Brentford FC

Two first-half goals saw Tottenham Hotspur beat Brentford 2-0 in the Premier League on Saturday.

In Thomas Frank's first game managing against the Bees, Xavi Simons put the ball on a plate for Richarlison for the opener, before the midfielder netted his first goal in a Spurs shirt from outside the area shortly after.

Nathan Collins, Jordan Henderson, Mikkel Damsgaard and Igor Thiago returned to the starting XI, with Ethan Pinnock, Rico Henry, Vitaly Janelt and Mathias Jensen dropping to the bench.

Tottenham asserted their dominance inside the opening 15 minutes: Micky van de Ven had a header go over the bar, Richarlison had a half-volley blocked by his own team-mate inside the area, and Xavi shot over the bar from distance in a positive start for the north Londoners.

The Bees' first chance came from some great play by Collins. The centre-back robbed Richarlison of the ball and drove into the final third, before playing a ball into space for Thiago. The centre-forward fired a shot at goal from a relatively tight angle, which Guglielmo Vicario palmed away for a corner.

On 25 minutes, the hosts took the lead. A ball was played over the top towards Xavi in a wide area, and the attacking midfielder squared to Richarlison, who had the simple task of tapping in from close range at the far post.

Caoimhín Kelleher made a great save to prevent another Spurs goal. A Pedro Porro corner was headed back across goal by Cristian Romero and, just inside the six-yard box, Randal Kolo Muani's header was clawed away by the Bees keeper and cleared.

Xavi did make it 2-0 for the hosts on 43 minutes. The Dutchman did really well to win the ball back on the halfway line, before driving into the penalty area and firing a low effort into the bottom corner.

The Tottenham supporters were left wondering how they weren't 3-0 up five minutes after half-time. Collins lost possession of the ball inside the penalty area, and Djed Spence looked destined to score. He was one-on-one with Kelleher, but the Republic of Ireland international made another good stop to keep the west Londoners ahead.

Mohammed Kudus picked up a loose ball in midfield and tried his luck from the edge of the box shortly after but Kelleher, once again, got down well and held his effort.

After some Tottenham pressure, Kelleher gave the ball away and Richarlison was the recipient, with the goalkeeper out of his goal. The Spurs striker gave it to Xavi, who was in a more central position, but Kelleher did enough to get back into position and stop his shot.

Thiago had two separate opportunities later in the second half, when he received the ball inside the box, but a couple of brilliant tackles from Van de Ven and Romero thwarted the striker.

Frank's side thought they had another with 12 minutes to play, when the ball dropped to Kudus and, from the tightest of angles, he somehow squeezed the ball into the back of the net, but Xavi was offside in the build-up.

Another brilliant Kelleher save kept the score down when Wilson Odobert found himself unmarked inside the area and, after having some time to pick his spot, the keeper came out and smothered the ball to keep it at 2-0.

Thiago had one more effort with the clock ticking into stoppage-time, as he picked up the ball after a series of headers inside the area, but he lashed his shot into the side netting.

Brentford (4-3-3): Kelleher; Kayode (Hickey 76), Collins, van den Berg, Ajer (Henry HT); Henderson, Yarmoliuk (Janelt 76), Damsgaard (Jensen 61); Ouattara (Lewis-Potter 88), Thiago, Schade

Unused subs: Valdimarsson, Pinnock, Onyeka, Donovan

Tottenham (4-2-3-1): Vicario; Porro, Van de Ven, Romero (Danso 80), Spence; Bentancur (Palhinha 65), Gray; Kudus (Sarr 80), Xavi, Kolo Muani (Odobert 74); Richarlison

Unused subs: Kinsky, Tel, Bergvall, Johnson, Davies

Attendance: 60,759

Andrews 'disappointed' by Tottenham defeat

Brentford head coach Keith Andrews admits that his side "didn't hit the levels" in the 2-0 loss to Tottenham.

