Tottenham faces a stern test at Nottingham Forest, where the hosts have become a fortress this season.
Nottingham Forest take on one of the most in-form teams in the Premier League when Ange Postecoglou’s fearless Tottenham travel to West Bridgford. There haven’t been too many of this fixture recently, considering Forest’s 23-year absence from the Premier League, yet they will be charged up against the resurgent Lilywhites.
Tottenham were victorious by a two-goal margin in both fixtures against Forest last season, although the Tricky Trees beat their counterparts 2-0 in an EFL Cup tie that ended the London side’s six-game unbeaten streak in this fixture.
Steve Cooper’s side have steadily ascended the Premier League standings this calendar year as they aim to evolve from relegation battlers to mid-table contention.
Their first season back in the top-flight saw a chaotic first half of the campaign, followed by a spell of consistency they built upon in 2023/24 after coming so close to getting at least a point each against Arsenal and Manchester United, Forest’s first win of the campaign against Sheffield United was sandwiched by those creditable performances.
The Tricky Trees reaped bountiful rewards for their impressive work when Anthony Elanga’s break-away goal secured a first away win at Chelsea in 27 years, sparking their season into life. Even though they failed to win any of their next five matches against Burnley, Manchester City, Brentford, Crystal Palace, and Luton Town, they only tasted defeat to the Premier League champions.
Liverpool won through goals from Diogo Jota, Darwin Nunez, and Mohamed Salah at Anfield, but Forest made up for that in their next match. Ola Aina and Orel Mangala gave them a sensational 2-0 win over high-flying Aston Villa as they displayed their good home form in the Midlands Derby.
Forest will now look forward to upcoming challenges with an assurance of their ability to get results. They are certainly more challenging to beat and possess an increasingly clinical frontline.
Cooper has a functioning unit with a real identity and results to show for their efforts so far; they will have their sights firmly on ascending the league table.
Thus, a result against Tottenham will be in keeping with their commendable form in front of their home supporters.
Spurs are enjoying a stand-out campaign themselves after all the disruptions off the pitch and changes in the dugout last term. Ange Postecoglou oversees a stunning run of form that has left them the only team still with an unbeaten record at the time of writing.
An opening-day draw at Brentford was followed by 2-0 victories over Manchester United and Bournemouth. A 5-2 mauling of Burnley shot a warning sign to their rivals, and they kept winning other ways with an incredible comeback against Sheffield United despite still trailing by one goal at the end of standard time.
The following two matches indicated Tottenham’s readiness to contend this season. They delivered absolutely with a pulsating 2-2 draw at Arsenal, followed by the infamous game against Liverpool, where the visitors had a legitimate goal disallowed and two players sent off before Spurs sealed the win with a Joel Matip own-goal at the death.
Luton Town posed a unique challenge to Postecoglou’s side, who had Yves Bissouma sent off and had to play the entire second half looking for a goal with a man down. Spurs prevailed with a 1-0 victory, and talk of a genuine chance in the title race began.
After that, Heung-Min Son and James Maddison scored to wrap up a win against Fulham, and then they also got maximum points with a 2-1 win at Crystal Palace.
The Lilywhites have shown all the ingredients of a team that will challenge at the top end of the table, while the lack of European football allows them to keep their best players fresh for one game a week.
Spurs are favorites against Nottingham Forest but must be wary of the atmosphere on a ground where the hosts are yet to taste defeat this season.
Match tickets
This Friday Night fixture is set to take place on Friday, 15 December 2023, with kick-off at 9 PM UK time. Match tickets are on sale via each club’s website, but they will be quickly sold out given the occasion at the City Ground.
Their home form has been solid, so tickets for this game will be in hot demand early in December, as this is a chance for Forest fans to see their team against one of the best in the league this term.
Divock Origi (hip) and Callum Hudson-Odoi (hamstring) have been joined on the sidelines by Chris Wood (hamstring), while Gonzalo Montiel (calf) is another who is injured for the Tricky Trees.
Meanwhile, Danilo (hamstring) and Felipe (knee) are close to returns and should be available against Tottenham.
Postecoglou is leading his side near the top of the table despite a host of fitness issues, with Manor Solomon (knee), Ivan Perisic (knee), and Ryan Sessegnon (hamstring) all representing long-term casualties. On the other hand, Destiny Udogie and Rodrigo Bentancur have recently returned to full fitness and should be used against Forest.
Line-ups
Taiwo Awoniyi’s return to spearhead the attack increases Forest’s chances in this game, as he only needs a few options to find the net.
Cooper will shape his side to be compact, but their opportunities to win the game are centered around how they can surround their number nine with the appropriate service to do damage.
Tottenham have a settled first 11 that includes James Maddison and Heung-Min Son sharing the attacking burden for a team that always looks to create scoring chances. They will look to cause their opponents significant problems with their fluidity.
Tottenham: Vicario; Porro, Van de Ven, Romero, Udogie; Bissouma, Sarr; Kulusevski, Maddison, Richarlison; Son
Prediction
Both sides seem equally matched in this game when we consider Forest’s commendable record on home soil. There is an ability to score goals on each team, but the defenses could struggle to hold out.
This might be an open game, and Forest will do well to get a result in what should be a physical and well-contested matchup.
