Tottenham Hotspur

We can confirm the starting line-ups and substitutes for this evening's Premier League clash with Nottingham Forest at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (8pm UK).

Ange Postecoglou has made five changes for the visit of Forest.

In defence, Djed Spence comes into the starting XI for Destiny Udogie, who misses out tonight.

In midfield, there are two changes as Pape Matar Sarr and Dejan Kulusevski both start with Lucas Bergvall and James Maddison taking places amongst our substitutes.

Up top, Richarlison and Wilson Odobert return to the starting line-up, Richy for the first time since our League Cup semi-final second-leg trip to Liverpool while Wilson makes his first start since our Europa League round of 16 second-leg win over AZ Alkmaar.

Our full line-up is as follows...

Starting XI: Vicario; Pedro Porro, Romero (c), van de Ven, Spence; Sarr, Bentancur, Kulusevski; Odobert, Richarlison, Tel

Spurs vs Forest | Talking Tactics, with Rob Daly  Tottenham Hotspur

Robert Vilahamn was pleased with the character to fight back in the second half, but was ultimately left disappointed to not come away with any points after Aston Villa edge us 3-2 in the Barclays Women’s Super League on Sunday.

Anna Patten capitalised on a strong first half for the visitors by heading home the opener on the half-hour mark after Rachel Daly’s header struck the crossbar before Ebony Salmon doubled their advantage shortly after the break to put Villa in a comfortable position.

However, two goals in a five-minute spell brought us back into the contest. Jess Naz was on hand to fire home from close range after a scramble inside the box to net her third goal of the campaign before Ella Morris rounded the goalkeeper and slotted home to grab her first goal for the Club and in the WSL.

But, our hard work to get us back on level terms came undone in the first minute of stoppage time, as substitute Kirsty Hanson charged into the box and fired home the winner for Villa.

Speaking to us after the game, Robert said: “I mean, result-wise, it’s tough to lose another game at home. I think it was quite a good football game, quite intense, a lot of duels, we came from 2-0 down to 2-2 and had some good chances to score more goals, but they got the counterattack and scored to make it 3-2.

“So, performance-wise and how they played, they showed character, I have nothing against that, they’re performing well and they’re creating some good chances, scored some beautiful goals, but we lost because they scored three goals and we scored two.”

On the spirit shown in the second half to fight back…

“You look at the character we had, not giving up, and we found some good energy. Aston Villa made it hard for us as they went, almost, player-to-player marking all over the pitch, they were aggressive, so they made it difficult for us. But we still created a lot of chances, we still scored two goals, we still have most of the possession, so the main thing is if you look at the performance, we’re looking like we want to but we need to get better in both boxes, and we need to make sure we can find wins in these games… it’s tough to lose this one.”

On the goals from Jess Naz and Ella Morris…

“The journey they’re on is beautiful to see, I think they’re pure Spurs players and they will be massive for this Club and I also think they will be massive for the Lionesses as well. I think they both had a really good game along with some of the other players, the substitutes coming on and giving us really good energy as well, so it’s one of those days where you can go on and win it, but they got that chance and scored. We need to look at it, we need to make sure we develop as we need to be better at closing the game out.”

On trying to take positives from the performance…

“It's how you should look at the loss, you need to respect that you lost and make sure you get better as we’re Tottenham Hotspur, we need to win more games. But, on the other hand, we know what we’re doing and where we’re heading, what we want to improve on, how we want to improve, so if you look at that, you can tell they’re trying to do what we want to do and trying to do it for 95 minutes so, in that way, we’re looking for players who are performing in the right direction. We are not there yet where we’re winning games and that’s something we need to fix.”

On the support shown at Brisbane Road this season…

“I just want to say I’m very impressed by the fans, how they supported us. I think this season, they’re giving us so much support and love, which is necessary for us to keep going, and I’m looking forward to seeing them at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in a few weeks. We'll try to give them a win, as that’s what they deserve.”

An incredible second-half fightback was not enough to see us claim anything from our Barclays Women's Super League clash with Aston Villa on Sunday as the Villans edged us 3-2.

In a tight clash at Brisbane Road, the visitors opened the scoring just before the half-hour mark as Anna Patten reacted quickest to head in after Rachel Daly's header had crashed off the bar. They then doubled their advantage 11 minutes after the restart as Daly's prowess in the air continued to cause us issues with her flick on releasing Ebony Salmon to fire home.

