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Tottenham Hotspur winger Brennan Johnson spoke to the media to look towards the Europa League final: "It's been a rollercoaster I think. It's been some good highs and obviously some disappointments. We have probably lacked a bit of consistency. But where we are now going into the final, if you offered that at the start of the season, we'd be really excited by that.

"For me its about trying to win games and try to be successful because that's where I know this team can be and I feel like last season, we had that consistency more and that's why we were able to finish a lot higher in the league.

"I'm confident. We have to do everything right we can now to prepare for the game and it's down to us. It's about how we perform on the pitch.

"It'd be a dream come true. I think I have had some good moments in my career at the moment but a European trophy would be unbelievable and I'm sure a lot of the lads would say the same thing. It's a special game to be involved in but now it's about mentally and physically preparing for what's to come."

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Aston Villa have won three of their last five Premier League games against Tottenham, though they have lost the last two. It’s more victories than they managed in their previous 21 against Spurs (W2 D3 L16).

Only against Man City (12) have Tottenham won more Premier League away games than they have against Aston Villa (11), with Spurs winning eight of their last nine at Villa Park (L1).

Aston Villa have lost 4-0 and 4-1 in their last two Premier League games against Tottenham – only against Everton (1891) and Blackburn (1935-1936) have they conceded 4+ in three consecutive league games against an opponent.

Aston Villa are unbeaten in their last 20 home games in all competitions (W14 D6), with the Villans last having a longer run between September 1976 and May 1977 (24).

Tottenham have won their final away league game in each of the last four campaigns, averaging four goals per game in these matches. However, their last such defeat came the last time their final away game wasn’t their overall final match of the season (0-1 v Bournemouth in 2018-19).

Since the start of March, only Newcastle (22) have earned more points in the Premier League than Aston Villa (21), with the Villans winning seven of their eight matches in that time (L1).

Tottenham have lost 24 games in all competitions this season, their second highest number of defeats in a single campaign in their history after 1991-92 (25).

Tottenham have won just one of their last 10 Premier League games (D2 L7), beating bottom side Southampton 3-1 in April. They’ve conceded in each of their last 11 league games, their longest run without a clean sheet since a run of 17 between August and December 2010.

Ollie Watkins scored his 75th Premier League goal last time out against Bournemouth, becoming Aston Villa’s highest goalscorer in the competition. He’s looking to score 10 home goals in the same top-flight season for the first time (currently 9), though none of his three goals against Spurs have come at Villa Park.

Tottenham striker Dominic Solanke has applied more pressures (1,198) and made more off the ball runs into the opposition box (290) than any other player in the Premier League this season.

German referee Felix Zwayer, who once served a ban for alleged involvement in a match-fixing plot, will take charge of next week's all-English Europa League final between Tottenham and Manchester United.

Zwayer, now 43, was given a six-month suspension in 2006 after he was investigated for taking a £250 bribe from official Robert Hoyzer, who was subsequently handed a life ban.

It emerged that Zwayer, who has denied wrongdoing, was one of the officials to notify the authorities of Hoyzer's match-fixing scheme and his relatively short ban was recognition of that.

Since the ban was imposed, Zwayer has become one of Europe's leading referees and officiated in Arsenal's Champions League semi-final second leg defeat by Paris St-Germain last Wednesday.

Zwayer also took charge of England's European Championship semi-final victory over the Netherlands last summer.

When England and Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham played for Borussia Dortmund, the midfielder was fined 40,000 euros (£34,000) in 2021 for criticising Zwayer by making a reference to his ban.

The Europa League final will be played in Bilbao on Wednesday, 21 May.

Bosnian Irfan Peljto will referee Chelsea's Conference League final against Real Betis on 28 May in Wroclaw, Poland.

Romanian Istvan Kovacs will take charge of the Champions League final between PSG and Inter Milan on 31 May in Munich, Germany.

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Three years ago Tottenham beat Arsenal 3-0 and weeks later beat the Gunners to a Champions League place.

It marked the sixth consecutive season that Spurs finished above Arsenal in the Premier League.

Things have changed since then.

The Gunners have finished above their north london rivals ever since and this Premier League campaign will go down as one of the worst in Tottenham's history.

There remains a light on the horizon - with Tottenham looking forward to a Europa League final against Manchester United, knowing victory will give them a Champions League spot next campaign.

But this won't stop the speculation about manager Ange Postecoglou's future after another hugely disappointing league campaign.

"One has gone forwards and one has gone backwards – it's as simple as that," said BBC pundit Danny Murphy.

