London Evening Standard

Ange Postecoglou has no fresh injury concerns ahead of the crunch Europa League first leg against Bodo/Glimt, with captain Heung-min Son still sidelined with a foot injury.

In Son's absence, Mathys Tel is expected to continue from the left wing for Tottenham after a lively display in the quarter-final decider against Eintracht Frankfurt.

Dejan Kulusevski is likely to start but Postecoglou faces a decision over where to play the Swede, who could come in at No10 for James Maddison or replace Brennan Johnson on the right wing.

Playing Kulusevski in the front three would give Spurs more energy in the middle but he is less of a goal-threat than Johnson.

Postecoglou also faces a decision at full-back, with Pedro Porro, Destiny Udogie and Djed Spence competing for two places.

Spence has gone off the boil in recent weeks, while Udogie was preferred at left-back in both legs of the quarter-final against Eintracht Frankfurt, so the Italian and Porro seem likeliest to get the nod.

Elsewhere, Postecoglou's XI should be easy to predict. Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven will return to the back line after being rested for the chastening 5-1 defeat to Liverpool, while Lucas Bergvall and Rodrigo Bentancur have established themselves as the head coach's preferred midfield two.

Guglielmo Vicario has been shaky of late but remains Spurs' No1 goalkeeper and a dressing-room leader, while Dominic Solanke will lead the line.

Tottenham have been dealt a major injury blow ahead of the first leg of their Europa League semi-final with Bodo/Glimt on Thursday.

Heung-min Son was absent from training on Wednesday morning and looks set to miss the game in north London.

Son has missed the last four Spurs games with a troublesome foot injury but Spurs hoped he would be fit for the first leg against Bodo/Glimt.

Ange Postecoglou said last week that Spurs were taking a “a day-by-day decision” with Son and that it would be “touch and go” whether the South Korean would be fit for the first leg.

Postecoglou is due to provide up an update on Son’s availability when he holds his pre-match press conference on Wednesday afternoon.

“If [he’s not ready] for the first game we think he’ll be ready for the second game,” said Postecoglou last week.

Rodrigo Bentancur also trained on Wednesday, having been left out of the squad for Sunday’s 5-1 defeat at Liverpool to manage his fitness.

Postecoglou has no other fresh injury concerns ahead of the first leg against Bodo/Glimt.

The 19-year-old Swedish midfielder has been one of the shining lights in a difficult season for Spurs, who face Bodo/Glimt in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final on Thursday.

Explaining his decision to commit his long-term future to the club, Bergvall said: “It’s a club with great ambitions, I’m really enjoying being here and playing for this amazing football club.

“Short-term, Europa League. Of course the goal is to win everything. And that’s what we try to do. Now we go on Thursday.”

Bergvall was expected to take time to settle in the Premier League but he has established himself as a key player under Ange Postecoglou.

“I’ve learned a lot,” he said. “Coming to a new country, a new culture, of course I had Deki (Dejan Kulusevski) helping me a lot in the beginning but still, living on your own, making food and everything... it’s not only to be a footballer to train every day, it’s everything around it.

“You have to take care of the car, the house or apartment... everything really, so I think I’ve developed a lot as a person as well as a player.

“I think I worked really hard for this and with help from my team-mates and the staff, I’ve developed a lot this season.

“If you compare to the beginning of the season, I came from the Swedish league, I had a lot to learn and needed to settle down a little bit but I think around Christmas and before that, I started to get more time (on the pitch) and I started to develop and learn more with help from my team-mates and the staff.”

Swedish midfielder rewarded for impressive first season at Spurs with improved long-term deal

Big impression: Lucas Bergvall has begun life at Tottenham well, despite their wretched Premier League form

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George Flood

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Tottenham have been boosted ahead of their crunch Europa League semi-final tie against Bodo/Glimt this week after Lucas Bergvall signed a new long-term contract.

Spurs announced on Tuesday night that the Swedish midfielder, 19, had put pen to paper on a fresh deal lasting until the summer of 2031.

Bergvall initially penned a five-year contract at Tottenham after an £8.5million move from Swedish side Djurgarden that was sealed in February 2024 before his arrival later in the summer.

