FotMob

Spurs ended the weekend where they started

The best that can be said about Tottenham Hotspur’s weekend is that at least it didn’t end with them materially any worse off than they started it. They may have put in a fourth consecutive unimpressive shift in losing 2-1 at Fulham, but with Nottingham Forest, West Ham United and Burnley all also losing, they finished it four points above the drop zone, just as they’d started it, with ten games now to play.

Crystal Palace have been mildly baffling of late. Having lost at home to Burnley and then putting in an unconvincing performance in beating Wolves 1-0, their last outing to Old Trafford to play in-form Manchester United saw them go down 2-1, albeit after a performance from which they might have deserved a point. Although only two positions above their opponents in the table, the six-point gap between the two teams means that Palace are almost certainly already safe for another season.

Crystal Palace are the last team that Spurs beat in the Premier League

If there is a cause for optimism amongst Spurs fans ahead of this fixture, it’s that Crystal Palace were the last team that they beat in the Premier League. We’ll gloss over the fact that this came on the 28th December. But there is also a warning for Spurs in the recent past. Palace did the league double over them last season, winning 1-0 at Selhurst Park in December 2024 and 2-0 at The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in May, as the home side’s 2024-25 Premier League season gurgled away down the plug-hole.

One little historical curio is that these two have played each other in seven different tournaments or league divisions, since their first meeting in 1906. They’ve played each other in both the League Cup and FA Cup, but also in the Premier League, the old First and Second Divisions of the Football League, and both the Southern League and Western League before they joined the Football League.

Richarlison is the only Spurs player who really knows what a relegation bunfight is like

One of the biggest concerns about Spurs’ slide towards the bottom three is that they don’t have players who are used to being in a relegation bunfight, making them particularly ill-equipped to deal with the unique pressures that come with such a struggle. One player who has, however, is Richarlison. Thanks to his time at Everton, he’s certainly been involved in this sort of scrap before. With eight goals, he’s by a long way now their top League goalscorer, and his goal at Fulham last weekend was about the only highlight of an otherwise dismal weekend for the North Londoners.

Brennan Johnson scored the goal which won Spurs the Europa League last May, and considering the size of the Tottenham injury list, the haste with which they sold him to Palace at the start of the January transfer window was almost unseemly. Johnson hasn’t scored for Palace in the League yet, despite having made nine appearances for them, so this all feels a bit like a script that is writing itself.

Both sides have players missing, but Spurs remain deep in a horrendous injury crisis

The latest Tottenham casualty is Djed Spence, who missed the Fulham match and is unlikely to be ready for this one, either. Otherwise, they remain where they were. Cristian Romero remains suspended, while Wilson Odobert, Destiny Udogie, Lucas Bergvall, Rodrigo Bentancur, Ben Davies, James Maddison, Mohammed Kudus and Dejan Kulusevski all remain out of action.

Crystal Palace have four players out with injury, with Eddie Nketiah, Cheick Doucoure, Jean-Philippe Mateta and Jefferson Lerma all in various stages of recovery. Maxence Lacroix will also be unavailable to Oliver Glasner. He’s suspended, following his sending-off against Manchester United on Sunday.

Spurs’ dismal run of form has to end some time, and Crystal Palace have looked vulnerable at times, this season

Igor Tudor’s comments after the Fulham match, in which he pointed at the team’s shortcomings in defence, midfield and attack, spoke volumes for the bin fire that Spurs’ season has become. Having an interim head coach sounding so defeated and broken after just two matches in charge of his new team feels like a pretty accurate representation of where the club are, at present.

We’re at the point of the law of averages being the most optimistic sign for the home side with regard to their remaining matches. Spurs did beat Crystal Palace earlier in the season, and that’s something to cling onto. There has to be a point at which they win another Premier League match, doesn’t there? Doesn’t there?

But Crystal Palace have made recent hard work of matches against other teams near the bottom of the table, and while they played better against Manchester United, they still lost. So I’m going to stick my neck on the line and go for a 1-0 Spurs win.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

The arrival of Igor Tudor did not automatically cure Spurs’ ills

Still without a Premier League win in 2026, the arrival of emergency interim head coach Igor Tudor has so far shown few indications that Tottenham Hotspur’s form is going to change much in the foreseeable future.

