Sports Mole

Two clubs surprisingly facing potential domestic relegation struggles meet in Sinsheim on Thursday in the Europa League, when Hoffenheim host Tottenham Hotspur.

Spurs fell to another dismal defeat at the weekend, losing away to Everton, meaning they have won just one of their last 10 Premier League games, and form in Europe also took a turn for the worse at the end of 2024.

Match preview

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The pressure has ramped up another notch on Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou, after he saw his side drop to 15th in the Premier League after a defeat to Goodison Park on Sunday.

Spurs' only success in 10 league games came against bottom-of-the-table Southampton, and if results continue, they could certainly be dragged into a relegation battle.

Ahead of this European encounter, the visitors may be encouraged slightly by the fact their last three wins have all come in cup competitions, beating Manchester United and Liverpool in the EFL Cup, and Tamworth in the FA Cup.

Form in Europe took a hit at the end of 2024 though, with Spurs failing to win any of their last three in this competition, their longest winless streak on the continent for almost seven years.

That has seen them plummet from the summit down to ninth, with it looking likely they will need four points from their last two games to be sure of a spot in the top eight.

Spurs will face an Elfsborg side yet to pick up a single point on the road at home on matchday eight, meaning they will be heavy favourites, and that may take some of the pressure off knowing a draw here may be satisfactory.

However, given their recent form, Postecoglou seriously needs a win, and they have plenty of opportunities to get one in a stacked schedule over the next few weeks, with back-to-back European fixtures, and the second leg of their EFL Cup semi-final to come in quick succession.

Spurs did win their last game against German opposition back in 2022, beating Eintracht Frankfurt 3-2, but that ended a five-game winless run at the time, with this country rarely a happy hunting ground for them.

Hoffenheim meanwhile, have lost all four previous matches against English clubs - losing both legs in Champions League qualifying against Liverpool in 2017, before being beaten home and away by Manchester City in the following season's group stage.

The days of Hoffenheim battling for the top four in the Bundesliga seem a lifetime ago at present though, given their current predicament that sees them scrapping near the bottom.

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While the winter break did little to reset Hoffenheim's poor form, they were finally able to arrest a nine-game winless run at the weekend, beating Holstein Kiel 3-1 in a vital relegation six-pointer to move them out of the bottom three.

Christian Ilzer's men have taken just 17 points from a possible 54 this season, but they moved up to 15th with that win, and they will look to continue that momentum into Europe, where they will need another to stand any chance of progressing.

Hoffenheim have taken 83% of their points here at home in the league phase, and they remain unbeaten at the PreZero Arena, but this will be their last chance to make the most of home advantage before going to Anderlecht on matchday eight.

Starting the matchday in 26th, four points will probably be enough for Hoffenheim to advance, while two wins will guarantee that, but considering that they have taken just one point on the road so far, anything but a win here could be fatal for their chances.

That lack of away form can be attributed to a change in their club's style in recent years, because despite often being one of Europe's highest-scoring outfits, that attacking spark has evaded them this season.

Ilzer's men have failed to score in five of their last 10 Europa League fixtures, including both of the last two, after finding the net at least once in their first 18 games in the competition between 2017 and 2020.

Hoffenheim Europa League form:

Hoffenheim form (all competitions):

Tottenham Hotspur Europa League form:

Tottenham Hotspur form (all competitions):

Team News

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Hoffenheim will be without Gift Orban and Erencan Yardimci here, with neither player registered in their Europa League squad, so Ilzer will be glad that both Adam Hlozek and Andrej Kramaric were in fine form over the weekend.

Hlozek netted his third brace of the campaign, while Kramaric hit goal number seven in the Bundesliga, and the veteran Croatian will now seek to open his account on the continent this season.

Anton Stach was available again after a thigh problem at the weekend, but Ilzer has numerous absentees for this one, including former Liverpool defender Ozan Kabak, and experienced quartet Florian Grillitsch, Grischa Promel, Ihlas Bebou and Marius Bulter.

Spurs have a problem in goal against ahead of this one, with Antonin Kinsky not registered to play, Guglielmo Vicario out with a broken ankle and Fraser Forster not having featured in a matchday squad in 2025, so Brandon Austin may make his second start for the club.

Dominic Solanke, Brennan Johnson and Yves Bissouma all missed the defeat at Everton over the weekend, and may be kept back to ensure they have the best possible chance of returning ahead of a busy few weeks.