The transfer was considered a huge coup for Spurs as they beat Barcelona to his signature, with the teenager going on to impress in his first season in north London and making 45 appearances across all competitions to date - 27 in the Premier League.

His sole goal for Tottenham so far came with the winner in their home Carabao Cup semi-final first-leg tie against Liverpool back in January.

The performances of Bergvall and other youngsters such as Archie Gray have been rare bright spots in an otherwise abysmal season for Spurs that sees them sit 16th in the Premier League table amid massive pressure on manager Ange Postecoglou after a 19th defeat of the campaign at Anfield on Sunday that clinched Liverpool the title.

Bergvall has also been a mainstay of Spurs’ team in the Europa League this term, appearing 10 times throughout the competition and helping them to reach the semi-finals, where they face Norwegian champions Bodo/Glimt in a tie which has its first leg at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Thursday night.

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Tottenham face the biggest night of their season so far as they host Bodo/Glimt in the first leg of the Europa League semi-final tie.

It has been a dreadful Premier League campaign for Ange Postecoglou’s side, who sit 16th in the table after they were thrashed 5-1 by Liverpool on Sunday for their 19th league defeat this term.

The Europa League is Spurs’ one hope of salvaging something from the season with a trophy and Champions League qualification, though even that might not be enough to save Postecoglou’s job.

A first European trophy in 41 years is only three matches away for Spurs, who could well face Manchester United in the final.

Bodo/Glimt will have other ideas, having edged past Lazio on penalties in the quarter-finals to reach the last-four of a major European competition for the first time.

Date, kick-off time and venue

Tottenham vs Bodo/Glimt is scheduled for a 8pm BST kick-off on Thursday, May 1, 2025.

The first leg will take place at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in north London.

Where to watch Tottenham vs Bodo/Glimt

TV channel: In the UK, the game will be televised live on TNT Sports.

Live stream: TNT Sports subscribers can also catch the contest live online via the Discovery+ app and website.

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Live blog: You can follow all the action on matchday via Standard Sport’s live blog, featuring expert analysis from Dan Kilpatrick at the ground.

Tottenham vs Bodo/Glimt team news

The likes of Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and Dejan Kulusevski are all expected to return to the starting lineup, having been rested against Liverpool over the weekend.

Heung-min Son remains a doubt, though, having missed the last three matches with a foot injury, and Postecoglou has admitted the Spurs captain is “touch and go” for the first leg.

Bodo/Glimt have had their options depleted, with captain Patrick Berg, Hakon Evjen and Andreas Helmersen all suspended.

There are also injury concerns for centre-back Odin Bjortuft and winger Ole Blomberg, meaning the visitors will be forced into changes across the pitch.

Injury issue: Heung-min Son could be ruled out with a foot problem

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Tottenham vs Bodo/Glimt prediction

There is little point reading too much into Tottenham’s Premier League displays, with it clear the full focus is on European matters.

They were impressive in the previous round against Frankfurt and a repeat of that should be too much for a weakened Bodo/Glimt side, particularly on home soil.

Spurs will be keen to take control of the tie before they head to Norway and an artificial surface next week, and they should be confident of doing so.

Tottenham to win, 3-1.

Head to head (h2h) history and results

This will be the first competitive match between the two sides.

Tottenham vs Bodo/Glimt odds

Tottenham to win: 1/4

Draw: 7/2

Bodo/Glimt to win: 15/2

Odds via Betfair (subject to change).

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Son has now missed three games with a foot injury, but has returned to training ahead of Thursday’s Europa League semi-final first-leg clash with Bodo/Glimt.

Another concern for Ange Postecoglou could be Rodrigo Bentancur, who missed the loss at Liverpool. Otherwise only Radu Dragusin is a regular in the treatment room.

Heung-min Son has not featured for Spurs in the last three games are finally succumbing to a troublesome foot injury, but has returned to training. It is hoped that Son will be fit for Thursday’s visit of Bodo/Glimt, but Ange Postecoglou fell short of guaranteeing it when speaking to reporters last week.

Postecoglou said: “We’ll see. Like I said, he's improving, it's the first time he's kind of got out on the grass [on Friday], and he said he felt it's definitely better than what it was. So it's kind of a day-by-day decision.”

