London Evening Standard

Igor Tudor continues hunt for first win as Spurs boss

Big clash: Tottenham vs Atletico Madrid

ES Composite

Arthur Ferridge

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Your matchday briefing on Tottenham, featuring team news and expert analysis from Sam Tabuteau

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Tottenham require a miracle as they look to keep their Champions League campaign alive on Wednesday, facing Atletico Madrid in the second leg.

Igor Tudor’s brief reign with the club seemed to hit a nadir as Spurs were beaten 5-2 in last week’s first-leg. A pair of glaring errors from back-up goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky, who was hooked after just 17 minutes, and a third from Micky van de Ven had the La Liga side three goals clear after just 15 minutes.

That proved too great a deficit for Spurs to overturn, and many called for Tudor’s head to roll after the full-time whistle.

But he remains in his post, and after Richarlison’s late equaliser saw Spurs take a deserved point home from Anfield on Sunday, the mood around the club is the highest it has been for quite some time.

Atletico, meanwhile, spent their weekend beating ten-man Getafe in La Liga, and travel to London having lost only once in their last eight matches.

Date, kick-off time and venue

Tottenham vs Atletico Madrid is scheduled for an 8pm GMT kick-off on Wednesday, March 18, 2026.

The match will take place at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Where to watch Tottenham vs Atletico Madrid

TV channel: In the UK, the game will be televised live on TNT Sports 3, with coverage starting at 7pm ahead of an 8pm kick-off.

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

Live blog: You can follow all the action on matchday via Standard Sport’s live blog, with expert analysis from Matt Verri.

Tottenham vs Atletico Madrid team news

As has been the case for much of the campaign, Tottenham have a lengthy list of absentees - a remarkable 13 players were unavailable for Sunday’s trip to Liverpool.

There should be several fresh faces returning on Wednesday, though.

Conor Gallagher missed the Liverpool tie with a fever, but he should be back in contention here. Cristian Romero and Joao Palhinha collided late in the first-leg and both may return on Wednesday, having observed concussion protocols. Tudor will issue an update on their availability at his pre-match press conference on Tuesday.

Conor Gallagher was absent from Spurs’ Liverpool draw due to a fever

John Walton/PA Wire

Destiny Udogie remains sidelined with a hamstring problem, with Yves Bissouma and Lucas Bergvall joining him on the physio’s table.

Mohammed Kudus, Dejan Kulusevski, Rodrigo Bentancur and Destiny Udogie are also recovering from long-term injuries, alongside Ben Davies and James Maddison.

Richarlison is suspended for the visit of Atletico after he was booked in the reverse fixture.

The visitors, meanwhile, have relatively few issues. They will be without goalkeeper Jan Oblak, who made some impressive stops in that chaotic first-leg.

Rodrigo Mendoza, who only joined the side in February, is out with a knee problem, and Pablo Barrios is a doubt.

Jan Oblak denied Tottenham several times in the first leg

AFP via Getty Images

Tottenham vs Atletico Madrid prediction

Tottenham’s valiant, deserved draw at Liverpool last weekend gave fans a glimmer of hope that this season may not end in a worst-case scenario.

They displayed a level of fight and desire which has been worryingly absent in recent weeks, and came close to a winner in the dying stages.

Tudor’s wait for a first win in the job goes on, though, and he may well write off this tie so as to focus on keeping Spurs in the top flight this season.

The best case for Spurs may be to recoup some sense of honour here after that dismal first leg.

Tottenham to win 2-1 on the night, Atletico Madrid to win 6-4 agg.

Head to head (h2h) history and results

Matches between Tottenham and Atletico, small sample size notwithstanding, average 6.5 goals per game. The net has rippled some 13 times in their two competitive meetings.

Tottenham wins: 1

Atletico Madrid wins: 1

Draws: 0

Tottenham vs Atletico Madrid match odds

Draw: 12/5

Odds via Betfair (subject to change).

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Supporters' group Change For Tottenham (CFT) say they are “putting on hold” any protests against the club's ownership “at a time when fans feel we need to get behind the team”.

Spurs remain just one point above the bottom three in the Premier League after a 1-1 draw against Liverpool following a much-improved display at Anfield.

They host relegation rivals Nottingham Forest in a huge game on Sunday and CFT have confirmed they have taken the “very difficult decision” to postpone a planned protest ahead of the game.

“Although this ownership and board don't deserve it, we feel duty bound to stand with other supporters' groups and the fan collective generally at the Nottingham Forest game and have made the difficult decision to postpone any potential protest for this game,” said a CFT statement on Monday.

“In what feels like an immediate generational threat to Tottenham Hotspur's status as a Premier League club, we are putting on hold any announced match day protests for now whilst continuing with our other initiatives. We will however continue monitoring the situation.