"I'm disappointed, clearly. It's a game we came into feeling we could absolutely compete and get a result from - the players' confidence levels were pretty high," said Andrews.

"The reality is that we didn't perform in the first half, and we have to own that. We'll search for the reasons as to why that was.

"The league is so demanding - the individuals that you come up against, what you do with and without the ball, etc. - you have to be at a certain level to compete in this league and we weren't quite there.

"Our lads have been immense all season, our performance levels have been consistent as we look to grow this team and take a new step. Today, we didn't hit the levels that we've become consistent with."

Damsgaard: We needed to play with more intensity and energy

On his 100th Premier League appearance, Brentford midfielder Mikkel Damsgaard reflected on the defeat to Spurs.

"It was very disappointing," he said. "We made a lot of bad mistakes; I thought we could have played a lot better.

"There's a lot to think about."

He added: "We needed to be a lot better, we need to play with a lot more intensity and energy.

"It felt like they wanted it more than us. That's disappointing because normally we are a team that is good at fighting but, today, we didn't."

Brentford head coach Keith Andrews has made four changes for this afternoon’s Premier League game against Tottenham (3pm kick-off GMT).

The Bees head into this match looking to bounce back from a midweek defeat to Spurs' north London rivals Arsenal, while Thomas Frank's side have won just one of their seven home games this campaign.

Nathan Collins, Jordan Henderson, Mikkel Damsgaard and Igor Thiago return to the starting XI, with all four coming on as substitutes at Emirates Stadium.

Ethan Pinnock, Rico Henry, Vitaly Janelt and Mathias Jensen drop to the bench for the Bees at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with Damsgaard set for his 100th Premier League appearance.

After missing the 2-0 loss on Wednesday, Aaron Hickey is named on the bench.

Brentford (4-3-3): Kelleher; Kayode, Collins, van den Berg, Ajer; Henderson, Yarmoliuk, Damsgaard; Ouattara, Thiago, Schade

Subs: Valdimarsson, Hickey, Pinnock, Henry, Onyeka, Jensen, Janelt, Donovan, Lewis-Potter

Tottenham (4-2-3-1): Vicario; Porro, Van de Ven, Romero, Spence; Bentancur, Gray; Kudus, Xavi, Richarlison; Kolo Muani

Brentford head coach Keith Andrews has discussed coming up against Thomas Frank's Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon (3pm kick-off GMT).

The Irishman replaced Frank at the helm after he departed the west Londoners for Spurs in the summer.

Asked if he’s looking forward to reuniting with Frank and the other staff members who made the move across the capital, Andrews responded: "Very much so.

"Thomas is someone I regard as a friend. He’s a big part of the reason why I wanted to come to the club.

"I had a really good working relationship with Thomas and learned a lot from him. I’ve seen up close and personal how he operated and the way he worked within the structure of this football club.

"I have a lot of respect for him and what he achieved at this football club. He was a really successful part of the club’s history.

"It’ll be nice to see them [Frank and other ex-club staff] tomorrow in and around the game."

With several Brentford players also coming up against their former head coach and other colleagues for the first time at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Andrews admitted that the match will have a different feel.

"We’re not robots," he continued.

"I say this to the players all the time, I treat them as people first, and then as players.

"Naturally, there will be emotions of certain levels involved in the game because players had relationships with the staff.

"I think that certainly comes into play, but equally we’re preparing for a game that we want to absolutely compete in, go there with a lot of confidence and show what we’re about."

Brentford head coach Keith Andrews says that Igor Thiago, who has scored 11 goals in the Premier League this season, is “in a good place” ahead of Saturday’s game against Tottenham Hotspur (3pm kick-off GMT).

Thiago joined Nathan Collins, Mikkel Damsgaard and Jordan Henderson on the bench for Wednesday night’s visit to Arsenal, while Aaron Hickey was not included in the squad for the 2-0 defeat at Emirates Stadium.

Asked if Thiago will start against Tottenham, Andrews said: “I’m not going to tell you the team, but he’s clearly in a good place.