He added after the defeat at Liverpool: “It’ll be touch and go for Thursday. He’ll try hard. If [he’s not ready] for the first game we think he’ll be ready for the second game.”

The midfielder was a surprise absentee for the loss at Anfield on Sunday. Bentancur is firmly part of Postecoglou’s first-choice starting XI, so would expect to start on Thursday.

That still appears to be the case, with Postecoglou suggesting Bentancur was given the weekend off for load management and rest ahead of the semi-final.

Postecoglou told Sky Sports ahead of the game: "He's fine, a bit like Destiny last week. He's played a lot recently and we felt like he would benefit from a weekend off, similar to Destiny last week."

A club statement at the time read: “Radu underwent surgery today following his ACL injury. That procedure has now been completed, and the centre-back will now commence with his recovery before beginning the rehab process.”

Spurs have slipped even further from the benchmark set under Mauricio Pochettino, though under-fire manager is not solely to blame

Under pressure: Even winning the Europa League might not keep Ange Postecoglou at Tottenham this summer

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Your matchday briefing on Tottenham, featuring team news and expert analysis from Dan Kilpatrick

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When Ange Postecoglou arrived at Tottenham in the summer of 2023, he was joining a club which had badly lost its way.

Towards the end of the previous season, Harry Kane claimed the club had allowed "standards around the team" to slip since the Mauricio Pochettino era – a view publicly supported by interim head coach Ryan Mason.

So Postecoglou was appointed with a remit to not just transform Spurs' style of play and develop young players, but perform a full cultural reset and return the club to the high standards of professionalism which characterised Pochettino's tenure.

As Spurs slumped to another defeat at Anfield on Sunday, however, their standards have rarely felt lower - at least not since Daniel Levy's ENIC bought the club in 2001.

Spurs may still win the Europa League this season, turning a miserable campaign into a historic and potentially transformative one, but in the top-flight they have become a team which is accustomed to losing and has capitulated on almost a weekly basis for months.

A 19th loss of the season on Merseyside equalled their previous Premier League record from 1997-98 and there seems little chance that Spurs will avoid setting a new unwanted total in the final four games of the campaign, particularly as everyone at the club is focused solely on Europe.

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Far from raising standards, Postecoglou increasingly appears to have fostered an environment where losing in the league is accepted and the consequences for under-performance are non-existent, provided his side continue to raise their game in Europe.

It is easy to forget that a furious Antonio Conte eviscerated his own squad after a 3-3 draw at Southampton with Spurs fourth in the table, while Jose Mourinho was sacked with his side in seventh and days from a cup final. Today, Spurs are in a three-way scrap to avoid finishing 17th.

Postecoglou is not, of course, alone in setting standards at the club and there is a case that culture is set from the top of an organisation, in this case by Levy, the chairman, and the board.

The head coach has also been failed by senior players, who have consistently been unable to step up when it matters, including on Sunday.

It would be uncharitable to Arne Slot's outstanding Liverpool team, who are deserving champions, to put their 5-1 thrashing of Spurs down to the visitors' shortcomings.

Aside from the three relegated clubs, Liverpool could not, though, have invited more accommodating guests to their coronation party than Postecoglou's Spurs.

For all Liverpool's class, Spurs made it remarkably easy for them to respond to Dominic Solanke's shock 12th-minute opener and the game – and Liverpool's 20th league title – was effectively wrapped up by the interval after goals from Luis Diaz, Alexis Mac Allister and Cody Gakpo.

The second half was little more than a procession in a carnival atmosphere, underlined by Mohamed Salah celebrating Liverpool's fourth goal with a selfie in front of the Kop – which might have been iconic if it had not felt so staged.

Destiny Udogie capped a miserable Spurs visit by bundling in their fourth own goal of the season.

Some teams would have relished the chance to spoil the occasion for the Reds and dug in at 1-0, sensing the opportunity to frustrate their opponents and the crowd, and turn the day spectacularly on its head.

Familiar story: Tottenham led against Liverpool for all of four minutes before totally capitulating once more

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Postecoglou's Spurs are not one of those teams, and their lead lasted all of four minutes.