With Micky van den Ven and Cristian Romero out injured, Ben Davies's return was much welcome, while Archie Gray may now have the chance to move into a more natural role in midfield, having played 90 minutes in all six Europa League games so far, mostly at centre-back.

Hoffenheim possible starting lineup:

Baumann; Gendrey, Arthur Chaves, Akpoguma, Prass; Geiger, Stach; Kaderabek, Kramaric, Hlozek; Moerstedt

Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:

Austin; Pedro Porro, Dragusin, Davies, Spence; Gray, Bergvall, Kulusevski; Richarlison, Lankshear, Moore

We say: Hoffenheim 2-3 Tottenham Hotspur

Hoffenheim were given the perfect fixture at the weekend, facing one of the few clubs in the Bundesliga in worse shape than them, and this will be a much tougher assignment despite Spurs' struggles.

Postecoglou will be desperate for a win, not only to ease the pressure on him for now, but to ensure that they avoid the playoffs and further fixture congestion with the club still fighting on four fronts, and they may just have enough to edge a potentially entertaining encounter.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly determined their stance over the future of head coach Ange Postecoglou.

Although there have been high points during the 2024-25 campaign, Spurs are enduring one of their worst Premier League campaigns in recent memory.

Sunday's 3-2 defeat at Everton has left the North Londoners sitting in 15th position in the standings, 14 points adrift of a top-five position that will be required to have a chance of Champions League qualification.

Postecoglou has continued to defend his insistence of using a certain playing style, the acknowledgment of injuries to key defenders a justified reason behind their struggles.

Nevertheless, according to The Sun, that is seemingly not an excuse that will necessarily extend the patience of club officials.

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Is Postecoglou fighting for his job?

The report suggests that Daniel Levy continues to support the Greek-Australian, despite a run of just four victories from 15 games in all competitions.

Nevertheless, a failure to win in the Premier League since thrashing bottom-placed Southampton on December 15 has seemingly left Postecoglou under increasing pressure.

Postecoglou is said to have a pivotal seven days in the dugout with games to be played against Hoffenheim, Leicester City and Elfsborg.

With Spurs already in ninth position in the Europa League standings, collecting at least four points from matches with Hoffenheim and Elfsborg may prove enough to secure automatic qualification for the last 16.

That said, failing to overcome a Leicester outfit that has lost seven successive Premier League fixtures may leave Postecoglou at the point of no return.

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Will EFL Cup semi-final come into thinking?

Spurs hold a 1-0 lead over Liverpool after the home leg of their EFL Cup semi-final, the reverse fixture not taking place until February 6.

Levy and the club's hierarchy currently intend on giving Postecoglou until then to show that he is capable of turning things around at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

As well as the aforementioned triple-header, there is a trip to Brentford to come before that tie takes place at Anfield.

Two clubs in desperate need of a win go head-to-head at Goodison Park in the Premier League on Sunday, when Everton host Tottenham Hotspur.

Everton have won just once in their last 12 league games and turned to David Moyes to turn their season around last week, while Ange Postecoglou is under increasing pressure after an 11th league defeat of the season in the North London derby on Wednesday.

EVERTON vs. TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR

EVERTON

Out: Dwight McNeil (knee), Youssef Chermiti (knock), Tim Iroegbunam (foot), Seamus Coleman (calf), Armando Broja (ankle)

Doubtful: James Garner (back)

Sports Mole's predicted XI: Pickford; Young, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Lindstrom, Gueye, Mangala, Doucoure, Ndiaye; Calvert-Lewin

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR

Out: Guglielmo Vicario (ankle), Micky van de Ven (hamstring), Cristian Romero (thigh), Destiny Udogie (hamstring), Timo Werner (hamstring), Wilson Odobert (hamstring)

Doubtful: Ben Davies (hamstring), Rodrigo Bentancur (concussion), Brennan Johnson (calf), Yves Bissouma (knock)

Sports Mole's predicted XI: Kinsky; Pedro Porro, Dragusin, Gray, Spence; Bergvall, Sarr, Maddison; Kulusevski, Solanke, Son

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here. body check tags ::

Tottenham Hotspur Women will welcome Leicester City Women to Brisbane Road for Sunday's Women's Super League encounter.

The hosts are sitting in sixth place with 11 points to their name, while the visitors are five points worse off in 11th position.