“He’s playing very, very well. He’s going from strength to strength and we seem to be speaking about him a lot. And rightly so because he’s been magnificent.

“His mental strength is pretty evident, considering the type of season he had last year, where he’s come from in his career, playing in different countries and now ending up here, having an impact in the most demanding league in the world.”

Asked about his decision to rotate his squad for Brentford’s game against Arsenal, the Bees boss said: “I have zero concern about making changes, it’s needed at times because it’s a long season.

“You don’t achieve anything with 11 players. The feel of the group needs to be fresh. Every player needs to feel involved in the process on a day-to-day basis.

“To see the way we approached the game the other night, which was fearless, was very pleasing but not surprising.”

Tottenham Hotspur v Brentford  Brentford FC

Brentford take on Tottenham Hotspur at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in our next Premier League fixture on Saturday 6 December (3pm kick-off GMT). The match will not be broadcast live in the UK.

If you are heading to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday, here is everything you need to know to ensure you are ready for your visit.

Digital tickets are in use for this matchday and you will receive an email with instructions on how to download yours.

Fans are reminded to show respect to our hosts at all times before, during and after the match.

Getting to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

It is recommended that you use TfL services to travel to north London. The surrounding areas are extremely busy on matchdays. Please plan your route to the stadium in advance and allow more time than usual for your journey.

The nearest TfL overground station to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is White Hart Lane. The station is fully accessible and is approximately a five-minute walk to the stadium.

Northumberland Park station is a 10-minute walk to the stadium. Greater Anglia services to these stations operate from Liverpool Street Station, or from Cambridge if coming from the north.

Victoria line and London Overground services operate from Seven Sisters station, which is approximately a 30-minute walk to the stadium. The station does not have step-free access.

Tottenham Hale station is also around a 30-minute walk from the ground and is served by the Victoria line, and the station is fully accessible.

There is no planned disruption on matchday. Please use the National Rail journey planner or the TfL status updates page to check your route before setting off.

Bus

The stadium is well-served by Transport for London buses that run as usual across Haringey on matchdays, with the High Road routes subject to diversion due to matchday road closures.

It is not advised to travel by car

There is no parking available for general admission fans at the stadium. Some roads closest to the stadium are closed before, during and after a match.

On matchdays, general traffic will not be able to access parts of the High Road between White Hart Lane and Lordship Lane/Lansdowne Road from two hours before and up to one hour after the match.

The local area is under an Event Day Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ), which is in operation on matchdays. You will not be able to park in this zone without a permit.

Ticketing information – digital tickets are in use for this fixture

Tickets for this fixture will be distributed digitally. You will receive your ticket(s) by email ahead of the match. Please follow the instructions on the email to get your ticket ready on your phone.

For those that have requested a physical ticket or have sent a duplicate ticket request, the away ticket office which is located in the north-east corner of the stadium, opposite turnstile 11.

Any duplicate ticket requests must be sent to Tottenham Hotspur by the Brentford box office. Please contact Brentford's box office with any enquiries ahead of matchday.

If you’re collecting your ticket at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, please remember to bring ID.

Please also observe and respect the family friendly seating. Anyone who holds a ticket in this area is reminded that they should be seated for the duration of the match.

Accessibility

Blue Badge parking for Brentford supporters at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is fully booked.

Tottenham Hotspur has accessible entrances, accessible viewing areas and hearing loops at food and drink counters. Find out more and contact Spurs’ access team on their accessibility page.

Your matchday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Bees fans will be in blocks 114-118 in the north-east corner of the stadium, accessible through entrance 11 and 12.

The easiest way to get to the entrance is via Worcester Avenue which runs parallel to the east side of the stadium. Turnstiles are open two hours before kick-off.

It is advised that you don’t bring a bag to the match. Clear carrier bags and personal bags, size A4 or smaller, will be searched on entry.

The away section serves a wide variety of food, including fish and chips, hotdogs, pies and shawarma, and there is a large menu of alcoholic and soft drinks. Concessions open two hours before kick-off.

