the twilight of his career in Baller League, rubbing shoulders with former Premier League players in the indoor, small-sided format. He is still keeping an eye on his old employers, though, and is saddened by Tottenham's plight as they battle to avoid relegation.

"One of the things I remember is when we came to Spurs, they were speaking about the vision that they had, about the new academy training Centre and the new stadium," he said. "Back in the day I remember the club speaking about how they want to build with young players and be in the Champions League and everything in in the next few years.

"So I saw it when I left Spurs with the new training ground, with the new stadium. And for me now, seeing the club in that position is a bit sad because... it does mean something went wrong in one moment."

Spurs travel to bottom-of-the-table Wolves this weekend knowing anything less than a win will guarantee they stay the wrong side of the dotted line. Arsenal, in contrast, are behind league leaders Manchester City on goals scored alone and can move top this weekend with a win at home to Newcastle.

The season could yet end with a double celebration for one side of the rivalry, even if some targets have changed since the start of the season. As M'Poku and Sambi Lokonga have demonstrated, though, some have been able to look past the history between the two famous clubs.

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Ex-Newcastle boss Chris Hughton speaks about cancer battle and recovery for first time

Former Tottenham Hotspur star and Brighton boss Chris Hughton has opened up on his battle with prostate cancer having undergone surgery for the disease last year

Tottenham Hotspur hero Chris Hughton has opened up on his battle with prostate cancer, having undergone surgery to remove the disease.

The 67-year-old was diagnosed with prostate cancer last year. He underwent successful surgery to remove his prostate and is now cancer-free.

He is now keen to raise awareness of the disease, having managed to catch it early. Hughton said: “The news certainly didn’t scare me. I know everyone is different, but my first impression was: ‘I’ll be fine.’ I didn’t instantly think 'this is probably just going to kill me'. I just thought: 'Ok, we’ll have to do what we have to do.'”

Routine helath checks through the League Managers Association helped Hughton spot the early warning signs, having been placed into a 'high risk' category, being a black male over the age of 50 with history of illness within his family. He then underwent blood tests to get a firm diagnosis before beginning treatment.

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He added: “I had very good advice and all the treatment options were given to me, and I decided to have my prostate removed. The recovery has gone really well. I’m one year post operation and I feel good. It’s all gone very well. I’ve got a lot of energy.

“Keeping active and busy is part of how I am anyway, but it’s also about rehabilitation and keeping your mind active as well. I’m very comfortable with my prognosis and my post operation feelings. I’m in a really good place.”

Hughton is an iconic figure at Tottenham Hotspur, having made 398 appearances for the North London during his career. He has also managed them on three occasions as interim boss.

Hughton has also had spells with Newcastle United, Norwich City, Birmingham City, Brighton and Nottingham Forest. Hughton helped the Seagulls to promotion to the Premier League in 2017. He has managed 169 games in the top flight across spells with Newcastle, Norwich and Brighton.

His most recent role was with the Ghana national side, which ended in January 2024.

The ex-defender, who made 53 appearances for the Republic of Ireland during his playing career, was recently linked with a return to former club Tottenham on a managerial basis following the woeful stewardship of Igor Tudor.

But the North London side instead appointed fellow former Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi, who is tasked with guiding the club away from relegation over the final weeks of the campaign.