A 4-1 home defeat in the North London Derby last weekend saw a passable first half performance from struggling Spurs, but an abject second 45 minutes only reaffirmed the feeling that the problems at the club run so deep that changing the head coach is akin to rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic.

Fulham, meanwhile, are settled and comfortable in mid-table. They’re exactly halfway down the Premier League going into the weekend (they will likely be a little lower by kick-off), with an impressive 3-1 win at Sunderland having ended a run of three successive defeats.

Who needs to finish where in order to qualify for Europe next season remains up in the air, but seventh – possibly even eighth – could be enough for the Europa Conference League. The Cottagers are only three points off that position, so they still have much to – potentially – play for in their remaining fixtures.

Fulham have the upper hand in recent meetings between these two teams

The historical omens for Spurs from this fixture do not look much better than their current form. Fulham have won four and drawn one of the two teams’ last six meetings, and they won 2-1 at The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium when the two clubs met in the corresponding fixture this season, at the end of November.

In order to find a straw for Spurs fans to grasp at, you have to go a little further back into the history books. Fulham only beat Spurs once between 1948 and 1999, though it should be added that they ‘only’ met each other 30 times over those 51 years.

Randal Kolo Muani’s improved performance was Spurs’ sole bright spot from their North London Derby humbling

Two goals at Sunderland last week makes Raúl Jiménez Fulham’s main goal threat. He’s scored eight goals and registered three assists, and he’ll be fancying his chances of increasing that tally against a defence which hasn’t kept a clean sheet in the league since New Year’s Day.

Randal Kolo Muani has worked with Igor Tudor before, and one of the tiny bright spots of Spurs’ North London Derby defeat was a better performance from the French striker. He scored his first Premier League goal and had a second slightly harshly disallowed last weekend; Tudor will need more of the same throughout the rest of the season.

Both sides have players returning, but Spurs remain deep in a horrendous injury crisis

With Tudor favouring three at the back, it’s expected that Kevin Danso will return, so the new head coach will be able to play his preferred system without having to crowbar defensive midfielder João Palhinha into his back line. Pedro Porro should be available again following his lay-off.

Cristian Romero remains suspended, while Wilson Odobert, Destiny Udogie, Lucas Bergvall, Rodrigo Bentancur, Ben Davies, Richarlison, James Maddison, Mohammed Kudus and Dejan Kulusevski all remain out of action. Spurs essentially had 13 fit first-team players for last weekend’s match, which gives an indication of just how severe their injury situation has been. Why the club didn’t even really attempt to rectify this during the January transfer window remains completely mystifying. The word ‘crisis’ is thrown around far too cheaply in football these days, but Spurs remain deep in the midst of an injury crisis.

Fulham have few such concerns. They’ve had Saša Lukić, Samuel Chukwueze and Antonee Robinson out with injury, but all three of these players should be returning in the very near future. Of the three, Lukić seems the least likely to be ready for this match. Robinson should be available again, while Chukuwueze is touch and go. Tom Cairney returned against Sunderland with a late cameo from the bench after three weeks out without any issues.

Doctor Tottenham remains on call, and Fulham should take advantage of his services

Wolves, Burnley, West Ham and Nottingham Forest may beg to differ, but there really are no other teams in the Premier League who need a win quite as much as Spurs do at the moment. Their current winless run feels like a seal that they need to break; a losing mentality seems to have become deeply embedded in their players.

It remains the case that the watching media and public alike are of the view that it’s inconceivable that the ninth-richest football club in the world could get relegated from the Premier League, but scales do seem to be falling from some eyes. The unthinkable is rapidly becoming very thinkable indeed, and Igor Tudor does not have much time left to rearrange those deckchairs if he wants it to make any material difference to their fortunes.

