Sports Mole

With no Premier League fixture until next midweek, Liverpool boss Arne Slot could name a slightly stronger side than expected when they go to North London to face Tottenham Hotspur in the first leg of their EFL Cup semi-final on Wednesday.

Slot has made wholesale changes in all three previous rounds of this competition, and those fringe players have played their part, securing wins over three fellow Premier League clubs.

However, with Accrington Stanley coming up in the FA Cup on Saturday, Slot may hold back on heavy rotation until that game, especially with the chance of reaching a major cup final on the line this midweek.

For the likes of Ibrahima Konate, this could be an opportunity for him to build his fitness up after being thrown in at the deep end against Manchester United on Sunday, following over six weeks out.

Three players still set for a rest though, are Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah and Ryan Gravenberch, arguably the most important players in their title charge so far.

For the likes of Diogo Jota and Kostas Tsimikas, they will hope to use this fixture as a springboard to return to the starting XI in the Premier League, chiefly for the Greek left-back, with Andy Robertson performing below his usual standard this season.

Most of the headlines on Sunday surrounded Trent Alexander-Arnold's performance though, so Slot will be glad to have Conor Bradley back from injury in order to take the Real Madrid-linked man out of the line of fire, especially with Joe Gomez currently out injured.

Gomez is Liverpool's only injury absentee at present, because Dominik Szoboszlai will return shortly after being struck down with a virus over the weekend, and could be brought in if he is able to recover.

A fifth booking of the season for Darwin Nunez at the weekend has triggered a Premier League suspension, so with the Uruguayan set to miss the clash with Nottingham Forest next week, he is likely to start here, after also doing so, and scoring, in the previous round against Southampton.

Liverpool possible starting lineup:

Kelleher; Bradley, Quansah, Konate, Tsimikas; Morton, Endo, Szoboszlai; Elliott, Jota, Nunez

Click here to see how Spurs could line up for Wednesday's semi-final.

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Preview: Tottenham Hotspur vs. Liverpool - prediction, team news, lineups  Sports Mole

Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe has delivered an update on the fitness of defender Sven Botman ahead of Saturday's Premier League clash with Tottenham Hotspur.

Botman has not played for the Magpies since suffering an ACL injury in March last year against Manchester City, and since undergoing surgery has been working his way back to full fitness.

The 24-year-old returned to full team training last month and played for 60 minutes in an Under-21s fixture against Chelsea on December 16 - his first appearance in nine months.

Ahead of this weekend's trip to North London, Howe has revealed that Botman is in contention to make his long-awaited first-team return and is even "in and around my thoughts" to start.

Newcastle will be without Fabian Schar who is serving the first of a two-match suspension, while both Emil Krafth and Jamaal Lascelles remain sidelined with respective shoulder and knee injuries.

One of Botman or Lloyd Kelly is therefore expected to start in central defence alongside Dan Burn; a start for Kelly would see Howe select two left-footed defenders, while a start for right-footed Botman would provide a greater balance to his backline.

Botman in contention to start for Newcastle vs. Spurs

Speaking about Botman at a press conference on Friday, Howe said: "I always said Sven will be in and around the Christmas games. He has worked incredibly hard to get himself into a good condition. He has had three games, he is in and around my thoughts.

"I will have to make a decision on who best fits that position, but it is great to have Sven back around. If Sven is in the squad, it is because he is fit and ready."

Asked if he would be worried about throwing Botman straight back into the starting lineup, Howe added: "No, you go through a process with the type of injury that Sven has had, he's done an incredible amount of work. It's not like he hasn't had the training time with us.

"We've taken maybe longer than we would have done with respect for injury he's had and so he hits the ground running. I've got a decision to make in terms of team selection but, if Sven's in the squad, it's because he's fit and available."

On Kelly and his lack of first-team opportunities since joining from Bournemouth in the summer, Howe said: "They have [been limited] but that's down to the form of the lads who has played. He's a versatile player who can play in a lot of positions.

"The form of Dan and Fab in the heart of defence has been strong, especially recently. I prefer to keep a settled back four and not change too much. I think that area of the pitch is about building relationships. Lloyd is training hard, training well and he's waiting for his chance."