“This is a very difficult decision to make in light of the fact that the ownership are responsible for putting us in this perilous position, but first and foremost we are fans of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club.

“Not to mention that the success of our movement is a numbers game - we've decided that at a time when fans feel we need to get behind the team and whilst there are separate supporter initiatives being arranged for the Nottingham Forest match, that it makes sense to not protest for this particular game.

“We appreciate all of the continued support from you as fans, and we hope that you can appreciate that this is an extremely difficult decision for us to make.

“We remain steadfast in our desire to hold the ownership and board to account, but at what feels like such a pivotal moment in our history and indeed at a time where we feel the support for CFT could risk being compromised, we are making this decision in spite of some of our own frustrations.

“As always, we support the team and not the regime and we hope this only further galvanises our fanbase on this immediate threat of helping to pull the team over the line whilst cementing the deserved critique of what has been a shambolic ownership where the time for more action will come.”

Quadruple blow before Liverpool worsened Spurs’ injury list

Tottenham injury latest: Conor Gallagher, Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie

London Standard

Oli Gent

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Your matchday briefing on Tottenham, featuring team news and expert analysis from Sam Tabuteau

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Tottenham have finally shown some fight in their battle against relegation after earning a deserved draw away at Liverpool.

Igor Tudor’s side are also in the midst of an injury crisis, with a whole host of key names out as they battle to beat the drop.

Conor Gallagher failed to recover from illness to feature at Anfield on Sunday, adding to the list of Spurs players Tudor was without for the trip to Merseyside.

The draw follows Spurs’ 5-2 thrashing against Atletico Madrid, where two more players limped off late on at the Estadio Metropolitano.

Here’s all the latest Tottenham injury news and potential return dates...

Conor Gallagher

Conor Gallagher was already a doubt for the Premier League clash at Anfield after Spurs interim head coach Igor Tudor revealed in the pre-match press conference on Friday that midfielder had been suffering with a fever.

While Tudor was confident of having the January signing from Atletico Madrid available for selection, Gallagher did not make the matchday squad on Sunday, thus making it THIRTEEN senior Tottenham players unavailable for selection and it was revealed ahead of kick-off that he was not feeling good in the morning.

There is yet to be a further update on Gallagher, and he could be a doubt for Tottenham’s next fixture against Atletico on Wednesday night in the Champions League last-16 second leg.

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Potential return date: March 18 vs Atletico Madrid (H)

Destiny Udogie

Destiny Udogie has been out since suffering a hamstring injury away at Manchester United on February 7.

Almost back: Destiny Udogie

REUTERS

Tudor confirmed that the Italian was “almost” back in first-team contention, hinting that he would “for sure” return against Nottingham Forest.

Potential return date: March 22 vs Nottingham Forest (H)

Cristian Romero

Club captain Cristian Romero was ruled out of the trip to Anfield with a concussion that he sustained late on against Atletico Madrid.

The defender suffered a nasty clash of heads in the Spanish capital and tried to soldier on, but was forced off by medical staff just before the full-time whistle.

Tudor confirmed that the centre-back would not play against Liverpool, but said that there was hope he could return for the second leg at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this week.

Potential return date: March 18 vs Atletico Madrid (H)

Joao Palhinha

Portuguese midfielderJoao Palhinha was another concussion concern following the defeat in Madrid.

The Bayern Munich loanee was brought off earlier than Romero at the Metropolitano, but he was also ruled out of the Liverpool fixture by Tudor.

The Croat said that Palhinha would “for sure” be back for the visit of Forest this weekend, or perhaps even the second leg against Atleti on Tuesday.

Potential return date: March 18 vs Atletico Madrid (H)

Yves Bissouma

Tudor has also confirmed in the pre-Liverpool press conference that Yves Bissouma would miss the trip to Anfield.

“Micky is also out. Bissouma is out,” Tudor said.

There has been no further update on the midfielder who had been an ever-present under the Spurs head coach in the Premier League.

Potential return date: Unknown

Lucas Bergvall

Lucas Bergvall is still recovering from ankle surgery that he underwent at the end of January.

It is unlikely that he will be back until after the March international break.

Previously, there have been reports in Sweden that Bergvall could be back for their World Cup play-off against Ukraine at the end of this month.

However, there has been no update on his comeback from Spurs.

Potential return date: April

Mohammed Kudus

Summer signing Mohammed Kudus will not return until after the international break at the end of the month.

The Ghanaian has been sidelined since sustaining a hamstring issue against Sunderland in January, just days after Brennan Johnson left for Crystal Palace.

The winger has been out for an extended period, but Spurs are likely to have him back for their run-in as they look to avoid the drop.

