Tottenham Hotspur

We can confirm the starting lineups and substitutes for this afternoon's Premier League encounter against Brentford at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (kick-off 3pm).

Thomas Frank has made five changes to the team that started at Newcastle United in midweek as he goes up against his former club for the first time.

Micky van de Ven and Djed Spence come into the backline in place of Kevin Danso and the absent Destiny Udogie who is not involved today.

Archie Gray and Xavi Simons replace Pape Matar Sarr and Lucas Bergvall in midfield whilst Richarlison starts in attack with Brennan Johnson making way.

Here’s our team in full...

Starting XI: Vicario, Xavi, Richarlison, Gray, Romero (c), Kudus, Pedro Porro, Spence, Bentancur, van de Ven, Kolo Muani.

Substitutes: Kinsky, Danso, Palhinha, Tel, Bergvall, Johnson, Odobert, Sarr, Davies.

Our Barclays Women’s Super League campaign resumes after the international break on Sunday with Aston Villa the visitors to Brisbane Road in our final home game of the calendar year.

Here’s all you need to know ahead of our clash with the Villans this weekend…

What time does the match start?

The game begins at 12noon 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.

The game will be televised live in the UK on Sky Sports + and WSL’s Official YouTube channel.

If you’re following us from overseas, check out here 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.

Video highlights will be available on club channels from four hours after the full-time whistle.

What is the team news?

Head Coach Martin Ho confirmed that Cathinka Tandberg, Olga Ahtinen and Charlotte Grant face a period on the sidelines.

‘Tinka’ and Olga picked up their knocks while on international duty with the trio being ruled out until at least Christmas.

They join long-term absentees Ella Morris, Luana Buhler and Maite Oroz who will all miss the clash on Sunday.

Who is the referee?

Abigail Byrne will referee the game on Sunday, with Lauren Whiteman and Phoebe Horner as her assistants.

The fourth official will be Stacey Pearson.

What kit colours will the teams be wearing?

We’ll be in our usual Lilywhite shirts, navy blue shorts and white socks for the game, with our goalkeeper in blue.

Villa will be in their away kit of black shirts, black shorts and blacks. Their goalkeeper in all pink.

How can I get the matchday programme?

The latest issue of our new-look official matchday programme will be on sale at the game, priced at the usual £3.50. Copies can also be ordered online here for delivery direct to your door.

Inside this weekend’s edition, Lize Kop speaks in our main feature interview and we catch up with former star Lucia Leon in our ‘Once A Spur’ piece.

What will the weather be like?

Light rain is forecast in the capital on Sunday. Temperatures will be around 11 degrees.

Lize Kop and our backline will be looking to continue our strong defensive record in Sunday’s lunchtime kick-off against Aston Villa at Brisbane Road.

Prior to the final international break of the calendar year, we recorded back-to-back clean sheets across two different competitions – against Arsenal in the Barclays Women’s Super League and Bristol City in the Women’s League Cup – taking our tally to seven shutouts this term, with four of those coming in the WSL.

In fact, three of our four clean sheets in the league have come at home and we’re just two away from matching our record for the most clean sheets on home turf in a single WSL campaign – previously five in the 2021/22 season.

We also head into this weekend’s clash boasting a strong record at Brisbane Road so far this term, losing just once in our seven games across all competitions and could go four games unbeaten at home for the first time since February, 2022.

However, we will come up against one of the strongest teams in the WSL away from home this season.

Villa, alongside Chelsea, are the only two sides in England’s top flight that remain unbeaten on the road, while they’ve conceded the least amount of goals away from Villa Park (one).

And Natalia Arroyo’s side are unbeaten in their last four trips to E10 in the WSL, although we did come out on top in a penalty shootout in the Subway Women’s League Cup earlier in this campaign after a goalless draw in the 90 minutes.

Here are some other headline pre-match facts, courtesy of Opta, ahead of the WSL clash:

Aston Villa recorded 22 shots on MD9 against London City Lionesses, their most ever in a WSL game they lost (1-3) – only West Ham (5.8%) have a worse shot conversion rate than the Villans (8.1%) this term.

Three of the seven lowest expected goals from open play tallies in WSL games this season belong to Tottenham Hotspur (0.13 vs Arsenal, 0.14 vs Man City, 0.16 vs Chelsea) – only Leicester (0.40) and Everton (0.61) average less xG from open play per game than Spurs this season (0.65).