However, in the space of five second-half minutes, we fought back to get ourselves back on terms. Firstly, on 65 minutes, Jess Naz capitalised on a goalmouth scramble to halve the deficit, firing in from close range, before Ella Morris got us level with her first goal for the Club and in the WSL as she rounded the goalkeeper before stroking home.

In the ascendancy with the momentum of the two goals, we looked the most likely of the two sides to go on to snatch all three points but, in the end, it was Villa who made the most of their opportunities with Kirsty Hanson powering through on break before picking her spot and guiding in to secure the win for the visitors.

Lize Kop reacted the quickest to claim a low cross from the feet of Rachel Daly before she got down to her left to collect Missy Bo Kearns’ drilled effort as the visitors started the game well in the capital. Lucy Staniforth then sliced her shot wide of the post as Villa maintained their strong start, and their pressure finally prevailed on the half-hour mark. Daly rose the highest from Staniforth’s free-kick as her header crashed against the top of the crossbar but, with the ball looping in the air, Patten was on hand to head home on the line.

Our best opportunities of the first period came in the closing stages, but we struggled to break down a stubborn Villa backline as Olivia Holdt, Maite Oroz and Morris all saw efforts superbly blocked inside the box before Holdt found Drew Spence inside the right area of the box but, once again, the midfielder was denied by Lucy Parker at full-stretch to keep their lead in tact at the break.

Naz fired an effort straight into the hands of D’Angelo as we pushed for a response after the break but, just 11 minutes into the second period, Villa doubled their advantage as Daly flicked Parker’s long ball into the path of Salmon, she charged into the box before slotting past Kop. We made a double change just after the hour mark as Bethany England marked her return from injury with Matilda Vinberg also entering the pitch and, three minutes later, we pulled a goal back. D’Angelo was called into action to push Naz’s low shot around the post and, from the following corner, Morris kept the move alive as her header back into the six-yard box caused a scramble and Naz was there to fire home from close range.

Then, five minutes later, we were back on level terms. A superb long ball forward from Eveliina Summanen set Morris on her way on the right, she showed complete calmness to round the on-rushing D’Angelo before stroking the ball into the empty net, completing a fantastic comeback in a five-minute spell and a milestone moment for the defender. Following a pulsating few minutes at Brisbane Road, the momentum swung in our favour and the closest we came was when substitute Vinberg sent a looping header that landed on top of the netting.

However, as we entered the first minute of stoppage time, it was Villa who grabbed the late winner in the contest. Substitute Hanson received the ball from Grant and powered her way into the box before firing past Kop to snatch the three points in the capital and leave us without a win in seven WSL games.

In terms of team news, Robert Vilahamn made one change as Ashleigh Neville replaced Amanda Nilden in the starting XI, while Rosella Ayane came off the bench in the second half to make her 100th WSL appearance.

Next up for us is a home clash with high-flying Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Monday night.

Here’s all the key info you need to know...

What time is kick-off against Nottingham Forest?

The match starts at 8pm UK time.

How can I watch the game?

Monday evening’s match will be televised live in the UK on Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Main Event.

If you’re not at the game in person – and even if you are – our Match Centre here on tottenhamhotspur.com and the Spurs Official app features live text and audio commentary, stats, photos and more, allowing you to follow the action in detail as it unfolds.

You’ll then be able to watch video highlights and a full match replay on SPURSPLAY from midnight after the match.

What is the team news?

James Maddison is a doubt for Monday’s game after being forced off late in the first half during Thursday’s win against Eintracht Frankfurt.

Heung-Min Son remains sidelined with the foot injury that forced him to miss the trip to Germany, while Ange Postecoglou has suggested that he’ll make changes to keep everyone fresh.

“It’s fair to say it’s been challenging, but I think part of that challenge is the rotation in the team and, to be fair, it’s going to be similar on Monday night, and we’re going to have to make five or six changes to the team because we want to make sure everyone is in the right space,” he told the media on Saturday.

Radu Dragusin remains sidelined with a knee injury.

As for Nottingham Forest, they will assess Ola Aina (calf) and Taiwo Awoniyi (thigh) ahead of the game.

Who is the referee?

Peter Bankes will referee Monday’s game, assisted by Marc Perry and Nick Greenhalgh.

The fourth official will be Tony Harrington.

On VAR duties, it’s John Brooks and assistant Dan Robathan.

What colours will the teams be playing in?

