Tottenham Hotspur

Now we know we could face either Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Club Brugge or Galatasaray in the UEFA Champions League round of 16, here's how the knockout phase play-off round draw will work.

Clubs are paired together based on their final league phase position to form seeded and unseeded pairs, placing Juve (13th) and Atleti (14th) as seeded and Brugge (19th) and Galatasaray (20th) unseeded.

The seeded team will play the second leg at home and will be drawn against one of the unseeded pairs.

The knockout phase play-off round draw is set to take place at 11am on Friday 30 January and will determine which pathway (silver/blue) we are on.

The next dates to keep an eye on are then the first leg fixtures on 17-18 February followed by the second leg on 24-25 February.

Following that, the round of 16, quarter-final and semi-final draws will then all happen on Friday 27 February before the last-16 ties take place across 10-11 and 17-18 March.

After finishing fourth in the league phase table, we will be given a home second leg for the last 16 - and quarter-finals should we progress - due a new rule introduced this season for the top four positions.

After progressing through to the UEFA Champions League last 16 with that impressive 2-0 win at Eintracht Frankfurt, we can now confirm our potential opponents.

Second-half goals from Randal Kolo Muani against his former side and Dominic Solanke scoring yet again in Frankfurt completed the professional job on a snowy night at Deutsche Bank Park.

Knowing victory would be enough to see us through automatically to the round of 16, tonight’s win sees us finish fourth after the conclusion of the 36-team League Phase.

That means we are set to play either Juventus (13th), Atletico Madrid (14th), Club Brugge (19th) or Galatasaray (20th) for a place in the quarter-finals in March.

We can now confirm the starting XI and substitutes for tonight's UEFA Champions League clash with Eintracht Frankfurt.

Thomas Frank has made five changes to the side which started Saturday's 2-2 draw with Burnley.

With 14 senior players now unavailable due to either injury or ineligibility, Destiny Udogie, Joao Palhinha, Archie Gray, Pape Matar Sarr and Randal Kolo Muani all return to the starting XI.

Our bench features eight Academy graduates including 18-year-old Tye Hall, who is making his first appearance in a senior matchday squad.

Starting XI: Vicario, Danso, Palhinha, Xavi, Udogie, Gray, Romero, Spence, Odobert, Sarr, Kolo Muani.

Substitutes: Kinsky, Austin, Solanke, Scarlett, Olusesi, Kyerematen, Hardy, Byfield, Rowswell, Tye Hall.

Bethany England returned to a Tottenham Hotspur Foundation session for local cancer patients for a third time in as many months today.

Our women’s first team captain is also supporting a Foundation care home session as part of a personal commitment to help drive healthier and happier lifestyles in the local community.

She is spurred on by her own experience of caring for her grandmother and having seen the impact of cancer on other family members.

Having struck up friendships with Foundation staff and participants, Bethany is now introducing team-mates to help support them, with Clare Hunt joining today.

Bethany said: “My family has gone through a lot of hardship with cancer, and so if I am in a position where I am able to give back, that is exactly what I am going to do. The Foundation have so many different programmes and areas that they support in the community, I cannot think of anything better than giving back to people going through hardship.”

Clare said: “It is wonderful to be here with Bethany and see the impact that the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation has had in the community. It is great to be here, meet new people and I am keen to continue working with the Foundation to support others.”

The Foundation is dedicated to tackling health inequalities across Haringey and Enfield, where significant deprivation impacts residents.

Its cancer exercise group runs weekly in Enfield as part of its flagship Shape Up with Spurs programme that has transformed the lives of countless thousands of people since launching in 2015.

Bethany was moved by a Q&A session with participants when she first visited the group, returning only around three weeks later to drop off donations of dumbbells and resistance bands that she had collected from her personal network.

Bethany also visited Lorenco House care home near to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium before Christmas, joined by team-mates as part of the Club’s festive community visits. She is intending to return and support delivery of the Foundation’s Active Memories sessions that give residents the opportunity to enjoy seated exercise and help them recall memories.

Adam Millar, Foundation health and wellbeing programme coordinator, said: “Today was another brilliant session with Bethany, whose empathy and commitment are clear in the relationships she’s built with participants, and it was great to welcome Clare, who was also fantastic amongst the group.

“We’ve seen a real shift in levels of activity and engagement since Bethany started joining us. Through her visits, she’s advocating for a holistic approach to health, aligning perfectly with our programmes that focus not only on physical wellbeing, but also mental and social wellbeing.”