Have a safe trip and enjoy the match!

Brentford face Tottenham Hotspur away from home in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon (3pm kick-off GMT).

The Bees will be looking to bounce back from a 2-0 loss against Arsenal at Emirates Stadium on Wednesday night, while Spurs drew 2-2 at Newcastle United in midweek.

Analysis, team news, match officials and more. Here's everything you need to know ahead of the fixture.

Pre-match Analysis

Stephen Gillett, Playmaker Stats: Spurs struggling for consistency

Thomas Frank’s Tottenham welcome his former club Brentford to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this weekend, and it may prove difficult for Keith Andrews to get a firm read on Spurs given their uneven performances this season.

After seven era-defining years at Brentford, Frank crossed the capital in the summer, and his early spell at Spurs has produced eight wins, seven draws and seven losses in all competitions - a spread that reflects a team still searching for rhythm.

Tuesday’s 2–2 draw at Newcastle captured the mood of Frank’s maiden campaign: flashes of quality and resilience wrapped in inconsistency.

Tottenham twice came from behind at St James’ Park, showing genuine mettle, with rugged centre-half Cristian Romero emerging as a surprising hero. The Argentine scored both goals, his acrobatic overhead kick salvaging a point in stoppage-time.

Romero’s bicycle kick established Tottenham (15 goals on the road) as the joint-most prolific away side in the Premier League this season, and also illustrated their knack for netting unlikely goals.

Only four teams - Arsenal, Man City, Chelsea and Brighton - have outscored Spurs in the top flight, yet Frank’s men are punching far above their weight according to the expected goals metric.

The xG numbers reveal that Tottenham have struck 22 Premier League goals (excluding own goals) from just 15.54 xG this term - an over-performance of +6.46 - and Romero’s audacious overhead, bobbling through a sea of bodies, was perhaps the purest illustration of this trend.

Brentford have converted 21 of 147 shots (14.29 per cent) this season, giving them the third-best shot conversion rate in the division. But Tottenham (17.42 per cent) top the Premier League in this respect, despite creating lower-quality chances than the Bees in xG terms.

Remarkably, Spurs have scored nigh on a goal for every two shots on target this term, but they are unlikely to sustain such a high ratio, and Frank will surely want his team to increase the volume of shots they take. Only Burnley (8.2) and Wolves (9.1) have averaged fewer shots per game than Spurs (9.4) so far.

Tottenham’s pressing numbers this term are similarly erratic. According to their passes-per-defensive-action (PPDA) data, only Bournemouth and Arsenal have pressed more intensely than Spurs - yet the north Londoners have managed just four shots from high turnovers this season, a mere five per cent of their upfield regains leading to an attempt on goal.

This disjointedness extends into their defensive work too. Tottenham have logged more miscontrols (252) and been dispossessed on more occasions (148) than any team in the top tier, and they have had the most errors leading to opponents’ shots, with 19.

Brentford, in contrast, have limited any freebies; the Bees have had the fewest lapses of this sort (4) in the division.

Scout report

Dan Long, Sky Sports: Patience needed to turn Tottenham's fortunes around

How best to sum up Tottenham’s 2024/25 season? Strange? Bittersweet? A rollercoaster? One thing is for sure - it was historic, for both positive and negative reasons.

Firstly, it was littered with defeats. There were 26 in all competitions, 22 of which came in the Premier League. The last time they lost that many league games was when they were relegated from the First Division in 1934/35.

It meant they finished just one place above the relegation zone in 17th, which also marked their lowest-ever Premier League finish and their lowest in the top flight since 1966/67, when they finished 22nd in the First Division in 1976/77.

The only saving grace was that Leicester, Ipswich and Southampton won only 12 games between them and slipped back into the Championship without much of a fight.

Ange Postecoglou was under pressure for the whole campaign, with a statement he made after the north London derby defeat to Arsenal on 15 September 2024 relentlessly following him around: “I usually win things in my second season,” he said.