We’ll be wearing our home kit as normal in N17, featuring Lilywhite shirts, navy blue shorts and white socks.

Forest will wear red shirts, white shorts and red socks.

Our goalkeeper will be in yellow with theirs in blue.

What will the weather conditions be like?

Light rain is expected in the run-up to kick-off on Monday although it should stay dry for the game itself. Temperatures will be around 14 degrees.

How can I get the matchday programme and what’s included?

Ex-Forest forward Brennan Johnson stars on the cover and speaks in our exclusive main feature interview inside Monday night’s official matchday programme. Also featuring Ange Postecoglou’s exclusive column, plus a whole lot more, it’s available for the usual £4 at the game. Copies can be purchased around the stadium or online here for delivery direct to your door.

What is the travel information if I’m going to the game?

Travel information for those attending Monday night’s game can be found here.

Firstly Erik, can you tell us how you came to join us from IFK Göteborg back in 1988?

Erik: "I had actually been with Spurs a few years earlier but I wasn’t able to sign for the club because I couldn’t get a work permit. When Spurs came back in for me in 1988, I didn’t think the move would happen then either, but I was eventually given the green light to join and I was delighted. It was always my dream of mine to play in English football."

Your Spurs debut against Nottingham Forest didn’t exactly go the way you would have wanted it to. How do you reflect back on that experience?

"It’s something I’ve made peace with now but at the time, it felt much more than a goalkeeping mistake. It felt like a trauma. Early on in my Spurs career, after four or five matches, I don’t think anyone knew which way it was going to go for me... I can remember a huge turning point for me coming in a match down at Southampton. There was a moment when a certain Alan Shearer was bearing down on goal and I was about 25 metres from my goal line. I collided with him and in today’s game, I would have been sent off without any doubt. But luckily, I was just given a yellow card. If I’d have been sent off, who knows what would have happened. I’d have been out of the team for a few matches and then, would I have regained my place in the team? But as it was, we went on to win 2-0, I kept my place in the starting XI and we went on to have a good run of victories, eventually finishing sixth in the league. Football careers are full of randomness and luck and circumstance plays a huge part. There are probably players in the lower divisions in England today who could have played for the national team if circumstances had gone their way. But you need the right break at the right time and I got that in my Spurs career with what happened down at Southampton. It was a sliding doors moment for sure!"

In your first full season with us in 1989/90, you played in 34 of our 38 league games as we finished third in the First Division. You must have been delighted with the season from a personal and a team perspective?

"Yes, it was great season with a very special group of players. We had high standards as a club and we knew we should be up there challenging for trophies. When I first moved to England, there was the ‘Big Five’, which was Arsenal, Everton, Liverpool, Manchester United and Spurs. We had top six finishes in my first two seasons at the club then won the FA Cup in 1991."

On the topic of the FA Cup triumph in 1991, how do you look back on our road to the final that year?

"I can remember the third round at Blackpool very clearly because they were the windiest conditions I’ve ever played a football match in and that’s coming from someone who comes from Stavanger on the south west coast of Norway! It’s a game that really could have gone either way. Luckily Paul Stewart, playing against his old club, came up with the winning goal for us. After that, Gazza really carried us through the rest of the rounds. He was on fire against Oxford, Portsmouth and Notts County and of course, everyone remembers his free-kick as we beat Arsenal 3-1 in the semi-final at Wembley."

And how do you reflect on the final against Nottingham Forest?

"The final was an eventful one to say the least. A lot of things went against us to begin with. Gazza got injured, Forest went 1-0 up, then we missed a penalty and Gary Lineker had a ‘goal’ disallowed. But we managed to come through in the end and win 2-1 in extra-time. It was an amazing day. My only regret about that day is that my mindset was very much, ‘okay, we’ve won this, what’s next’. I think in football, in life in general, we’re always thinking about the next thing. For many years, I didn’t really reflect on that FA Cup victory and what a great achievement it was. I think was only looking back after my career had finished that I could really appreciate how special it was."

Forest got a certain amount of revenge for their cup final defeat by knocking us out of the League Cup in the semi-finals in 1991/92 and in the fourth round in 1992/93...

"We played against Nottingham Forest a lot during my time at Spurs. I can remember once, we won a game in the League Cup and someone asked me my thoughts. I was just joking but I said ‘I don’t know why we bother... we always end up drawing Forest in this competition and lose to them’. And low and behold, who do we draw in the next round? Nottingham Forest! And sure enough, Forest beat us. Can you imagine if a player had said that in my situation today? It would be all over the internet and the player would get lambasted. You could get away with things a bit more back then!"