Match preview

Tottenham are currently operating in the top half of the table after winning three, drawing two and losing five of their 10 league games.

Spurs went into the winter break on the back of a positive run of form, recording three wins and one draw in four competitive matches.

They claimed victories over Aston Villa and Everton in the Women's League Cup and WSL respectively, before they beat Crystal Palace 2-0 in the League Cup to seal their place in the quarter-finals.

Robert Vilahamn's side went on to finish 2024 with a 1-1 draw against Brighton & Hove Albion, ending a run of three consecutive away league defeats.

However, they are winless in their last seven WSL road trips, so they will be pleased to start 2025 with a home game, especially as they have won each of their three WSL home games against Leicester City.

Leicester are sitting just one point above the relegation place after winning one, drawing three and losing six of their 10 league matches.

Their solitary WSL victory took place in October when they edged out Everton via a 1-0 scoreline at the King Power Stadium.

They followed that result with four consecutive league defeats, before they halted that run with an encouraging display against leaders Chelsea.

Although Missy Goodwin saw her opener cancelled out by Wieke Kaptein, Leicester stood firm for the remainder of the contest to hold the reigning WSL champions to a 1-1 draw.

The Foxes kicked off 2025 with a commanding 4-1 win over Stoke City in the Women's FA Cup, and they will now turn their full focus to Sunday's league fixture, with the visitors looking to claim their first WSL away victory since January 2024.

Tottenham Hotspur Women Women's Super League form:

Tottenham Hotspur Women form (all competitions):

Leicester City Women Women's Super League form:

Leicester City Women form (all competitions):

Team News

Tottenham remain without the services of Kit Graham and Ella Morris, while January addition Olivia Holdt will not be fit to make her debut this weekend.

Vilahamn has revealed that Anna Csiki has been struggling with illness, making her a doubt for Sunday's home fixture.

Goalkeeper Lize Kop recently completed a permanent move from Leicester, and there is a possibility she could make her Tottenham debut against her former club.

Meanwhile, Leicester boss Amandine Miquel may be unable to call upon Hannah Cain's services after the Wales international was forced off in the recent FA Cup win over Stoke.

The Foxes are also likely to be without Jutta Rantala, Noemie Mouchon, Lena Petermann and Deanne Rose due to injury.

Sam Tierney could be given more minutes off the bench after returning from a six-game injury absence to play around half an hour in midweek.

Tottenham Hotspur Women possible starting lineup:

Kop; Neville, Hunt, Bartrip, Nilden; Oroz, Summanen; Raso, Spence, Naz; England

Leicester City Women possible starting lineup:

Leitzig; Bott, Kees, Howard, Ale; Mace, Cayman; Momiki, O'Brien, Goodwin; Takarada

We say: Tottenham Hotspur Women 2-1 Leicester City Women

Tottenham have won three of their five home league games this season, and we think they will record another home victory when they face a Leicester side that have lost each of their previous three away matches in the WSL.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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Despite his complaints in midweek, Everton manager David Moyes will not be able to make many personnel changes when Tottenham Hotspur visit Goodison Park on Sunday.

Moyes was honest and went as far as saying that the squad he has inherited from Sean Dyche is not good enough to be where he wants them to be, and January recruits are an absolute must.

Nothing has materialised in the transfer market since their 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa on Wednesday though, so Moyes will have the same threadbare squad to choose from ahead of the visit from Spurs, who start the weekend just two places above them.

The only change will likely be on the right-wing, where Jesper Lindstrom's promising impact should see him rewarded with a start ahead of Jack Harrison, who was hugely disappointing before being hooked on 58 minutes against Villa.

Everton's problem remains putting the ball in the back of the net, and despite the best efforts of Lindstrom in injury time, setting Dominic Calvert-Lewin up on a plate, the number nine scuffed his effort into the Gwladys Street, condemning the Toffees to a third straight defeat without scoring.

Moyes seemed reluctant to give Beto many minutes on Wednesday night, so that suggests he will start with Calvert-Lewin again, despite another frustrating appearance from the striker, who has now gone 16 games without a goal, closing in on his record of 23 matches from last season.

Armando Broja is also unavailable, and looks like he will be out for the next three months after damaging ankle ligaments in the FA Cup win over Peterborough United last weekend.

It appears as though Chelsea will only take the loanee back if Everton pay off the rest of his loan contract, but no decision has yet been made regarding that, even though the club will be desperate to get another loan player in this month.

