Key events
I’ll write these down, then we’ll get into what they’re about.
Teams!
Tottenham Hotspur (4-3-3): Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Spence; Sarr, Bentancur, Kulusevski; Odobert, Richarlison, Tel. Subs: Kinsky, Davies, Danso, Gray, Bissouma, Bergvall, Maddison, Johnson, Solanke.
Nottingham Forest (4-3-3): Sels; Williams, Milenkovic, Murillo, Toffolo; Anderson, Dominguez, Danilo; Gibbs-White, Elanga, Wood. Subs: Miguel, Morato, Sangare, Awoniyi, Hudson-Odoi, Moreno, Yates, Sosa, Abbott.
Going on as we speak:
Preamble
These clubs are pretty much opposites. Yes, Forest are good and Spurs aren’t, I sense you chortle, and you’re right, they are and they are. But there’s more to it than that.
Forest are effective and efficient, scoring relatively few and conceding relatively few; Spurs, on the other hand, are infuriating and inept, relatively prolific and relatively profligate — underachieving as their opponents are over-achieving. As such, Forest could scarcely be a happier club and, though Spurs being Spurs, they’ve plenty of misery still to realise, at the same time, they’re not exactly loving life at the moment.
And, of course, Forest are managed by Nuno Espírito Santo, increasingly loved by supporters with good reason, after giving them a sensational season; meantime Spurs – who sacked him after just four months in the job – are led by Ange Postecoglou, increasingly disliked by supporters after picking fights with them for reasons only he understands. Where Nuno needs points for Champions League qualification, Postecoglou might soon be pointed towards the door.
Yet, football being football, there’s always a yet: Forest have lost their last two games and are out of the top five for the first time in months while, on Thursday night, Spurs recorded their biggest win of the season, a 1-0 triumph in Frankfurt taking them into a Europa League semi against Bodo/Glimt. It might just be that they are running into form, just as it’s possible that Forest have run out of it. We shall see!
Kick-off: 8pm BST