Fulham’s win at Sunderland last week ended a brief downturn in form, and with all Premier League clubs apparently now welcoming their visits from Doctor Tottenham, they’ll be looking forward to this visit as an opportunity to push back into the top half of the table. The grim truth for Spurs fans is that, for opposing teams, this is currently the most winnable fixture in their remaining schedules. A comfortable 2-0 win for Fulham would hardly lift the sinking feeling that is now rapidly descending over The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

Panic on the streets of (North) London

Given their opponents’ recent upswing in form, Spurs’ 2-0 defeat at Manchester United wasn’t a surprise, but it does seem to have been a tipping point at which scales fell from a lot of eyes about the severity of their proximity to the Premier League’s relegation places. Spurs are now just six points above the dotted line, with Leeds United, Nottingham Forest and West Ham – essentially all of those below them apart from Burnley and Wolves – all having picked up points recently.

There are only four points between Spurs and Newcastle at the moment, and Newcastle’s manager Eddie Howe is also under a little pressure, with his team in 12th place in the table. His team has been inconsistent all season, but fans would probably rather see inconsistency than the sort of consistency that they’ve displayed recently, with three consecutive League defeats and a comfortable elimination from the Carabao Cup by Manchester City. Both clubs are still in the Champions League, though Newcastle have to compete in the play-offs for a place in the last 16.

When Spurs do lose to Newcastle, they tend to do so in style

There aren’t many positives to take from Spurs’ recent form against Newcastle; they’ve won just one of the clubs’ last eight meetings, and even though they drew 2-2 at St James’ Park at the start of December, the man who scored both of Spurs’ goals that evening will not be playing tonight. Newcastle also won 2-0 when they met in the Carabao Cup at the end of October.

Furthermore, when Spurs do lose to Newcastle, they have a tendency to do it in style; 5-1 in 2016, 6-1 in 1999 and 2023, 7-2 in 1950 and 7-1 in 1951 and 1996. The good news for them is that all of these defeats came at St James’ Park, and that they have dished out a few shellackings of their own too, over the years; 5-1 in 1959, 1985 and 2022, 5-0 in 2012, and 7-0 in 1950.

Newcastle’s defensive fragility has been their biggest recent problem

Newcastle’s big issue in 2026 so far has been their defensive record. Since beating Crystal Palace 2-0 on the 4th January, they’ve played eight games and have conceded twenty goals in that time, which included a clean sheet at Wolves. Sven Botman returned from injury for the Leeds game in January, but was benched against Liverpool, returning to the centre of their defence to little positive defensive effect against Brentford, although he did score their opening goal.

Spurs have fresh injury problems, while Newcastle are likely to shuffle

Thomas Frank has been given a fresh Cristian Romero-shaped problem following the captain’s sending off at Old Trafford on Saturday. He’ll now be missing the next four games – including the North London Derby on the 22nd February – suspended. Just what they needed.

Destiny Udogie lasted 55 minutes into his return from injury against Manchester United before limping off again and will be missing, and Djed Spence is also unlikely to return. Pedro Porro limped off at Burnley and won’t be ready for this match. Kevin Danso, Lucas Bergvall, Rodrigo Bentancur, Ben Davies, Richarlison James Maddison, Mohammed Kudus, João Palhinha and Dejan Kulusevski all remain out of action.

We can reasonably expect changes from Eddie Howe following Saturday’s home disaster against Brentford, with Jacob Murphy and Joe Willock, who were both hauled off at half-time, the most likely to be sacrificed. Lewis Miley, Anthony Gordon, Joelinton, Tino Livramento, Fabian Schar and Emil Krafth remain side-lined.

Newcastle can benefit from a lack of cheer at Spurs

With two wins from their last 16 Premier League matches, something needs to change at The Tottenham Hotspur stadium for Spurs to avoid a relegation battle for which they seem particularly ill-equipped; they really are starting to circle that drain.

The Champions League has provided some light relief, but league form has been atrocious, the injury situation isn’t improving at all, and each League match brings about a fresh round of apoplexy from a fan base who have clearly seen enough.

Things aren’t going so well for Newcastle United. A month ago today, they were 6th in the Premier League and still in both of the domestic cup competitions. They’re now 12th and out of both the cups. If they’re to play European football again next season, they need to end their run of three straight Premier League losses before the gap becomes too great to bridge.