The Foundation’s Shape Up with Spurs and Active Memories programmes are made possible by the Premier League and Professional Footballers’ Association Players’ Fund.

Administered through the Premier League Foundation, the funding helps football clubs tackle inequality and respond to local challenges, supporting people and their communities to be more inclusive.

Support also comes from the People’s Postcode Lottery and individuals who fundraise for the Foundation. To find out more about how you can help, click here.

Watch Tottenham Hotspur Women take on Chelsea Women at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday 8 February, with tickets available here – just £15 for adults and £5 for juniors.

Our Women’s Under-19s earned a bonus point in the Professional Game Academy League after a penalty shootout success over Southampton following a 2-2 draw in normal time on Wednesday.

We made a positive response from last week's defeat to Arsenal when goals either side of the break from Nife Aramide and Grace Bellwood put us in a strong position to bounce back with a victory.

However, two goals in a three-minute spell from Sherise Henry and Poppy Walton brought the visitors level and, after some fantastic saves from goalkeeper Sophie Jackson in the closing stages, the two sides couldn’t be separated to settle for a point, with a subsequent penalty following to determine the bonus point.

After 12 well-taken spot-kicks, Jackson then produced heroics, pushing Emily Wilson’s penalty on to the post before Blue Bartlett-Antwi stepped up and calmly converted to secure a 7-6 win and the extra point, which sees us leapfrog Southampton in third-place.

Sabiha Jamal named a young side to face the Saints that included three Under-16s in the starting XI – Amie Bush, Waris Deria and Daisy May Bird - with the latter two making their first appearances for the Under-19s. There were also strong performances by a number of the six first years, including Holly-Mae Elmes who put in a fantastic display in an unnatural position at centre-back.

More details to follow…

Thomas Frank says we need to 'do everything we can' to take the chance to progress to the Round of 16 when we face Eintracht Frankfurt in a decisive UEFA Champions League MD8 clash in Germany this evening (8pm UK).

Sitting fifth in the UCL's league phase going into the final round of fixtures, we know victory at Deutsche Bank Park will secure a place in the top eight and therefore a direct passage into the last 16 of the competition.

Last week's fine win against Borussia Dortmund at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium - making it four wins in four in N17 - secured our progress in the competition with a seeded place in the play-off round (for teams finishing 9th-24th, teams finishing 9th-16th are seeded).

Speaking to us at DB Park on Tuesday, Thomas said: "We need to play our 'A' game and if we do that, I think we have a good chance to get the win. It's a great opportunity, and that is what we need to embrace. We need to come flying out with the belief that we can do it. It's a huge opportunity and we need to do everything we can to grab it."

Asked for his thoughts on Eintracht Frankfurt in his pre-match press conference, Thomas replied: "We've studied them closely. They may not be in their best form, but it's a team, I think, did fantastic in the league last year.

"I still think they have some fantastic results and played fantastic games this season. They have very good players, and they have a clear identity in what they want to do. I expect a very difficult game, where they will come in a man-man pressure, very good in the transitions. I expect a difficult game.

"I know they are in pain, they don't have anything to play for, but sometimes you can play free. I've been in this game long enough that usually you don't know what you're going to face tomorrow. It needs to be thoughts on us, with big respect for Frankfurt. We know all their strengths, no doubt about that.”

We’re in Germany tonight (Wednesday 28 January) for our final match in the league stage of the UEFA Champions League, with Eintracht Frankfurt our opponents.

Victory would secure a place in the top eight and an automatic spot in the last 16 – here’s everything you need to know...

What time does the match start?

The game begins at 9pm local time in Germany, 8pm in the UK.

How can I watch the game?

Supporters in the UK will be able to watch the action live on TNT Sports 5.

If you’re following us from overseas, check out our Spurs on TV page to see if the game is live in your area.

Our Match Centre here on tottenhamhotspur.com and the Spurs Official app will bring you full live text and audio commentary throughout the match.

Highlights will be available on SPURSPLAY on Thursday.

What is the team news?

Central midfielders Joao Palhinha and Pape Matar Sarr are back in the frame for us after recovering from injury and illness respectively, the latter also having been away at the Africa Cup of Nations in recent weeks.

However, Pedro Porro has been ruled out with a hamstring injury and Micky van de Ven also misses the game with a ‘minor’ problem – they’re two of 14 senior players absent this evening.