In the league, Spurs faltered, but in the Carabao Cup and Europa League, it was a different story. Those competitions brought a much-needed release. In the former, they reach the semi-finals for the fourth time in seven seasons and in the latter, they beat Manchester United in the final in Bilbao.

Postecoglou no doubt revelled in the ultimate mic-drop moment, delivering Spurs’ first trophy since 2008. The disastrous league form was forgotten about.

But 16 days after that glorious night in Spain, Postecoglou was sacked. “Whilst winning the Europa League this season ranks as one of the club’s greatest moments, we cannot base our decision on emotions aligned to this triumph,” said the club’s statement.

Within a fortnight, the Australian had been replaced by Thomas Frank, who was tempted away from Brentford by a three-year deal in north London. “The time has come for me to move on. But, even as I leave, I know I have left a big piece of my heart at Brentford,” he wrote in a letter to the Bees fans.

It has not been plain sailing for the Dane, though. In his first competitive game, Spurs lost to PSG on penalties in the UEFA Super Cup and, despite three wins from his first four in the league, it is now two wins from the last 10. They are out of the Carabao Cup and have won one of their last four Champions League games.

External pressure is mounting - and was cranked up recently when Frank reacted to fans booing Guglielmo Vicario after a howler against Fulham. “I didn’t like that our fans booed at him straight after and a few times he touched the ball,” he told Sky Sports. “They can’t be true Tottenham fans. That’s unacceptable in my opinion.”

Internally, though, the club seem to still be sure they have the right man at the helm, as Matt Verri alluded to in Hot off the Press. With many players from last season still at the club, surely turning Spurs back into a top-seven club will take time and a touch more patience?

Regardless, a crucial period is upon Spurs. They are five without a league win and, after Brentford’s visit, face Nottingham Forest, Liverpool and Crystal Palace. They host winless Slavia Prague in Europe next Tuesday. This run will test Frank’s mettle.

In the Dugout

Thomas Frank

Thomas Frank was coaching youth players in his native Denmark from his early 20s. He spent time at his hometown club Frederiksvaerk, then Hvidovre, but his career might have ended before he took a job at Copenhagen-based B93.

His future would have lain in teaching, when he agreed with his wife to stop coaching due to money concerns. He was also doing his master's in psychology, working as a coach educator, studying for his A-Licence and bringing up two children, as he told The Telegraph in 2020.

Fortunately, he accepted the B93 role, then moved on to Lyngby and, later, the Danish international set-up where, in 2008, he took on the role of managing both Denmark’s Under-16s and U17s. He took the latter - with a squad that included Christian Nørgaard, Pierre-Emile Højbjerg and Yussuf Poulsen - to the U17 Euros in May 2011, where they reached the semi-finals, and the U17 World Cup the following month.

Frank moved on to the U19s in 2012, then took his first senior job in June 2013 at Brøndby. He took charge of over 100 games before resigning in March 2016. Nine months later, he joined Brentford as an assistant to head coach Dean Smith, before being promoted to head coach in October 2018, when Smith left west London to take over at Aston Villa.

Though he won just one of his first 10 games, over the next seven years, Frank would become one of the club’s most successful managers in history. He took the Bees to the Championship play-off final in his first full season, then delivered promotion to the Premier League in his second. In 2022/23, he guided the club to ninth - their highest top-flight finish since they finished sixth under Harry Curtis in 1937/38.

In June, after over 300 games in charge at Brentford, he signed a three-year deal to replace Ange Postecoglou at Tottenham.

The Gameplan

With Matt Verri, Standard Sport

Standard Sport's Matt Verri discusses how Thomas Frank's side are likely to set up on Saturday afternoon.

He said: "That is a difficult one to predict because I think he has changed the system and he has changed the line-up pretty much every match!

"In general, I think the most common one has been a 4-2-3-1, with at least one of João Palhinha or Rodrigo Bentancur as the defensive midfielders.