While goals are a problem, creating chances are too, with Dwight McNeil still out with the knee injury he picked up at the start of December.

Despite now not having played in six matches, McNeil has still created twice as many chances as any other Everton player this season, and three times as many 'big chances', illustrating the importance of him in attack and from set pieces.

Captain Seamus Coleman remains out, and young duo Tim Iroegbunam and Youssef Chermiti are not ready to return either, but there is better news regarding midfielder James Garner.

After spending over three months on the sidelines with a back injury, Garner should be available this weekend, but following such a lengthy layoff, a place on the bench is most likely for him.

Everton possible starting lineup:

Pickford; Young, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Lindstrom, Gueye, Mangala, Doucoure, Ndiaye; Calvert-Lewin

Click here to see how Spurs could line up for this encounter.

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Premier League football returns to Goodison Park for the second time in a week when Everton host Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday afternoon.

David Moyes will take charge of his second game since returning to the club, while Ange Postecoglou has been given assurances that his days are not numbered at Tottenham, despite their worrying league position.

Match preview

Despite being under new management, it was the same old story for Everton in their clash with Aston Villa on Wednesday night, as yet another gilt-edged chance went begging in the dying stages, costing them a potentially crucial point.

There was no new manager bounce for Moyes, who saw Dominic Calvert-Lewin squander a huge opportunity in injury time, resulting in a 1-0 defeat at home to Unai Emery's side, their first win in six matches on the road.

That extended Everton's dismal record against Villa, with the Toffees now winless in 12 league matches against them, and it means they have won just one Premier League match in 12.

Seven goals from open play in 20 matches so far this season is far and away Everton's worst ratio in the Premier League era, with their three successive recent defeats all coming without scoring.

Everton have now become just the fourth team in PL history to fire a blank in at least 12 of their first 20 games of a season, and after match one, Moyes was frank and honest about the current state of the squad.

The new manager has called for instant improvement to the squad, suggesting that the current crop may not be good enough to save them from relegation.

Fortunately for the Toffees, Wolves, Leicester City and Ipswich Town all lost in midweek, so they remain 16th, one point above the drop zone, ahead of two more crucial home games before the rearranged Merseyside derby next month.

Everton will welcome Leicester to Goodison on February 1, but first up is a Spurs team that start the weekend just two places above them in the Premier League table.

That is down to another North London derby defeat in midweek, where Tottenham were beaten 2-1 at the Emirates, losing home and away to Arsenal in the same PL season for just the fifth time.

Postecoglou saw his team go ahead thanks to Son Heung-min, but an unfortunate own goal by Dominic Solanke, and an error by Antonin Kinsky for Leandro Trossard's effort saw the Gunners turn the game around in quick succession.

That was a seventh loss in 11 games, and wins for West Ham United and Manchester United saw them both go above Spurs in the week, leaving Postecoglou's men level on points with 15th-placed Crystal Palace.

While the pressure has been ramped up and Postecoglou is now the favourite to be sacked next in the Premier League, this game has not been labelled as 'do or die' for the Aussie manager, with the Spurs board still backing the boss, if reports on Friday are to be believed.

The numbers do not look good though, because an 11th defeat of the season represents Tottenham's joint-highest at this stage of a Premier League season, and they have taken just 24 points so far.

This should be the perfect fixture for Tottenham to respond in though, given their dominant hold over Everton in recent years.

Spurs have not lost in front of a crowd against Everton since 2012, since going 21 games unbeaten, and the Toffees are one of the few sides they have kept a clean sheet against this season, doing so in the 4-0 thrashing they handed out in August.

At Goodison though, these affairs are often more closely-fought, with all five games ending in a draw here since Spurs won 6-2 in 2018.

Everton Premier League form:

Everton form (all competitions):

Tottenham Hotspur Premier League form:

Tottenham Hotspur form (all competitions):

Team News

Everton could welcome James Garner back to the squad for the first time in over three months this weekend, following his return to full training after sustaining a back injury in October.

Key creative spark Dwight McNeil remains out though, while captain Seamus Coleman, and young duo Tim Iroegbunam and Youssef Chermiti will also not make it in time.

Armando Broja is set to miss the next three months after damaging ankle ligaments in the FA Cup win over Peterborough United last week, but no decision has been made yet about whether Everton will pay off the rest of his loan contract and send him back to Chelsea in order to bring another loanee in this month.