Martin Ho has led his team to four clean sheets in nine league games this season; the only English managers to keep more through their first 10 games as a manager in the Women’s Super League are Laura Harvey (seven in 2011), David Parker (six in 2011), Mo Marley (five in 2011) and Scott Rogers (five in 2016).

Aston Villa’s Rachel Daly has only been directly involved in more WSL goals against Reading (eight – six goals, two assists) than us (seven – five goals, two assists), scoring or assisting in each of her five starts for the Villans versus Spurs in the competition.

Only Aston Villa’s Anna Patten and West Ham United’s Shelina Zadorsky (both 56) have recorded more clearances than Clare Hunt in the WSL this season (51), while only Patten (16) has made more blocks than the Australian’s 15.

Watch our meeting with Villa from last time out

Friday's draw has produced a number of potential Spurs vs Spurs clashes at next summer's FIFA World Cup 2026 in USA, Canada and Mexico.

Lilywhite eyes will be drawn to Group L where Djed Spence, Dominic Solanke and James Maddison's England will face Luka Vuskovic's Croatia and Mo Kudus' Ghana with Panama making up the four-team group.

Xavi Simons and Micky van de Ven could face Kota Takai as the Netherlands have been drawn with Japan, Tunisia and the winner of Play-Off B (Ukraine, Poland, Albania, Sweden) in Group F. That means Lucas Bergvall and Deki Kulusevski could also face their team-mates if Sweden progress to the finals.

In Group H, Rodrigo Bentancur's Uruguay take on Pedro Porro's Spain, plus Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia while Cuti Romero's Argentina defend their 2022 title in Group J, which includes fellow defender Kevin Danso's Austria, plus Algeria and Jordan.

Pape Matar Sarr's Senegal are in Group I with Randal Kolo Muani's France, plus the winner of Play-Off 2 (Iraq, Bolivia, Suriname) and Norway.

Elsewhere, Yang Min-Hyeok and South Korea are in Group A with co-hosts Mexico, South Africa and the winner of Play-Off D (Czechia, Republic Of Ireland, Denmark, North Macedonia).

Richarlison, who scored a Puskas Award nominated volley for Brazil in the 2022 finals in Qatar, will hope to do the same again in Group C where they will face Morocco, Haiti and Scotland. Meanwhile, Joao Palhinha and Portugal are in Group K with the winner of Play-Off 1 (DR Congo, Jamaica, New Caledonia), Uzbekistan and Colombia.

The tournament's opening game will be Mexico vs South Africa on 11 June, 2026.

FIFA World Cup 2026 - groups

Group A - Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, Winner of Play-Off D (Czechia, Republic Of Ireland, Denmark, North Macedonia)

Group B - Canada, Winner of Play-Off A (Italy, Wales, Northern Ireland, Bosnia & Herzegovina), Qatar, Switzerland

Group C - Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, Scotland

Group D - USA, Paraguay, Australia, Winner of Play-Off C (Slovakia, Romania, Turkey, Kosovo)

Group E - Germany, Curacao, Ivory Coast, Ecuador

Group F - Netherlands, Japan, Winner of Play-Off B (Ukraine, Poland, Albania, Sweden), Tunisia

Group G - Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand

Group H - Spain, Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay

Group I - France, Senegal, Winner of Play-Off 2 (Iraq, Bolivia, Suriname), Norway

Group J - Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan

Group K - Portugal, Winner of Play-Off 1 (DR Congo, Jamaica, New Caledonia), Uzbekistan, Colombia

Group L - England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama

Play-Off details for our players

Destiny Udogie, and Guglielmo Vicario’s Italy have been drawn into Path A with Northern Ireland, Wales, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Should Italy win their semi-final against Northern Ireland, in which they are seeded as the home team, they will travel to the winner of Wales and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Ben Davies and Brennan Johnson could feature for Wales, who would host the Path A final should they win their semi-final at home against Bosnia and Herzegovina, and could host Jamie Donley if Northern Ireland defeat Italy.

Sweden (Lucas Bergvall and Dejan Kulusevski) have been drawn into Path B after qualifying through the UEFA Nations League. They will play an away semi-final against Ukraine, with the winner hosting the victorious nation from the Poland v Albania semi-final.