"That's mainly because Arsenal's recruitment has been better first and foremost, and also that they have had more consistency in terms of having the same manager to build under too."

Harry Kane scored twice for Spurs and Son Heung-min netted the other in that Tottenham win.

Rob Holding was sent off for Arsenal.

A Gunners win would have sealed their Champions League spot with two games to spare, but they ended up losing their next game too and Spurs beat them to a top-four spot.

The mood was high at Tottenham after Antonio Conte had taken them up from eighth place after replacing Nuno Espirito Santo in November.

BBC chief football writer Phil McNulty, who was at that game, said: "Tottenham Hotspur's decisive win pointed to a golden future under Antonio Conte.

"Arsenal were frail and vulnerable, while Spurs were irresistible and looked in prime position to continue on an upwards curve under the inspirational Conte.

"As so often, Harry Kane and Son Heung-min were the inspiration.

"Instead, it proved to be the high watermark of the Conte era.

"The night of joy and celebration when Spurs swept aside their neighbours can now be viewed as another part of another false dawn."

Tottenham fan Anna Howells, a content creator for Spurs XY, said: "That day had so much promise, a united team with fans, a manager with a proven record, returning to the Champions League and Harry Kane scoring goals for fun - what could go wrong?"

Arsenal have won five of the six derbies since then - with one draw.

As it turned out, Tottenham could not keep Conte happy.

He left by mutual consent in March 2023 after calling his players "selfish" and criticising the culture of the club.

They finished eighth, and lost in the Champions League last 16 to Milan.

There were big changes the following summer as in came Celtic manager Postecoglou, and out went the club's all-time top scorer Kane to Bayern Munich.

"This is only Ange's second season, and before that you had Conte, and Mourinho before that," said ex-England and Liverpool midfielder Murphy.

"So since the end of 2019 Spurs have had three managers while Arsenal have had this stability under Arteta and they have given their manager time to build something."

It all started so well under Postecoglou, with Spurs top of the table and unbeaten after 10 games going into November.

But a 4-1 home loss to Chelsea, with Spurs having two defenders sent off, sent them on a run of losing 12 of 28 games - and they missed out on a Champions League place by finishing fifth.

Domestically, Tottenham have had a wretched season this time around. They sit 17th and are facing their lowest finish since they were in the second tier in 1977–78.

Yet it could end up being their best season in terms of trophies since 2008, after setting up a Europa League final with Manchester United.

"This season in isolation has been really poor, but they also missed out on the Champions League last season too," said Murphy, who played for Spurs from 2006 to 2007.

"They would have been really hopeful that they would have been as competitive again this time – fifth again this year would have got them in, but instead they have fallen off a cliff."

Postecoglou has repeatedly pointed to injuries, but there has not been an upswing in results since several of them returned.

In the Carabao Cup they reached the semi-final, beating Liverpool 1-0 in the first leg before meekly losing the second leg 4-0 at Anfield.

Murphy added: "I don't think it [their current situation] is a catastrophe for Spurs because they have got some brilliant young players and they have still got some good experienced players.

"Their league form this season and their position is so far short of what that squad should produce and that is ultimately down to the manager.

"I think this is quite an anomaly what has happened to them this season, with the injuries they have had and their lack of confidence at times.

"What I think Spurs need to find is a balance between where they have been under Ange, and where they were in that season they finished fourth under Conte."

Spurs fan Howell said: "Looking back, the writing has been on the wall since we didn't back Mauricio Pochettino in terms of signing and going after the players he wanted.

"That has been the case ever since, and each manager has inherited a squad that slowly but surely lost their identity along the way and there was always a 'big rebuild' needed."

"Spurs might have won the battle that year but Arsenal have absolutely won the war," said Arsenal fan writer Laura Kirk.

Arsenal kept faith in Arteta, who took over in 2019, and are set for their third second-placed finish in a row, having not finished that high since 2016 before.

Kirk said: "Since Arteta has taken over Arsenal there has always been a very clear direction and identity in how he does things, and how he wants his team to play.

"Building sustainable success takes time, even if it looks like it happened overnight. After Arsenal finished outside of the Champions League places in 2022, there then followed their first season genuinely challenging for the title."

Arsenal were eight points clear in April 2023, but a run of four games without a win - including a 4-1 loss at Manchester City - saw Pep Guardiola's team go on to take the title.

Kirk continued: "That season might have looked like it came out of nowhere but success is not linear, and it was the result of small improvements over the course of Arteta's time at the club.

