Nottingham Forest vs Tottenham: Preview, Predictions and Lineups

Nottingham Forest take on Tottenham Hotspur on Boxing Day as Nuno Espirito Santo aims to overcome his struggling former employers.

Nunn’s time at Tottenham was short and incredibly forgettable, but the former Portuguese goalkeeper worked wonders at the City Ground. After holding off Forest last season, the East Midlanders enter Christmas fourth in the Premier League table and boast genuine aspirations to win European football.

The work Nuno does is comparable to his work at Molineux. After returning Wolves to the top flight in 2018, a stellar season saw them qualify for the Europa League and they enjoyed quite the continental journey before being cut short by eventual winners Sevilla in the quarter-finals.

Spurs are hopeful of winning that competition this term and their domestic indifference means Ange Postecoglou will have to rely on cups to potentially ease into a third year in charge.

The worn-out Lilywhites were delighted Liverpool over the weekend and struggled defensively throughout December in the absence of key starters. They are 11th in the table with a worrying sense of that developing things could get worse for Lilywhite before their luck improves.

Here 90 minutes guide for this Premier League Boxing Day clash.

Nottingham Forest vs Tottenham H2H record (last five matches)

Current form (all competitions)

Unlike their rivals from the Premier League, Forest have not been hampered by injuries this season and that is a familiar story ahead of the visit to Tottenham.

Nuno Espirito Santo has been without midfielders Danilo and Ibrahim Sangare for most of the season, and they will not be available until the new year. While Sangare is dealing with a hamstring problem, Danilo has been treating a broken ankle.

There could be a Ryan Yates recall with Nicolas Dominguez suspended and we could see Nuno return to the back four after winning with a back three at Brentford.

Predicted line-up of Forest against Tottenham (4-2-3-1): Sels; Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Moreno; Yates, Anderson; Elanga, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Wood.

Postecoglou continues to be lacking in defence, but Destiny Udogie was among the substitutes against Liverpool and could be in contention on Boxing Day after picking up an injury during the 5-0 defeat at Southampton.

Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven will be out until the new year, but Ben Davies is believed to be nearing a return from a hamstring injury. Richarlision could also return during the first week of 2025, while Mikey Moore is back on the training pitch after a long lay-off due to illness.

Wilson Odobert and Guglielmo Vicario are set to return in February.

Brennan Johnson is likely to be called up to the starting 11 and Postecoglou could bring Rodrigo Bentancur back into the game after serving a seven-match ban.

Predicted line-up of Tottenham against Forest (4-3-3): Forster; Spence, Gray, Dragsusin, Udogie; Bentancur, Sarr, Kulusevski; Johnson, Solanke, son.

Things will improve for Tottenham, but Postecoglou may have to wait until the new year to oversee a resurgence. There have been impressive individual performers for the Lilywhites of late, including Ded Spence and Archie Gray, but they have faltered as a collective and have underperformed away from home. We can’t read too much into their 5-0 triumph over lowly Southampton at St. Mary’s.

This team is running on fumes and they face a spirited Nottingham Forest side who thrive when given space in transition. Spurs will need to play a near-perfect game to control their hosts, something they would struggle to do with an optimal starting XI.

Given the strength of Forest’s backline and their ability on the counter, it looks like Spurs will bow out on Boxing Day.

Prediction: Nottingham Forest 2-1 Tottenham

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