Their latest collapse was riddled with familiar mistakes, from failing to deal with second balls at set-pieces to looking incapable of tracking Liverpool's runners between the gaps in their porous back line.

Postecoglou claimed Spurs "paid the price" for his "necessary" changes to the XI before Thursday's Europa League semi-final first leg against Bodo/Glimt, and they will be back at full strength against the Norwegians; Pedro Porro, Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven will return to defence, Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski are likely to bolster the midfield and captain Heung-min Son is hopeful of recovering from a foot injury in time to feature from the left wing.

There is every chance that Spurs will be much improved again but even glory in the Europa League may not fully justify such a shambolic league season.

If Postecoglou's system cannot work without his best players, it is not fit for purpose and if Spurs cannot rouse themselves for league matches, the head coach is failing at his job of motivating the squad.

There have been mitigating factors to Spurs' league season, including an unprecedented mid-winter injury crisis, while the club's recruitment looks increasingly questionable. But there is no excuse for them continuing to drift through league games.

Asked about the progress of his cultural reset before the visit to Liverpool, Postecoglou cited the 'stone cutters' creed' – a mantra derived from a quote by 20th century Danish-American thinker Jacob Riis.

A stone cutter, Riis explained, might strike a rock 100 times with no effect and only with the 101st blow will it crack open – a lesson in perseverance which Postecoglou sees as analogous with his project at Spurs.

And perhaps the Australian's rebuild will crack wide open if his side win the Europa League in Bilbao on May 21, proving a hugely significant juncture in the club's modern history and setting a new standard for Spurs.

As it stands, however, under the watch of Levy and Postecoglou, Spurs have slipped even further from the benchmark set by Pochettino this season.

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Your matchday briefing on Tottenham, featuring team news and expert analysis from Dan Kilpatrick

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Liverpool were confirmed as league champions for a 20th time after thrashing sorry Tottenham Hotspur 5-1 at Anfield.

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Needing just a point to wrap up the title, Arne Slot’s side never looked back after Luiz Diaz quickly cancelled out Dominic Solanke’s surprise opener against his former club.

Alexis Mac Allister put Liverpool in front with the pick of the goals and Cody Gakpo added a third before the interval.

In the second half, Mohamed Salah scored his 27th top-flight goal to cap a devastating counter-attack and Destiny Udogie turned into his own net to complete the scoring.

Here are three Spurs talking points from an historic day at Anfield…

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Spurs capitulate to set up a Liverpool procession

Aside from the three relegated clubs, Liverpool could not have picked a better guest for their coronation party than this abject Tottenham side.

It would be churlish to attritube Liverpool’s thumping victory on the failings of Ange Postecoglou’s side because the Reds are plainly a magnificent team and worthy champions. But, my goodness, Spurs made it easy for them.

The visitors were sloppy and disorganised again, particularly out of possession, and undone by a series of familiar mistakes, as well as some outstanding football from the hosts.

Postecoglou made eight changes ahead of Thursday’s Europa League semi-final first leg against Bodo/Glimt and Spurs’ first XI would surely have been better able to compete.

But as it was, they capitulated, just as they have done in more or less every league game since mid-Februry, barring meetings with the bottom three.

Solanke’s early header briefly raised Spurs’ hopes they could spoil the occasion but they were extinguished within four minutes by Diaz’s slick opener – a measure both of Liverpool’s brilliance and the brittleness of the visitors.

Once Mac Allister put Liverpool in front, there seemed little doubt that they would clinch a historic title and the only question for Spurs was whether they could avoid injuries and embarrassment.

While they appeared to come through unscathed, this was another chastening league defeat – their 19th of a wretched campaign – and the latest demonstration that the gulf between them and the league’s best has dramatically widened this term.

Spurs, of course, may still finish the season with glory if they win the Europa League and, strange as it may seem, a first trophy in 17 years seems about as likely as Postecoglou’s side picking up another win in their remaining four top-flight matches.

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Ange Postecoglou must now lift the mood

The question for Spurs is now whether they can rouse themselves and raise their levels for another Europa League game.