"Randal Kolo Muani will probably be starting up front as he has been in really impressive form. Then there is Xavi Simons, who has not started any of the last three Premier League matches. There is a big debate over how much Frank trusts him.

"Whatever system Tottenham play, it will be very direct. They are going to be trying to win set-pieces as much as possible, with a focus on corners and trying to get it wide as much as possible.

"In terms of who the actual personnel will be, that is changing so much from game to game."

Last starting XI v Newcastle United (4-3-3): Vicario; Porro, Danso, Romero, Udogie; Bentancur, Bergvall, Sarr; Kudus, Kolo Muani, Johnson

Read the full interview with Matt Verri here.

Match Officials

Jones appointed for Spurs trip

Referee: Robert Jones

Assistants: Neil Davies and Bhupinder Singh Gill

Fourth official: Sam Barrott

VAR: Timothy Wood

Robert Jones first took charge of a Brentford game in April 2017, when he oversaw a 1-1 draw at Barnsley in the Championship.

He has since refereed a further 13 fixtures involving the Bees, the most recent of them being a 2-1 loss against Arsenal in the season before last.

Jones has been the man in the middle for 14 games this term, brandishing 53 yellow cards, and is yet to send a player off in 2025/26.

The 38-year-old's most recent appointment was for Manchester United's 2-1 win against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.

Memorable Meeting

Tottenham Hotspur 1 Brentford 3, (Premier League, 20 May 2023)

Bryan Mbeumo grabbed two goals and an assist to help Brentford come from behind and claim a first-ever victory at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The Bees hadn't won away at Spurs since 1948 and looked to be heading for a defeat after Harry Kane's long-range opener in the first half.

Mbeumo equalised five minutes after the break and turned the game on its head with just over an hour played, with both efforts being fine left-footed finishes into the far corner of the goal.

He then turned provider, laying it on a plate for Yoane Wissa to add a third late on.

Tottenham remain a work in progress under head coach Thomas Frank, explains Standard Sport’s Matt Verri, as the former Brentford boss prepares for his first game against his old club on Saturday (3pm kick-off GMT).

The Premier League game against the Bees is viewed as an important one for the Dane, with his side sitting 11th in the table and still looking to offer more of a threat going forward.

Tottenham Hotspur are 11th in the Premier League ahead of Saturday’s game. What have you made of their start to the season?

Tottenham started the season pretty well in terms of results.

They beat Manchester City away on the second weekend of the season and there was a fair bit of positivity around the idea that Thomas Frank was going to change, tactically, match to match, Spurs were going to be versatile, and that was a big change from what they were doing under Ange Postecoglou.

But even in the first couple of months, while results were decent, the performances were a bit of a concern. They were relying heavily on set-pieces, Guglielmo Vicario was having a lot of good games, and a lot of the underlying data suggests that they were overperforming a lot, which has caught up with them in the last month or so.

The main problem is the attack - they really struggle to create chances. At the time of speaking, they are 17th in the Premier League for the amount of shots taken per game.

And the defence, which was the strength earlier in the season, has got worse, so you combine those two things and it has been a pretty tough run.

The fans are very frustrated with the style of play: Frank is pretty pragmatic, very cautious, and it has not been very entertaining to watch.

When you lose to Chelsea and Arsenal - Tottenham's biggest rivals - that piles the pressure on as well.

Thomas Frank has been in the headlines over the last week, with his response to boos aimed at Vicario after his mistake against Fulham. How much pressure is he currently under and how much time is he likely to be given?

I think, for now, a lot of the pressure is fairly external in terms of coming from the fans. The club are still pretty calm about the situation.

There was a pretty long process to appoint him in the summer: they interviewed a lot of candidates and they were convinced he was the one.

There has been a lot of change behind the scenes as well. Daniel Levy has gone now and there is a new structure in place, and Tottenham do want Frank to be the man at the centre of that, so I think there is a lot of goodwill towards him.

There comes a point, though, where the noise from the fans gets too much and clubs are often forced into action.