But the lack of positive signs emanating from The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium make this a perfect venue for them to be visiting, so, in the absence of seeing reason to be optimistic on behalf of the home team, I’ll go for Doctor Tottenham to be very much on-call, and for a comfortable 3-0 win for Eddie Howe’s Inconsistent Army.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

Wayne Rooney Barb Sums Up Tottenham’s Struggles Under Thomas Frank  FotMob

Michael Carrick Sends Kobbie Mainoo Message After Latest Man Utd Win  FotMob

Man Utd XI vs. Tottenham: Sesko Decision Made—Injury News, Predicted Lineup  FotMob

‘Disgraceful’—Cristian Romero Takes Swipe at Tottenham Hierarchy  FotMob

Why Pep Guardiola Missed Tottenham Prematch Duties After Trip to Barcelona  FotMob

Pep Guardiola has lost more league games against Tottenham than he has versus any other club in his managerial career, going down to them on eight occasions during his Manchester City reign.

Man City travel to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for Sunday's late kick-off in the Premier League, and after a topsy-turvy month in the title race, Arsenal and Aston Villa will both be watching on with plenty of interest.

City defeated Wolves 2-0 in their most recent Premier League game last Saturday, with their neighbours then doing them a huge favour by defeating Arsenal 3-2 the following day.

Those results – coupled with Villa's victory over Newcastle United – cut the Gunners' lead at the summit to four points, and this weekend, they are the team hoping their arch-rivals can lend them a helping hand.

However, while Tottenham joined City, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal in securing a top-eight Champions League finish on Wednesday, their Premier League form has been nothing short of terrible and has left Thomas Frank fighting for his job.

Ahead of Sunday's game, we look at the Opta data to pick out all the key storylines and players to watch.

What's expected?

The Opta supercomputer is siding with City ahead of Sunday's headline fixture, with their chances of victory rated at 46.9%.

Across 10,000 pre-match simulations, Spurs were victorious in 28.7%, with the remaining 24.4% of scenarios seeing the points shared.

In the predictive model's 2025-26 simulations, City's chances of the title are rated at just 8.5%, despite Arsenal's wobble.

The Gunners took the crown in 81.5% of season simulations, with Villa doing so in 9.4%. Tottenham, meanwhile, finish 14th most often, doing so in 13.6% of scenarios.

City initially struggled at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after the venue opened in 2019, losing on each of their first three trips there in the Champions League and Premier League.

However, City have won on their last two league trips to Spurs, having not won three away games in a row against them since doing so between February 1973 and August 1974.

But Frank's side did upset the odds at the Etihad Stadium in August's return fixture, with Brennan Johnson and Joao Palhinha on target late in the first half, securing a 2-0 win.

Tottenham could now complete their 10th Premier League double over Spurs, with only Chelsea having achieved the feat against the Citizens 10 times. Spurs' nine Premier League doubles against City are already their most against any opponent.

Frank must find home comforts

Though Spurs finished their European league-stage campaign with three straight victories, two of which came at home, they have been dire on their own turf domestically.

Teams managed by Frank have won just four of their last 22 home Premier League matches overall, with the Dane posting an identical record (two wins, three draws, six defeats) across his last 11 games with Brentford as in his first 11 with Spurs.

Frank's Tottenham have earned 0.82 points per home Premier League game, the worst such record of any Spurs boss in the competition's history.

And they took their woes on the road with them last weekend, drawing 2-2 with relegation favourites Burnley at Turf Moor.

Spurs are now winless in five Premier League matches (three draws, two defeats), with this their fourth run of five or more winless games in the last two seasons. They only endured four such runs throughout their previous 12 campaigns combined, from 2012-13 to 2023-24.

Across the last two seasons, the only ever-present sides to pick up fewer Premier League points than Tottenham's 66 are Wolves (50) and West Ham (63).

Their 31 defeats in that time are second only to Wolves' 37, and another defeat would mean they have lost 10 or more games for eight consecutive seasons since 2018-19. In their eight campaigns beforehand (2010-11 – 2017-18) this only happened twice.