Postecoglou’s side will be bolstered by the returns of Pedro Porro, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Rodrigo Bentancur and possibly Heung-min Son – who sat out again with a foot injury.

Their display in the decider against Eintracht Frankfurt suggests Spurs can turn it out for one-off European matches, and are a far more competitive side with their best players.

Bodo/Glimt are a force on their plastic pitch in the Arctic Circle, so Spurs will want to travel to Norway on Thursday week with a healthy lead.

But a humbling at Anfield was grim preparation for their biggest game of the season, leaving Postecoglou needing to lift his players and the mood in the coming days.

Archie Gray’s rough afternoon

In spite of such a horrendous league season, it is still possible to be optimistic about Spurs’ future – largely because they have so many talented young players, not least Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall, who lined up together in midfield for the first time.

Many Spurs fans regard the pair as the club's future in the middle of the park but, while Bergvall did well enough, this was a rough assignment for Gray, 18, on only his second start at this level in his preferred position.

The England Under-21 international was caught flat-footed for Liverpool’s first goal, with Dominik Szoboszlai darting beyond him to square for Diaz, and had to be stronger for their second. He was easily shrugged off by Ryan Gravenberch before Mac Allister’s brilliant hit.

It was no surprise when Gray was hooked at the interval and you wondered at Postecoglou’s decision to throw him in at the deep end for this game, in front of a much-changed back four. That said, at this stage of Gray’s career, these experiences should be a benefit, provided he reacts in the right way.

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Liverpool thrashed sorry Tottenham 5-1 to clinch a 20th league title and a first an Anfield in exactly 35 years.

Dominic Solanke’s early header gave the visitors a shock lead but Luiz Diaz slid home an equaliser four minutes later and, from there, it was one-way traffic.

Alexis Mac Allister put Liverpool in front with a thumping strike and Cody Gakpo added to their tally before the interval.

Mohamed Salah finished a lethal counter-attack to make it 4-1 before Destiny Udogie turned into his own net under pressure from the Egyptian.

Here’s how we rated the Spurs players at Anfield…

Guglielmo Vicario 5

Unlike the last two league games, he was not directly at fault for any of the goals but the Italian was flappy at crosses and his passing appears to have deteriorated recently.

Djed Spence 4

Desperately looses in possession and ran ragged by the excellent Diaz.

Kevin Danso 5

Looked rusty and was slow to push forward, scuppering Spurs’ offside trap on more than one occasion.

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Ben Davies 4

Stretched repeatedly by Liverpool’s varied attacking threats, of which he was ill-equipped to contain.

Destiny Udogie 3

Salah easily skipped round him for the fourth goal and scored a sloppy own goal.

Lucas Bergvall 6

Spurs have a fine player on their hands, no doubt. Made things happen in the first half, even in difficult circumstances.

Archie Gray 3

This was a rough assignment on only his second start in midfield. Caught out for Liverpool’s first goal and should have been stronger for their second.

James Maddison 5

His corner was headed home by Solanke for the opener but he did little else. And tone down the goal celebrations skipper – there’s a long way to go.

Brennan Johnson 5

Barring one burst down the right in the first half, he was ineffective.

Mathys Tel 5

Denied a certain goal by a brilliant challenge from Ibrahima Konate. Pressed willingly but struggled to hurt Liverpool with the ball.

Dominic Solanke 7

Stunned his former club by opening the scoring with a thumping header and caused the odd problem for Liverpool with his tireless running.

Subs

Dejan Kulusevski (Maddison 46’) 6

Immediately unlocked Liverpool’s defence with a crisp pass and tried to make things happen. Lost possession with a hopeful run ahead of Liverpool’s fourth goal.

Pape Matar Sarr (Gray 46’) 5

Anonymous as Spurs midfield was overrun in the second half. Denied Liverpool a sixth goal with a brave block to deny Harvey Elliott.

Richarlison (Solanke 67’) 5

Entered the fray to raucous boos and made little to no impact on proceedings.

Wilson Odobert (Tel 67’) 5

Tried to add a directness to Spurs’ attack but had limited opportunities to make an impact.

Not used: Kinsky, Bissouma, Romero, Porro, van der Ven.

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