Spurs have a few injury doubts that have cropped up in the aftermath of their defeat to Arsenal on Wednesday, with Brennan Johnson and Yves Bissouma both doubtful.

Timo Werner will now miss the next three weeks with a hamstring tweak, joining Destiny Udogie, Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven on the sidelines, who are all battling the same issue.

Ben Davies should be involved though after missing around six weeks with his own hamstring issue, and after making a comeback on Wednesday, former Everton man Richarlison will hope for more minutes, after scoring three times against his old employers last season.

Everton possible starting lineup:

Pickford; Young, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Lindstrom, Gueye, Mangala, Doucoure, Ndiaye; Calvert-Lewin

Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:

Kinsky; Pedro Porro, Dragusin, Gray, Spence; Bergvall, Sarr, Maddison; Kulusevski, Solanke, Son

We say: Everton 1-3 Tottenham Hotspur

While Everton cannot score, that is certainly not Tottenham's problem, because the visitors have netted nearly three times as many goals this season, and unless the Toffees can get attacking reinforcements through the door, that is not going to change.

Even their often stingy defence has been breached far too often for their liking recently, leaving Everton in a perilous position, so they may be looking for favours from other teams this weekend.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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Peering over their shoulder after an 11th Premier League defeat of the campaign, Tottenham Hotspur have many wrongs to right away to Everton on Sunday afternoon.

Ange Postecoglou's men took a shock lead in Wednesday's North London derby against Arsenal, but their jubilation did not last long, as the Gunners fought back to prevail 2-1 at the Emirates.

The Lilywhites have now failed to win any of their last five matches in the top flight and remain in the bottom half of the Premier League standings as a result, only eight points clear of the relegation zone.

Here, Sports Mole rounds up Tottenham's latest injury and suspension news ahead of the showdown with Everton, who lost 1-0 to Aston Villa on David Moyes's homecoming in midweek.

Timo Werner

Status: Out

Type of injury: Hamstring

Possible return date: Unknown

Timo Werner was Spurs' one fresh injury concern before the North London derby, having suffered a hamstring problem in the recent FA Cup win over Tamworth, but it is still not clear how severe the attacker's problem is.

Fraser Forster

Status: Major doubt

Type of injury: Illness

Possible return date: January 19 (vs. Everton)

Ill goalkeeper Fraser Forster failed to make the matchday squad yet again on Wednesday and is a doubt for Sunday's trip to Merseyside too, but Antonin Kinsky has already established himself as Guglielmo Vicario's main backup.

Rodrigo Bentancur

Status: Out

Type of injury: Head

Possible return date: January 26 (vs. Leicester City)

Rodrigo Bentancur needed treatment for 10 minutes on the field after suffering a head injury against Liverpool in the EFL Cup last week, but he escaped with just a concussion and will be back once he has finished his two-week protocol.

Destiny Udogie

Status: Out

Type of injury: Hamstring

Possible return date: February 16 (vs. Manchester United)

Destiny Udogie was the victim of a severe hamstring injury against Wolverhampton Wanderers in December, and the left-back is not scheduled to return until the middle of February.

Guglielmo Vicario

Status: Out

Type of injury: Ankle

Possible return date: February 25 (vs. Manchester City)

Guglielmo Vicario is making steady progress in his return from an ankle fracture, Postecoglou has confirmed, and the Italian is expected to make his competitive comeback in late February.

Cristian Romero

Status: Out

Type of injury: Thigh

Possible return date: January 26 (vs. Leicester City)

Cristian Romero hurt his thigh in the 4-3 loss to Chelsea in the middle of December, and Sunday's game will come too soon for the Argentine, but a return against Leicester City on January 26 has not yet been ruled out.

Micky van de Ven

Status: Out

Type of injury: Hamstring

Possible return date: January 26 (vs. Leicester)

Likewise, Micky van de Ven picked up a new hamstring problem against the Blues last month, but he is also on track to return towards the end of January.

Wilson Odobert

Status: Out

Type of injury: Hamstring

Possible return date: Unknown

Wilson Odobert has played just six matches this season due to two separate hamstring injuries, and he is still on the way back from the operation he underwent in November, with no timeframe being placed on his return.