There is still plenty of work for Frank to do if he is to get Spurs' supporters onside, even if their European results have provided some respite from their domestic struggles.

Semenyo looks to continue hot start

Spurs' fans could be sick of the sight of Antoine Semenyo by Sunday night.

Only two players have ever previously scored against Tottenham for two different teams in a Premier League season – Eric Cantona in 1992-93 (Leeds United and Man Utd) and Benito Carbone in 1999-00 (Sheffield Wednesday and Aston Villa).

Semenyo could join that exclusive club this week, having scored a 95th-minute winner against Spurs on his farewell appearance for Bournemouth on January 7.

Semenyo has scored five goals in his last eight Premier League appearances for both Bournemouth and City, the joint-most of any player in the division since December 15.

And having found the net against Wolves last week, he will look to continue his hot streak here.

Given City have not been performing to their usual lofty standards, Guardiola may just need the winger to provide a moment of inspiration.

Last weekend, City both attempted and faced 11 shots against Wolves, the seventh time this season they had either had fewer or as many attempts as their opponents in a Premier League game, their joint-most in a season under Guardiola.

They are only averaging 4.7 more shots per game than their opponents this campaign, making this their least dominant season under his reign.

Their attacking downturn has even affected the form of Erling Haaland, who ended his run of nine matches without an open-play goal (in all competitions) on Wednesday, netting City's first goal in a 2-0 Champions League win over Galatasaray.

With 15 games remaining in the title race, now would be a great time for City to find more ways to service their Norwegian goal machine.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Tottenham – Cristian Romero

Romero assisted Randal Kolo Muani's opening goal against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League last time out, and his knack of popping up with goal involvements has been a major boost for Frank's men this season.

The Argentine has been directly involved in nine goals across all competitions this season (six goals, three assists), as many goal contributions as he managed in his first four campaigns for Spurs combined.

Romero may also be busy defensively on Sunday, having won more duels both overall (133) and in the air (63) than any other Tottenham player in the Premier League this season.

Manchester City – Omar Marmoush

Marmoush netted his first Premier League goal of the season against Wolves last week, when Haaland was handed a rest.

However, all eight of Marmoush's goals in the competition have been scored at home – he has failed to score with all 20 of his attempts in 12 games away from home.

It has been a frustrating season for the Egyptian, but he certainly has the quality to be a key player for City between now and the end of May.

Tottenham boss Thomas Frank is relishing the chance to book their spot in the last 16 of the Champions League amid their poor league form.

Spurs drew 2-2 with Burnley on the weekend, seeing them drop to 14th in the Premier League, though a win over Eintracht Frankfurt on Wednesday would guarantee their place in the round of 16 of the Champions League.

Spurs have faced Frankfurt on six occasions in major European competition, with Feyenoord (eight) being the only opponent they have played against more often.

They have lost just one of those six games against the Bundesliga side (W3 D2), while they are unbeaten in the last four – all of which have been since 2022-23 (W2 D2).

Spurs have won their last two Champions League matches and are looking for three wins in a row for the first time since November 2019, while they last won three in a row with a clean sheet each time in April 2019.

"For me, I see an opportunity ahead of us tomorrow that we want to do everything we can to grab with both hands," said Frank

"I'm very happy that the team and the club we are in a position where, with a win tomorrow, we can finish top eight in the best club tournament in the world, and it's super, super competitive, as we know.

"We're very, very positive and looking forward to that. So, that's what we're focusing everything we can on.

"The players are giving everything. But for me, it's all about Frankfurt. All about the opportunity ahead of us."

Frank also provided an update on Randal Kolo Muani and Wilson Odobert, who were involved in a car crash on Tuesday.

"Kolo Muani and Wilson Odobert are both fine. Unfortunately, both were involved in a minor accident. Everyone else involved in that accident was just fine. It was a tyre blowing up," added Frank.

"That is my absolute understanding of everything. I haven't spoken to them personally yet, because the first thing we heard, the first message, is that they are fine. And nothing happened, as I said the first time. I fully expect both to be available."