Radu Drăgușin’s Romania will play in Path C, travelling to Turkey for their semi-final, with the winner of that tie visiting the winner of the other semi-final in Path C, Slovakia v Kosovo.

Martin Ho spoke to the media at Hotspur Way on Friday afternoon, ahead of our Barclays Women’s Super League clash against Aston Villa on Sunday (12noon UK).

Here are some key points on what he had to say…

Martin on whether Aston Villa are at the same stage as us right now…

“We’re in a good position, they’re in a good run of form. They've got a really good side, a good manager and they seem to have picked up some really good results. The performances are matching that, but any game we go into now we have to be at our best.”

Martin on the arrival of Signe Gaupset in January…

“Signe is a wonderful talent, a wonderful addition to this team. She’s someone I've obviously worked with previously at Brann and I feel she will bring a lot of excitement, and she'll bring a lot more depth to this team. She gives us a profile that we don't have within the squad and I want to make sure that every player we have here is different in profile, different in quality. She's someone we should definitely be excited about because she's one of the biggest talents within Europe.”

Martin on how he persuaded Signe to join Spurs…

“I didn't - she chose us first. You might not believe me, but she made that decision and she believed in the project. I was accustomed to a lot more than everyone else working with her and now I have the opportunity to bring her to Spurs. She believed in the project we have here and what we're doing. She believed in the staffing and the team she has around her, and she made that decision. She will tell you herself there was no pushing from me. And that’s maturity, she made a decision based on what was right for her career, not just based on me as a coach. I think that's really important to make that clear - she's not made the decision just because I'm here. She had a wonderful time of Brann when we worked together, but she needs to do what’s right for her career. She made a decision based on football, not just on me as a coach and she will tell you that as soon as you get to meet her.”

He was then asked what her best position is…

“Probably inside the pitch, as a 10, or longer term, and I’ve said it to her before, she’s probably one of the best box-to-box midfielders in world football. She has the capacity, she has the power in the engine to do that. She definitely has the technical ability but she also is very adaptable and fluid. She's played off the left for Norway, which is a position they maybe see her in, when she does well, so we'll have that flexibility, which enables us to be more unpredictable, enables our game to be a lot more dynamic.”

Martin on Eveliina Summanen being named Finland’s Player of the Year…

“I’m delighted for Eveliina. I think maybe (she’s) a player that sometimes goes under the radar a little bit, but goes about her work very classy and with a lot of quality. I think she is deserving of the award. Her leadership is done with the way she conducts herself and her behaviours on and off the pitch - very professional. She goes about her work very quietly, but you can see the noise it makes throughout the team. She's a massive role model for our younger players but not just the younger players, the players who are in the squad now. I'm excited for Eveliina moving forward, but I'm also excited for her to pick up that award because she goes under the radar a lot, I believe.”

Martin on Clare Hunt’s performances so far this season…

“Since I've come in, Clare’s been brilliant. She's put her head down, worked hard, with her work ethic and commitment to doing things is second to none. You would never question that with Clare. She's evolved parts of her game that we needed her to evolve and she's taken things on board, which we asked her to do. She's now in a position where she's performing at a very good level, she's getting recognition domestically and internationally, which is important for her growth as a player and for us as a team. She’s been brilliant in that position, and I can't have asked any more of her - she's given me everything. There are still areas (of improvement) for Clare, she’s not very old, so she's got a lot to learn still. She's very open minded and very big on education - and I want to make sure that we can help her reach new heights.”

Martin on Aston Villa’s strong record away from home this term…

“They’ve played Arsenal and Manchester United, so they've had some big results in those games. We’re under no illusion; they're a wonderful team. They have big attacking threats in the front line, but also in those wider areas. They’re very dynamic, very quick, but very skilful individuals one-v-one. They have a creative and combative central midfield area as well as a back line that's very robust and we know we have to make sure that we’re patient and we work hard with the ball. We’ve got to make sure we're ruthless when we get chances because they don't concede many and when they do give chances, we've got to make sure that we capitalise on them.”

With the 2026 FIFA World Cup draw taking place this evening, which is the largest ever edition, featuring 48 nations, let’s take a look at our history with the World Cup.

Two players have won the World Cup whilst at the club, and a further two players have reached the final as Spurs players.

Hugo Lloris became the first Spurs player to lift the World Cup trophy in 2018, captaining France as they beat Croatia at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, Russia.