Ben Davies

Status: Out

Type of injury: Hamstring

Possible return date: January 26 (vs. Leicester)

Ben Davies was initially on track to return from a hamstring injury at the start of the month, but his comeback was delayed by a couple of weeks due to a setback, and he will not be available for the trip to Everton.

TOTTENHAM'S SUSPENSION LIST

Tottenham have no players suspended for this game.

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Bitter foes will renew hostilities in Wednesday's titanic Premier League North London derby, as Arsenal host Tottenham Hotspur at the Emirates.

The two fierce rivals cross paths on the back of differing knockout results, as while Spurs have overcome Liverpool and Tamworth in the EFL Cup and FA Cup recently, the Gunners were beaten by Newcastle United and Manchester United in back-to-back games.

Here, Sports Mole rounds up the team news for both clubs ahead of Wednesday's blockbuster contest.

ARSENAL vs. TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR

ARSENAL

Out: Gabriel Jesus (knee), Ethan Nwaneri (muscle), Bukayo Saka (hamstring), Ben White (knee), Takehiro Tomiyasu (knee)

Doubtful: Riccardo Calafiori (muscle)

Sports Mole's predicted XI: Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Tierney; Odegaard, Partey, Rice; Sterling, Havertz, Trossard

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR

Out: Destiny Udogie (hamstring), Ben Davies (hamstring), Timo Werner (hamstring), Micky van de Ven (hamstring), Guglielmo Vicario (ankle), Wilson Odobert (hamstring), Cristian Romero (thigh), Rodrigo Bentancur (head)

Doubtful: Fraser Forster (illness)

Sports Mole's predicted XI: Kinsky; Porro, Gray, Dragusin, Spence; Bergvall, Sarr, Maddison; Kulusevski, Solanke, Son

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match .

Tottenham Hotspur new boy Antonin Kinsky is expected to make his Premier League debut when Spurs tackle Arsenal in Wednesday's mouthwatering North London derby at the Emirates Stadium.

The Czech shot-stopper has kept back-to-back clean sheets in his first two appearances for Ange Postecoglou's side, most recently helping Spurs survive a few scares against National League side Tamworth in the FA Cup.

Kinsky will now earn a Premier League baptism of fire in the midweek derby, which Destiny Udogie (hamstring), Ben Davies (hamstring), Richarlison (hamstring), Micky van de Ven (hamstring), Guglielmo Vicario (ankle), Wilson Odobert (hamstring), Cristian Romero (thigh) and Rodrigo Bentancur (head) will all be absent for.

Spurs' defensive fitness crisis means that there will be no respite for Pedro Porro, Archie Gray and Radu Dragusin at the back either, but Djed Spence should replace Sergio Reguilon on the left-hand side.

Postecoglou may also feel the need to spare Yves Bissouma following his 120-minute run-out at Tamworth, so EFL Cup semi-final hero Lucas Bergvall is in line for a midfield start alongside James Maddison and Pape Sarr.

It should be all change for Spurs in the final third, though, as Dominic Solanke, Son Heung-min and Dejan Kulusevski come in for Timo Werner, Mikey Moore and Brennan Johnson.

Son came off the bench to set up Kulusevski's effort at Tamworth, and he needs just one more Premier League assist to break Spurs' club record - his current total of 68 is level with Darren Anderton.

Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:

Kinsky; Porro, Gray, Dragusin, Spence; Bergvall, Sarr, Maddison; Kulusevski, Solanke, Son

Still the only team with their unbeaten Premier League home record intact this season, Arsenal are on a mission to right their recent knockout wrongs in Wednesday's mouthwatering North London derby with Tottenham Hotspur at the Emirates.

While the Gunners' FA Cup run ended at the hands of holders Manchester United at the weekend, Ange Postecoglou's men put three past Tamworth without reply, albeit only after being taken to an additional 30 minutes.

Match preview

The walls of the Emirates have fallen down if Arsenal's last two home horror shows are anything to go by, as Mikel Arteta's troops have already ceded their hopes of FA Cup glory and will surely do the same in the EFL Cup after a pair of alarmingly toothless attacking displays.

Five days on from their gut-wrenching home loss to Newcastle United in the latter competition - where they were taught a harsh lesson in attacking ruthlessness - Arsenal were left to lament another pitiful performance in front of goal against 10-man Man United, who defied the odds to keep their FA Cup title defence going.