Ian Walker became our number one goalkeeper towards the end of your time at Spurs. What was your relationship with Ian like?

"We got on well. I always had the attitude of ‘if you’re going to work with someone every day, do it as friends’. And that’s what we were. If I was on the bench, I’d wish Ian good luck for the match and I meant it. And vice-versa. I was in Germany for two years where I had the opposite situation. It was a war in training every day and I thought ‘life is too short for this!’ I think there’s a karma that goes on for goalkeepers. I think it’s more difficult to play yourself if you have a rivalry with fellow goalkeepers at a club. There’s no point wasting your energy like that."

Fast-forwarding to 2019. What was it like playing in the Spurs Legends versus Inter Forever match at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium?

"It was a full range of emotions, that’s for sure. I felt very proud to be invited and I was in awe of the new stadium. When I was asked, I thought ‘I have to do this’. I made a mistake in the match and felt massively frustrated! I said to myself ‘let it go, it doesn’t matter’ but it’s hard to lose that competitive mindset!"

Luca Williams-Barnett scored another incredible goal from distance to help our Under-18s register an important 2-1 home victory over Aston Villa on Saturday.

The young forward, who lit up last week’s Under-17 Premier League Cup final with a hat-trick and has already scored twice from the half-way line this season, again coaxed a collective gasp from the Hotspur Way crowd as he curled a superb shot into an unguarded net from the right wing, adjacent to the edge of the centre circle, to put us 2-0 up in a game we really had to win to keep ourselves in the mix in the Under-18 Premier League southern division title race.

George Feeney had already fired us in front as we dominated the game in the first half before Villa came on strong after the break, goalkeeper Sam Archer saving TJ Carroll’s penalty and defender Jun’ai Byfield making a miraculous goal-line clearance either side of Max Lott’s 65th-minute strike as Stuart Lewis’ troops produced a resilient display to make sure of the points.

We also squandered further chances ourselves, hitting the woodwork twice in a dramatic, high-intensity clash which saw us win the first of four games we had in hand on leaders Southampton to move seven points behind them with nine more still available. Crucially, we also took points off Villa, another side in the mix and with games in hand on the table-toppers.

Tynan Thompson was twice denied by the visitors’ ex-Arsenal goalkeeper Owen Asemota while Ellis Lehane had a couple of efforts blocked as we started well. The opener arrived mid-way through the first half in a move that started with Archer at the back, Miracle Adewole was subsequently sent away down the right and his low cut-back was almost passed inside the near post by Feeney as he arrived at the edge of the box.

Three minutes later, Williams-Barnett pounced on a loose ball and sensationally struck from distance with Asemota off his line to double our lead and by half-time you felt we could and should have been further in front after Adewole shot wide, Thompson was denied twice more by the keeper – including a big save in a one-on-one opportunity on 41 minutes – and Lehane saw his near-post shot from the winger’s cut-back kept out on the line.

Williams-Barnett saw a shot on the break deflected just wide at the start of the second half following Harry Byrne’s quick thinking on a throw-in before a huge double save from Archer kept us in command, the keeper denying Carroll with his initial penalty kick after Ronny Moncur’s challenge on Markie Meade in the box, before producing an even better stop to deny the same player on the follow-up.

Always mesmerising with the ball at his feet, Williams-Barnett skipped over a couple of challenges before clipping the ball over Asemota from a tight angle, only to see it hit the bar, but Villa managed to get themselves off the mark on 64 minutes, Lott finishing off a counter-attack to set up a fiercely-competitive last half-hour.

Meade missed a great chance to draw them level moments later, while Lott was denied by Archer and Jack McGrath fired wide before two more big opportunities slipped away from us, substitute Reiss Elliott-Parris hitting the near post as he arrived onto Williams-Barnett’s cut-back from the left before the same two players combined again, this time Williams-Barnett sending Elliott-Parris through on goal, only for Asemota to make his second big one-on-one block of the game.

Two minutes from time, Villa skipper Woody Burgess thought he’d scored when he unleashed a powerful drive from the left angle, but an amazing clearance from Byfield on the line meant it stayed 2-1 and ensured the points were ours.

