Tottenham Hotspur return to North London for domestic duties to face Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Easter Monday night.
It’s back to Premier League action for Ange Postecoglou‘s men, who were given a day off following their emphatic 1-0 win away against Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday, a result that kept their silverware hopes alive for the season.
What time does Tottenham vs Nottingham Forest kick off?
Location: London, England
Stadium: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Date: Monday 21st April 2025
Kick-off Time: 8 pm BST
Referee: Peter Bankes
VAR: John Brooks
How both teams go into Tottenham Hotspur vs Nottingham Forest
Against all odds, Tottenham Hotspur have secured a spot in the Europa League semi-finals after their 1-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt (2-1 on aggregate), thanks to a first-half penalty from Dominic Solanke. It was a spirited performance and a rare positive amidst their frustrating domestic campaign.
The Premier League, however, remains low on their list of priorities, with Spurs simply aiming to avoid an embarrassing bottom-half finish. Before their win in Germany, they suffered a 4-2 defeat to Wolves; largely due to individual errors. They’ve taken just four points from their last five league games, with one win, one draw and three defeats.
Ten places and 20 points above Spurs sit Nottingham Forest, enjoying a dream season under ex-Spurs boss Nuno Espirito Santo. Forest were in the top four until recently but have now suffered back-to-back defeats to Aston Villa (2-1) and Everton (1-0). They’re currently experiencing a dip in their otherwise remarkable season, with a trip to Wembley for an FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City looming. They still firmly remain in the hunt for a top-five finish and Champions League football.
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Spurs head-to-head record vs Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest always used to be something of a ‘free three points’ for Spurs – until Nuno Santo had a point to prove. The reverse fixture this season ended in a 1-0 defeat for Tottenham, their first Premier League loss to Forest since their promotion in 2022. There’s also one other defeat in all competitions; back in the Carabao Cup in 2022. However, Forest are yet to win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Forest were 1-0 winners at the City Ground on Boxing Day thanks to Anthony Elanga’s strike. That was their first Premier League win over Spurs since 1997. That victory also ended a six-match losing streak against Tottenham in the top flight. The last time Forest did the league double over Spurs? All the way back in the 1996-97 season. That will be something Ange and Co will certainly want to avoid. (BBC Sport)
Tottenham team news
The trend continues for Spurs. Against Frankfurt, it was James Maddison, who suffered a hip injury that won the penalty and ultimately the tie. But the win might have come at the cost of one of their most creative players. So he remains a doubt for this fixture.
Heung-Min Son missed the 2nd leg of the Europa League quarter-final win with a foot injury, and Postecoglou confirmed he remains unavailable for Monday.
Radu Dragusin remains sidelined, while Dejan Kulusevski and Kevin Danso both featured from the bench in Germany.
Nottingham Forest team news
Forest are expected to be without Ola Aina (calf) and Taiwo Awoniyi (hamstring), both of whom picked up knocks in their win over Manchester United and have missed the last two games.
Predicted Tottenham line-up
Vicario, Gray, Danso, Davies, Spence, Sarr, Bissouma, Bentancur, Tel, Richarlison, Johnson
Ange Postecoglou revealed he will make “five or six changes” against Forest and that part of the challenge is managing rotation. He added, “The rest of the group worked hard, so they’re a bit sore but should be okay for Monday night.”
That makes it tricky to know whose nursing knocks and who’s still not quite ready. He also made strange substitutions in their last match (Kevin Danso for Brennan Johnson), which gives very little away.
While the back four from the Frankfurt game is likely to change completely, Pedro Porro and Cristian Romero could retain their spots over Archie Gray and Ben Davies. Gray may move into midfield alongside Sarr as Maddison is unlikely to be risked. Bergvall and Bentancur ran their socks off in Frankfurt and may be rotated.
There’s a lot of uncertainty surrounding Wilson Odobert, who was in the matchday squad against Frankfurt but didn’t get on. If he’s fit, he should start over Johnson.
Solanke got a confidence boost with his penalty goal, but Ange may prefer Richarlison to lead the line. Richarlison could also feature out wide, depending on Solanke’s fitness. As for Timo Werner? No clue where he is. Mikey Moore? Who says no?
Players to watch out for
Richarlison: He knows he’s not a benchwarmer, but injuries have kept him sidelined for long spells of this season. Still, his passion for the team is evident; he celebrated more wildly from the bench than anyone on the pitch after the Frankfurt win. Ange will definitely not rule out the idea of starting him over Solanke against Bodo/Glimt based on this performance.
Djed Spence: It’s unfortunate how quickly he’s fallen off the radar after Udogie returned. He scored an own goal vs Wolves and didn’t feature at all in Frankfurt. If he impresses here, he could make a strong case for the Europa League semi-final. Despite only 14 starts, he’s already got five goal contributions.
Anthony Elanga: No Van de Ven, no party. Elanga is Forest’s only real mover in a static low block and ranks fifth for top speed in the league (36.2 km/h) behind Van de Ven (37.1 km/h). A big test for Spence here. (Premier League)
Chris Wood: Nottingham Forest have, very evidently struggled without their top scorer, who missed out after the international break. He returned to the pitch against Everton but had a quiet outing. We all know that wasn’t the real him, and he’ll be looking to add to his tally of 18 goals and push for third spot in the Premier League scoring charts this season.
Our prediction
It’s not all that surprising how quickly the tide turned from Ange Outers to Ange Inners after his defensive masterclass against Eintracht Frankfurt in the second leg. A big reason for that is Ange finally realising that some games have to be won the ugly way. Something Nuno Santo knows a thing or two about, and what his Forest side have been doing all season.
They’re an absolute nuisance to play against. Expect a scrappy, dull affair, with Spurs dominating possession and playing around the wide areas, while Forest sit in an annoyingly effective low block; dirty but disciplined.
A hard-fought 1-1 draw screams loud, but given Spurs’ home form and their head-to-head record, we’ll go for a narrow win.