"Getting to this stage has included ups and downs, but the general direction has been positive.

"Arsenal clearly have faith in Arteta and could see this trend, even if the results weren't where we wanted to be back in 2022."

Arteta was backed in the transfer market in 2023 and brought in Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber for a total of about £200m.

Last season they finished on 89 points, two behind champions Manchester City, and reached the quarter-finals in their first Champions League campaign in six years.

This season they are second behind Liverpool in the league - and reached the semi-finals of the Champions League where they lost to Paris St-Germain.

"Arsenal look in a much more competitive place, with a much-better rounded squad than Tottenham, that is there for all to see," said Murphy.

"Arsenal's progression and competitiveness over the past couple of seasons, finishing second and fighting for titles, and progressing better in the Champions League, is also because of the manager."

It is not all doom and gloom for Tottenham though, says Murphy - who played 29 times for the club.

"If they do bring in a new coach - which I think they will do - who just changes and tweaks things a little bit, and gets them a little bit more defensive minded and brings in a couple of players, then they can soon be competing for those Champions League places again," says Murphy.

"I don't think Tottenham can bridge the gap to Arsenal in a summer but with the right appointment and some really good recruitment, why they can't be fighting for the top four or five next season?

"I'd expect Tottenham to be back to what we've seen from them before this season.

"Arsenal are at least a couple of years ahead of them, though. To close that gap again, basically Spurs need to do what Arsenal have done under Arteta.

"The right managerial appointment, some really good recruitment and then the stability Arsenal have had in the past few seasons."

Danny Murphy was speaking to BBC Sport's Chris Bevan

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Both clubs can almost forget about this game, really. It is a bit of a nuisance for both of them.

Tottenham's season rests on what happens in the Europa League final on 21 May, while for Crystal Palace it is all about the FA Cup final next weekend.

Eagles boss Oliver Glasner went strong with his team selection against Forest last week and if he does the same here then I can see a Palace victory. They don't have much to play for, though, because win or lose they look likely to finish in their usual position - 12th.

Spurs are still having a stinker of a time with injuries, with James Maddison and Lucas Bergvall both set to miss the rest of the season, and that situation hardly helps Ange Postecoglou with the side he picks.

It is hard to make a call without knowing who will play but, all things considered, the most likely outcome is probably a draw.

Sutton's prediction: 1-1

Tottenham have won each of their last nine Premier League home games against Crystal Palace. In their top-flight history, they’ve only won 10 in a row against Blackburn (1933 to 1966).

In what is the 25th different campaign in which they’ve met, Crystal Palace are looking to complete their first ever league double over Tottenham.

Tottenham Hotspur have picked up fewer points in Premier League London derbies this season than any other side (11), losing six of their 11 games (W3 D2). Only in 2004-05 have Spurs ever lost more London derbies in a league season (7).

Crystal Palace have picked up 46 points in the Premier League this season, just three short of their competition record of 49 in 1992-93, 2018-19, and 2023-24. Indeed, 52% of their points in the competition this season have come away from home (24/46), with only Ipswich (68%), Southampton (55%), and Bournemouth (53%) having a higher ratio.

Tottenham have won only one of their last nine Premier League games (D2 L6), conceding in each of their last 10 games in the competition (20 in total); they last endured a longer run without a clean sheet in the league in December 2010 (17 games).

Crystal Palace are winless in their last five Premier League games (D3 L2), this after winning four of their previous five beforehand (D1). The Eagles have drawn each of their last three league games, last drawing four in a row in October 2021 under Patrick Vieira.

Only Southampton (28) and Ipswich Town (27) have dropped more points from winning positions in the Premier League this season than Tottenham (26), with Spurs only dropping more in a Premier League campaign in 2007-08 (33) and 2001-02 (27).

Tottenham have only won two of their last 12 Premier League games that have directly followed a midweek UEFA Europa League match (D3 L7). At home, Spurs have failed to win all five of their league games following a European fixture in 2024-25 (D2 L3).

Eberechi Eze has been directly involved in five of Crystal Palace’s last seven league goals (3 goals, 2 assists), scoring in both of their last two league games. In his 267-game English league career, Eze is yet to find the net in three successive appearances.

Tottenham’s Son Heung-min has scored nine goals in his 16 Premier League appearances against Crystal Palace, only scoring more against Southampton (11) in the competition. Indeed, only Sadio Mané (13) and Harry Kane (11) have more goals against the Eagles in the Premier League overall.