Richarlison, James Maddison, Lucas Bergvall, Mohammed Kudus, Dejan Kulusevski, Rodrigo Bentancur and Ben Davies are all sidelined through injury while Radu Dragusin, Yves Bissouma, Mathys Tel, Conor Gallagher and Souza are ineligible.

Eintracht Frankfurt will be without six players, including their top two goalscorers, Jonathan Burkardt and Can Uzun.

Elias Baum, Jessic Ngankam, Younes Ebnoutalib and former Chelsea forward Michy Batshuayi are also out for them.

Who is the referee?

Spanish referee Jesús Gil Manzano will officiate tonight’s match, assisted by Ángel Nevado and Guadalupe Porras Ayuso.

The fourth official will be Francisco José Hernandez Maeso, with Guillermo Cuadra Fernandez and assistant Valentín Gómez on VAR duties.

"Eintracht Frankfurt have lost two key stars in Omar Marmoush and Hugo Ekitike over the past 12 months, so how have they coped this season? And what has changed since Spurs beat them back in April?"

Rob Daly, official club commentator, presenter and pundit

Why has there been a change in Eintracht Frankfurt's dugout?

Ten days ago, Eintracht Frankfurt parted ways with Dino Toppmöller, their head coach of two and half years, after a run of one win in seven Bundesliga games. The standard for what is expected at the club has changed dramatically over the past decade, with Frankfurt having gone from fighting relegation/promotion play-offs to claiming domestic and continental silverware while regularly challenging for top four. This season, 'Die Adler' (The Eagles) are eighth – within touching distance of the European places - but they’ve fallen down the league standings of late. The Champions League campaign has been a disappointment (more on that later), while no team has conceded more goals (42) in the Bundesliga. “We’re arguably in the most difficult period of the past four and a half years, but we’ll get out of this together,” explained board member for sport, Markus Krösche, ahead of this game. “The way we’ve been playing in recent weeks, including the results and the incredible number of goals we’ve conceded, obviously isn’t good enough for our fans.”

What has been Frankfurt's Champions League story this season?

Eintracht Frankfurt claimed a remarkable 5-1 opening league phase victory over Galatasaray - the perfect start after being handed a tough run of fixtures. However, they then suffered 5-1 defeats to Atletico and Liverpool, and while a goalless draw at Napoli was a good result on paper, losses to Atalanta, Barcelona and Qarabag followed after. It means they can’t qualify for the top 24, so would interim boss Dennis Schmitt be tempted to rotate? His side are already out of the Champions League, and have a big match against Bayer Leverkusen (just above them in the Bundesliga) at the weekend. However, they clearly need a lift – and you’d expect Frankfurt to go at full strength to try and earn a result and performance, in front of feverish home support, to turn around their fortunes.

How could they line up?

Eintracht Frankfurt have conceded three goals in every single match since returning from the winter break in Germany – that’s five played, 15 conceded. You may remember goalkeeper Kaua Santos, who made a series of superb saves in the 1-1 draw at Spurs last season, before fouling James Maddison in the second leg for the penalty that decided that Europa League quarter-final tie. Having lost his place in the team back in November, the Brazilian has since been restored – however, notable errors and one spilt cross leading to a goal versus Stuttgart this month, means Santos is in constant focus. In a 3-1 loss to Hoffenheim at the weekend, Schmitt used a 3-4-3 system – with ex-Leeds man Robin Koch at the heart of defence, Nathaniel Brown and Rasmus Kristensen the wing-backs, as we saw last season, as well as Elias Skhiri and Hugo Larsson in midfield again.

Why are Frankfurt short of forward options?

In terms of strikers, new signing Arnaud Kalimuendo has two goals in four games since joining from Nottingham Forest on loan, but he can’t play in the Champions League, while German international Jonathan Burkardt, their top scorer, is injured. Attacking midfielder Can Uzun played as a false nine against Qarabag last week, scoring and playing well between the lines – however he picked up a muscle injury at the weekend. “We’ll miss him - Can has extraordinary abilities,” explained Dennis Schmitt in his Tuesday press conference. While Ritsu Doan provides technical quality in those advanced midfield positions, and Ansgar Knauff is a major threat out wide – they’re lacking a central focal point. By January of last year, Omar Marmoush had 20 goals and 14 assists in just 26 games, earning him a move to Manchester City. Six months later, Hugo Ekitike joined Liverpool – scorer of 22 goals in 2024/25 for Frankfurt, a number that includes his sensational strike at Spurs in the Europa League. Despite all this, Schmitt is defiant about that his team can do in attack. “We can tweak things and become more unpredictable, but we’re not going to show our hand now. We’ll start with a lot of quality on Wednesday, and we’ll also have quality on the bench.”