Altay Bayindir was the hero with two penalty saves, and Kai Havertz was the villain with a catalogue of shocking misses on a day where Gabriel Jesus was carried off on a stretcher with an all-too familiar knee injury, strengthening Gooners' arguments for a shiny new attacker in January.

However, the defiant Arteta has publicly backed his existing players to dig themselves out of their hole as they endeavour to avoid losing three games in a row for the first time since January 2024; defeat in the derby could see them sit nine points below Liverpool having played a game more depending on how the Reds fare at Nottingham Forest.

The second-placed Gunners may now be without a clean sheet in their last four games in all tournaments, but none of their last four Premier League contests at the Emirates has seen Arsenal concede, and they could do worse than ask Tamworth for pointers on how to keep Spurs at bay for 90 minutes.

The Tottenham faithful may have enjoyed Sunday evening's viewing, but their side's sorry performance against National League opposition would have been an extremely painful watch, at least until their Premier League quality finally showed in extra time at the Lamb Ground.

Minnows Tamworth more than earned their brief reprieve against Postecoglou's outfit and were not starved of chances to pull off a monumental cup upset, but Nathan Tshikuna's own goal, Dejan Kulusevski's effort and Brennan Johnson's strike spared Tottenham an extraordinary embarrassment.

Sticking to their Jekyll and Hyde theme, Spurs could not break down Tamworth in 90 minutes despite conquering Premier League leaders Liverpool in the first leg of their EFL Cup semi-final, and Postecoglou's men are now chasing three straight wins for the first time since early October.

However, the visitors to the Emirates have only taken one point from the last 12 on offer in the top flight and remain in the bottom half of the Premier League standings, mathematically closer to the relegation zone than the top seven despite their praiseworthy tally of 42 goals.

The Lilywhites were stunted in September's 1-0 home defeat to their bitter rivals, though, and they head to the Emirates having conceded in a staggering 25 consecutive Premier League games away to Arsenal, offering the home crowd hope of derby delirium even in their side's current attacking state.

Arsenal Premier League form:

Arsenal form (all competitions):

Tottenham Hotspur Premier League form:

Tottenham Hotspur form (all competitions):

Team News

Just as he was starting to find his feet in North London again, the extremely unfortunate Jesus damaged his knee yet again in the loss to Man United, although it is still not known whether the Brazil international has only suffered a scare or a more sinister problem.

Either way, Jesus is guaranteed to miss the derby alongside Ethan Nwaneri (muscle), Bukayo Saka (hamstring), Ben White (knee) and Takehiro Tomiyasu (knee), while Riccardo Calafiori is also a serious doubt after missing the FA Cup loss with a muscular injury.

After 120 minutes of gruelling and fruitless efforts on Sunday, it would not be a shock to see Arteta change just under half of his team for Wednesday's crunch clash, although he may have no other option but to persist with the increasingly wasteful Havertz up front.

As for Postecoglou's men, it should be as you were on the injury front, with Destiny Udogie (hamstring), Ben Davies (hamstring), Richarlison (hamstring), Micky van de Ven (hamstring), Guglielmo Vicario (ankle), Wilson Odobert (hamstring), Cristian Romero (thigh) and Rodrigo Bentancur (head) missing out again.

Only Fraser Forster - who has been struggling with an illness - might force his way back into contention, but January signing Antonin Kinsky has quickly won Postecoglou over and should make his Premier League debut in the North London derby; a true baptism of fire.

Similarly to their hosts, a handful of changes should be on the cards for the Lilywhites, as Son Heung-min, Kulusevski, Dominic Solanke and EFL Cup match-winner Lucas Bergvall step back into the fray.

Arsenal possible starting lineup:

Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Tierney; Odegaard, Partey, Rice; Sterling, Havertz, Trossard

Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:

Kinsky; Porro, Gray, Dragusin, Spence; Bergvall, Sarr, Maddison; Kulusevski, Solanke, Son

We say: Arsenal 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur

The eagerly-anticipated North London derby seldom fails to deliver on the ferocity front, but as both sets of players completed two-hour FA Cup marathons after their EFL Cup exertions, this one may not be a classic quality-wise.

Confidently predicting which version of Spurs will show up is an impossible ask, but their struggles at Tamworth - even with a second-string attack starting the clash - are a serious cause for concern.

Arsenal are hardly firing on all cylinders up front either, but the Gunners are never short of chances to put the ball in the back of the net, and they may just need to take one of them on Wednesday to complete a morale-boosting derby double.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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