Potential return date: April

Hamstring hell: Mohammed Kudus

Getty Images

Dejan Kulusevski

Sweden international Dejan Kulusevski’s situation still remains unclear.

The winger has been sat on the sidelines for almost a year with a patella injury that he sustained before the Europa League final.

He has previously shared videos of himself in the gym on social media undergoing rehabilitation, it remains to be seen when he will make a return to action.

In February, Tudor was unsure if the forward would feature at all this term.

"We hope so, in this moment we don't know,” Tudor said. “He's had really big problems. But he's positive. And also the doctors are positive. So we'll see, next week, how it's going.”

Potential return date: Unknown

Rodrigo Bentancur

Bentancur is another player who will not return until after the March international break.

Bentancur has been out since suffering a hamstring at Bournemouth in January and the midfielder underwent surgery.

Potential return date: Mid-April

Wilson Odobert

Odobert suffered an ACL injury against Newcastle in February, abruptly ending his campaign.

The young forward has undergone surgery and will not return until next season.

Potential return date: Late 2026

ACL anguish: Wilson Odobert

Action Images via Reuters

Ben Davies

Spurs’ longest-serving player Davies looks to have played his last game for the club after he broke his ankle against West Ham in January.

The left-back will see his contract run out at the end of the campaign.

He is in a battle to be fit for the World Cup should Wales progress through the play-offs.

Potential return date: Unknown

James Maddison

England international Maddison was ruled out for the season after tearing his ACL in pre-season against Newcastle.

The attacking midfielder has been seen recently in training videos with his team-mates, but he is not expected to feature at all this season.

Potential return date: Summer 2026

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Liverpool XI vs Tottenham: Predicted lineup, confirmed team news and injury latest for Premier League today

Reds could be boosted by Alisson return against Spurs but Alexander Isak yet to resume training

Dilemma: Arne Slot may be pondering Liverpool changes after Galatasaray loss

London Standard

George Flood

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Alisson could be back between the sticks for Liverpool as they host Tottenham today.

The Reds’ long-time No1 suffered an injury in training on the eve of Tuesday’s 1-0 defeat by Galatasaray in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie.

Alisson did not make the trip to Istanbul as a result, with deputy Giorgi Mamardashvili stepping up and both third-choice goalkeeper Freddie Woodman and teenager Kornel Misiur included on the bench.

However, Arne Slot is optimistic that the Brazilian international will return to training before making a swift comeback against Spurs.

"He's been with the physios and with rehab until now,” the Liverpool boss said on Friday morning.

"We are training today as you know, so let's see if he can join the team session today. That is something I expect but I'm not 100 per cent sure yet because I haven't spoken to him or the medical staff this morning yet.

"I'm hopeful [that Alisson will play against Tottenham] but that's not to say I'm 100 per cent sure.

"He felt something when he passed the ball in one of his muscles. But after we checked it, it was so minor that we think it doesn't have to take very long.

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"But as always, games follow up so fast that he had to miss the one against Galatasaray, and hopefully he's available and ready for Sunday.

"If not, I'm expecting him – if things go as planned – definitely against Galatasaray [the second leg on Wednesday]."

Another Liverpool player who did not travel to Turkey was Federico Chiesa, though Slot expects him back in contention for Tottenham after a bout of illness.

“I expect he feels better now because he felt unwell the day before the game and I think we're now three or four further ahead," said the Dutchman. "So, I think he's able to train with us today again."

Liverpool remain without record signing Alexander Isak, whom Slot said was “with the rehab team still and not with the team yet” as he continues to recover from a broken leg, along with fellow long-term absentees Conor Bradley, Wataru Endo and Giovanni Leoni.

You would not expect too many changes from Slot from midweek despite the frustrating loss, though Alisson will obviously return if ready and Jeremie Frimpong could come in for Joe Gomez at right-back.

Federico Chiesa should be available again for Liverpool after illness

REUTERS

Andy Robertson - who almost joined Tottenham in January - may be considered on the opposite side after Milos Kerkez’s disappointing display on Tuesday.

Cody Gakpo could also be restored to an attack that misfired against Galatasaray, with young fan favourite Rio Ngumoha also awaiting another chance to impress and Chiesa now back in the fold.

Curtis Jones is the obvious option if Slot wants to shake up his midfield, with Dominik Szoboszlai’s versatility a valuable asset across the pitch.

Predicted Liverpool XI: Alisson; Frimpong, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Szoboszlai, Gakpo; Ekitike

Injured: Isak, Bradley, Endo, Leoni

Doubt: Alisson

Time and date: 4.30pm GMT on Sunday March 15, 2026

Venue: Anfield

How to watch: Sky Sports

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