Preview | Rob joins Ben and Clive for Frankfurt analysis

Against a snowy Frankfurt backdrop, Dominic Solanke is hoping we can keep our cool tonight as we fight to secure a place in the last 16 of the Champions League.

Already assured of a place in the February's play-off round at a minimum, we can go one better tonight and take a place in the round of 16 as we head to Germany to take on Eintracht Frankfurt, and only victory can guarantee that.

To reach the last 16 of European football's elite Club competition - something we have achieved in all bar one of our seven Champions League/European Cup campaigns to date - we know we will have to overcome Eintracht Frankfurt on their home turf.

It is a feat that only three English teams have managed in history, but notably, we are one of those teams thanks for Dominic Solanke's ice-cold penalty back in April, which saw us to a 1-0 win at Deutsche Bank Park and into the semi-finals of our ultimately triumphant Europa League campaign.

And the memories of that unforgettable spot-kick here in Frankfurt just eight months ago came flooding back as Dom walked back through the doors of the Wald Stadion on Tuesday night as he completed his media duties ahead of matchday eight of the League Phase.

Beaming as he was asked about our last visit and of course the penalty, the forward said, “I only have good memories (of that night) to be honest. It was obviously a huge part in our journey to win the Europa. It was a huge night. We obviously won it by quite a tight margin but (I) still (have) great memories from that night.

"I kind of had to be (ice cold with the penalty). It was a hectic environment, a huge game in front of their fans as well which we're making it very loud and difficult but no I had to stay cool and I liked that pressure in that moment and I managed to put it away nicely.

Looking ahead to returning to Frankfurt and, not just the challenge that awaits us but the prize on offer if we manage to overcome the German side, Dom said, "We are all buzzing for the game. The Champions League is probably the biggest club competition in the world and to finish in the top 8 of that will be amazing for all of us.

"We know what's at stake so it’s another big game. We know it’s obviously going to be a tough game - there is no easy game in the Champions League - and we know what their crowd is like as well – it can be loud and hostile - so we'll be prepared for that, especially the boys that played here last year will know what we're going to go into but, like I mentioned, we're looking forward to it and hopefully we can get the job done."

Watch - Dom speaks to SPURSPLAY

Cathinka Tandberg had a clear message for supporters ahead of our clash with Chelsea at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium next month: ‘come to the game, you will fall in love with this team’.

Joining us from Hammarby IF in the summer, the Norway international has since been living out a dream that started ever since she first visited White Hart Lane as a 10-year-old.

Travelling to north London to watch our UEFA Europa League clash against Besiktas in October, 2014, that was the moment she fell in love with Spurs and even told her dad that night, ‘I’m going to play here one day’.

True to her word, twelve years later, Tinka has now enjoyed a positive first six months in Lilywhite with four goals in 10 appearances to date, although she returned to action on Sunday against Liverpool after two months on the sidelines with an injury.

Our next home game in the WSL sees us return to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, taking on London rivals Chelsea on Sunday 8 February (kick-off 2.25pm) and, ahead of the fixture, the forward took a trip to visit our world-class stadium for the first time – and she was certainly blown away by the prospect of playing there.

“I've been here for six months now, but when I saw the Stadium and knew that I'm going to play there, it's like ‘wow, I'm actually living my dream’,” she told us whilst taking in her new surroundings in N17.

“When I was at White Hart Lane, I was like ‘this is big’ but this is like double the size, so it's unbelievable. It's a dream come true and I've been working so hard for this moment, so I'm really looking forward to it.”

Fan favourite Tinka’s love for Spurs has been clear to see since the moment she arrived at Hotspur Way and the forward believes fans will fall in love with the team just like she did when they come to watch Martin Ho’s side in action.

“If you come to the game, you will fall in love with the team and you will fall in love with the club,” emphasised our number 19.

“You will see the reason why I am a Spurs fan and we will just do everything for you. This Club is amazing and unbelievable in so many ways, just coming here and sitting in the stands will be a dream and, of course, watching us playing good football will be also good.”