Like I said, the style of play is his big problem, and the home form is another - Spurs have not won at home in the Premier League since the first weekend of the season.

That is not just his problem, as they won three times there in the last 12 months, so it does predate him, but it is his problem at the moment.

The Fulham match last weekend was a disaster and, if he now lost to Brentford, I think he would be under huge pressure from the fans and that would start to be something the club and the board would probably listen to.

This is very much being billed as a game he has to win this weekend.

Do you think that external pressure and frustration was already there from last season, there is just a new target now?

Like I said, the home form has been terrible for a long time, so that has carried over.

I guess he was in a tough situation in the summer, in that there was a decent chunk of Tottenham fans who did not want Postecoglou to go. He had given Spurs their best night in a long time, having won a first trophy in 17 years. During the trophy parade, the fanbase was so united.

Certainly, with distance now, the fact that they finished 17th has been forgotten to an extent. The fans are just remembering the trophy and the entertaining football, even though there was plenty under Postecoglou that was not particularly entertaining.

So, you have a chunk of the fans who did not particularly want Frank, and the fact that his style of play is fairly cautious has not helped.

There is also an element of Levy not being there as the lightning rod for it, so a lot of the anger has carried over in terms of fans being unhappy with how the club has been run and, now they do not have Levy's name to chant or him to focus on, Frank is the one who is taking it at the moment.

Which player should Brentford be keeping an eye out for on Saturday?

For good and bad, a lot of Tottenham's play goes through Mohammed Kudus.

Brentford fans will know Frank loves crossing; that is a key part of his game, that is where he focuses, and that has carried on at Tottenham.

Pretty much all of their attacks at the moment go down that right wing. There is a lot of times when Kudus is isolated and the pressure is on him to beat two or three men and get a cross in, but he has got six assists in the Premier League this season and has carried that attack a lot.

That said, he is a player who frustrates fans and sometimes he tries to do too much but, because he is in a situation where he keeps getting the ball and is having to make it all happen by himself, that is pretty inevitable.

So, assuming he starts, Kudus will be the one a lot of Tottenham's play goes through.

What should Keith Andrews’ men expect in terms of shape and style?

That is a difficult one to predict because I think he has changed the system and he has changed the line-up pretty much every match!

In general, I think the most common one has been a 4-2-3-1, with at least one of João Palhinha or Rodrigo Bentancur as the defensive midfielders.

Randal Kolo Muani will probably be starting up front as he has been in really impressive form.

Then there is Xavi Simons, who has not started any of the last three Premier League matches. There is a big debate over how much Frank trusts him.

Whatever system Tottenham play, it will be very direct. They are going to be trying to win set-pieces as much as possible, with a focus on corners and trying to get it wide as much as possible.

In terms of who the actual personnel will be, that is changing so much from game to game.

What’s your score prediction?

At some point, Tottenham do have to win at home. I have thought that a lot, but I think they will just about get over the line.

I will go 2-1, but I think it will be fairly nervy and unconvincing. This is just such a must-win game for Tottenham.

Brentford v Tottenham Hotspur  Brentford FC

Three of Brentford's Premier League fixtures over the festive period have been selected for live television coverage.

New dates have been allocated for the Bees' home game against Tottenham and away clash against Everton.

Keith Andrews' side were originally scheduled to welcome Spurs to Gtech Community Stadium on Tuesday 30 December, but that match will now take place on New Year's Day (8pm kick-off).

Due to that fixture moving, the west Londoners' first-ever visit to Hill Dickinson Stadium to face Everton has been put back a day to Sunday 4 January (3pm kick-off).

Finally, Brentford's home game against Sunderland will remain on Wednesday 7 January, but kick-off has been brought forward by half an hour to 7.30pm.

All three of the above fixtures will be televised by Sky Sports, who will also broadcast December's trip to Arsenal and home clash against Leeds United.

Bournemouth will visit the Gtech on Saturday 27 December (3pm kick-off) as originally scheduled.