Reaction on SPURSPLAY

‘A top Under-18s game and outstanding to win it’

Under-18s Coach Stuart was delighted with the character shown by the players: “It was an unbelievable game,” he told SPURSPLAY. “In the first half we were outstanding and it was probably some of the best football we’ve played all season, maybe being critical we could have been three our four up on reflection, but the football and the intensity of our play was outstanding. Then in the second half we still had some big moments and opportunities to stretch the scoreline but I also thought we showed some brilliant character and resilience as well to get the win. With the blocks and the penalty save, the match had everything really so it was a real top Under-18s game and it was outstanding to win it.”

On our two goals, Stuart added: “I thought George Feeney was outstanding in the first half with his all-round play, how he broke the game up and how he intercepted the ball, but also his football and he deserved that goal. It was a brilliant finish from the edge of the box, he’s got a good strike on him and he’s got those forward instincts which is great for him and for us, and then what can you say about Luca? We’ve seen it a few times this season. When it dropped to him, we all felt it was possible and with him, you know he can execute it, so it was another outstanding moment but I thought his all-round performance was excellent again. It was some goal – I can’t wait to watch it back!”

We’re back in action for the first time since 30 March when we welcome Aston Villa to Brisbane Road in the Barclays Women’s Super League on Sunday afternoon.

Here’s all the key info you need to know ahead of our clash with Villa…

What time is kick-off against Aston Villa?

The match starts at 2pm UK time.

How can I watch the game?

Tickets are available at Brisbane Road on the day for supporters who wish to come and watch the game in person.

Sunday’s match will also be streamed live on SPURSPLAY and on the WSL's official YouTube channel.

If you’re not already a subscriber, find out more and sign up today to enjoy the Villa game along with a host of other live matches from across the Club for the remainder of the 2024/25 campaign.

You can also keep up to date with minute-by-minute text updates on our Match Centre here on tottenhamhotspur.com and the Spurs Official app.

Video highlights of all the action will be available on SPURSPLAY on Monday.

What is the team news?

Bethany England returned to training and could be back in contention for our WSL clash with Villa.

However, Robert Vilahamn reported that Hayley Raso, Luana Buhler and Charlotte Grant are set to miss the encounter.

Hayley and Luana have both picked up knocks and are expected to be on the sidelines for an extended period, with the former set to miss the rest of the campaign while he hopes to have the Switzerland international back before the end of the season.

For the visitors, captain Rachel Corsie is expected to return for their visit to the capital while it’s too soon for Sarah Mayling as she continues her recovery.

Who is the referee?

Stacey Fullicks will take charge of the game, assisted by Dora Jakab and Dan Skyes.

The fourth official will be Kirsty Dowle.

You can watch us take on Aston Villa Women live on SPURSPLAY this Sunday.

Live from Brisbane Road, we return to Barclays Women's Super League this weekend following a two-week break and take on Villa in our penultimate home game of the campaign. Kick-off is 2pm (UK) and you can watch all the action live on SPURSPLAY.

Following the conclusion of the final international break of the season, we come into this game looking to build on our 1-1 draw with Leicester City last time out, which ended a run of five defeats in a row in the WSL, while Vila picked up their third win of the campaign with a 2-1 victory over Liverpool in their previous outing.

We've already faced our opponents twice this season as we shared the points at Villa Park following a 2-2 draw in the WSL in September before a sensational strike from Eveliina Summanen helped us to a 1-0 win at Brisbane Road in the group stage of the Subway Women's League Cup in November.

Highlights | Our previous meeting with Brighton at Brisbane Road

Ange Postecoglou said 'rest is going to be as important as anything else' as Heung-Min Son fights to overcome a nagging foot injury.

The skipper has missed our last two games against Wolves and Eintracht Frankfurt. Indeed, he didn't travel out with the squad to Germany on Wednesday for Thursday night's UEFA Europa League quarter-final, second leg at Deutsche Bank Park.

Forest are next up in the Premier League as we return to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Monday evening (8pm UK).

Speaking to the media at Hotspur Way on Saturday morning, Ange confirmed Sonny would still be out, and was asked how long the issue might keep him out of action.

"He's been dealing with a foot problem for a while, so now is as good a time as any to give him the right time to to get over it," said Ange. "He'll definitely miss Monday.

"It's been something he's been dealing with for a little while and it got to the point where not only it wasn't improving, but it was deteriorating, and it's one of these things where rest is going to be as important as anything else with that kind of injury. So, we'll give him that time. Sonny is the kind of guy who always wants to train, so we'll put him on ice for the next few days and see how he responds to that."