Club captain Cristian Romero achieved the same feat four years later when Argentina defeated Lloris’ France 4-2 on penalties at the Lusail Stadium in Qatar, after the game finished 3-3 after extra time.

After losing to Cuti’s Argentina, Lloris became the first player to reach the World Cup final twice whilst playing for the Club.

Christian Ziege is the only other player to have played in the final of a World Cup whilst at Spurs, coming on as a substitute in the 84th minute as Germany lost 2-0 to Brazil in 2002.

Live Coverage: 2026 FIFA World Cup draw  Tottenham Hotspur

Martin Ho has confirmed that three further players face a period on the sidelines as we prepare to face Aston Villa on Sunday.

Back in Barclays Women’s Super League action this weekend as we host the Villans following the international break, there has been some disappointing news on the injury front with Charlie Grant, Olga Ahtinen and Cathinka Tandberg all ruled out until at least Christmas.

The trio join long-term absentees Ella Morris, Luana Buhler and Maite Oroz on the sidelines.

Speaking his pre-match press conference on Friday afternoon, Martin said, “Charli Grant has picked up a bit of injury. We won’t see her this side of Christmas, we’ll see her just after.

"Olga picked an injury up on international camp. We won’t see Olga this side of Christmas. It’s just a small injury.

"Cathinka the same. She picked up an injury on international camp as well and it’s more than likely we won’t see Cathinka until after Christmas also.”

All eyes will be on Thomas Frank as Brentford arrive in N17 on Saturday - his focus is solely on the job in hand.

Thomas spent nine years at Brentford and was Head Coach from 2018-2025, before joining us in the summer. During that time, he became only the second Brentford boss to achieve promotion to the top-flight of English football when he led Bees to the Premier League in 2021.

Naturally, his first match against his former team was high on the agenda at his pre-match press conference at Hotspur Way on Thursday afternoon.

“Of course, it's a little bit more special for me because I face Brentford, where I'd been for nine years - that's almost a quarter of my life," he said. "I had a fantastic time there, enjoyed every second of it. There are a lot of people I haven't seen for a long time and I used to see them every day, more or less, so that will be special.

"Players I know very well, of course, there are small tweaks to what you could say I used to do, but a lot of the identity is the same in many ways, which makes it difficult in many ways – but when the whistle goes, it's all about getting three points and winning.”

Will you celebrate if you score against your old team?

Thomas: “I will, because I think everyone respects the respect I got for Brentford. The fans, everyone, before kick-off, after kick-off, or after the final whistle. In the 90 minutes plus, it's all about one thing, do what we can to win the game.”

How will you feel when you come up against players you bought for Brentford, players you trusted to go out and perform for Brentford?

Thomas: “That's the nature of football. As I said, before the game and after the game, I'm looking forward to seeing good people I really enjoyed working with - players, staff, everyone - but during the game it's just about competing and winning a match. It's the same if I'm playing a padel game or something against good colleagues, when we're playing, we're playing, it's not for fun, it's competitive, and after we can be happy again.”

Eveliina Summanen has been named Finland’s Women’s Player of the Year for the first time in her career!

Following a standout year in Lilywhite and for her national team, the midfielder has been recognised with the award.

Presented by the Finnish Football Association, the title was handed out at a Captain Ball’s gala, which was held in Helsinki on Thursday (4 December), with players awarded for their positive and significant work for the benefit of Finnish football.

The award comes after a number of strong performances throughout the 2024/25 campaign while impressing at Euro 2025 for Finland.

Closing in on a century of appearances for us - currently on 93 - the 27-year-old registered nine goal involvements last term in all competitions (three goals and six assists).

The all-action midfielder has also been ever-present for Martin Ho in the WSL this term, starting in all nine games in our particularly strong start to the campaign as we sit fifth in the table on 16 points.

Although she might only have one goal to her name this season, it was another added to her stunning collection of finishes, curling home a brilliant free-kick in our clash with London City Lionesses – which was subsequently nominated for WSL Goal of the Month award for November.

On the international stage, Eveliina featured in all three group games for Finland at Euro 2025 in the summer, where she also registered an assist in the 1-0 win over Iceland – their first victory in the competition for 16 years.

Last month, our number 25 surpassed 80 appearances for Finland in a 1-1 draw with Austria.