Two Premier League teams heading in opposite directions renew hostilities on Saturday lunchtime, as Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United do battle in North London.

Ange Postecoglou's men failed to win any of their last three top-flight games in 2024, most recently being held to a 2-2 draw by Wolverhampton Wanderers to remain in the bottom half of the Premier League standings.

On the other hand, the Magpies made it five wins on the spin in all competitions with a 2-0 beating of Manchester United on December 30, moving to within touching distance of the Champions League spots in the process.

Here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at the head-to-head record and previous meetings between the two sides.

Head-to-head record

Previous meetings: 171

Spurs wins: 74

Draws: 34

Newcastle wins: 63

From the first 15 meetings between Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United - which coincidentally took place over a 15-year spell from 1905 to 1920 - the North London giants conquered their counterparts from the north on just one occasion.

However, Spurs now boast the overall bragging rights against the Magpies, winning 74 of their 171 competitive matches in all tournaments, in addition to suffering 63 defeats and playing out 34 draws.

The most recent meetings between the two top-flight stalwarts have seldom gone Tottenham's way, though, as they have been defeated in four of their last five Premier League head-to-heads, including at St James' Park in their first game of the 2024-25 season.

Harvey Barnes and Alexander Isak condemned Tottenham to a 2-1 defeat in that September encounter, although for Spurs, that was still an improvement on their heavy 4-0 loss in April 2024 and humiliating 6-1 slaughter at St James' Park under Cristian Stellini in 2023.

Tottenham's only triumph over Newcastle from their last five Premier League affairs was emphatic in its own right, though, as the Lilywhites crushed the Magpies 4-1 at home in December 2023, where Richarlison helped himself to a brace.

Goals are a guarantee when Tottenham and Newcastle square off in the top flight, as not a single one of their 59 Premier League meetings has finished 0-0, making it the most played match to never end goalless in the history of the competition.

Spurs and Newcastle's last battle outside of the Premier League was an EFL Cup quarter-final in 2014-15, which Spurs won 4-0, but the Magpies prevailed in their most high-profile knockout battle, a 1999 FA Cup semi-final where Alan Shearer netted twice in extra time.

Shearer is coincidentally the highest scorer in matches between Tottenham and Newcastle with 11 strikes against the Magpies, one more than Spurs legend Harry Kane managed in this fixture.

Previous meetings

Sep 01, 2024: Newcastle 2-1 Spurs (Premier League)

Apr 13, 2024: Newcastle 4-0 Spurs (Premier League)

Dec 10, 2023: Spurs 4-1 Newcastle (Premier League)

Apr 23, 2023: Newcastle 6-1 Spurs (Premier League)

Oct 23, 2022: Spurs 1-2 Newcastle (Premier League)

Apr 03, 2022: Spurs 5-1 Newcastle (Premier League)

Oct 17, 2021: Newcastle 2-3 Spurs (Premier League)

Apr 04, 2021: Newcastle 2-2 Spurs (Premier League)

Sep 27, 2020: Spurs 1-1 Newcastle (Premier League)

Jul 15, 2020: Newcastle 1-3 Spurs (Premier League)

Aug 25, 2019: Spurs 0-1 Newcastle (Premier League)

Feb 02, 2019: Spurs 1-0 Newcastle (Premier League)

Aug 11, 2018: Newcastle 1-2 Spurs (Premier League)

May 09, 2018: Spurs 1-0 Newcastle (Premier League)

Aug 13, 2017: Newcastle 0-2 Spurs (Premier League)

May 15, 2016: Newcastle 5-1 Spurs (Premier League)

Dec 13, 2015: Spurs 1-2 Newcastle (Premier League)

Apr 19, 2015: Newcastle 1-3 Spurs (Premier League)

Dec 17, 2014: Spurs 4-0 Newcastle (League Cup Quarter-Finals)

Oct 26, 2014: Spurs 1-2 Newcastle (Premier League)

Last 10 Premier League meetings

Sep 01, 2024: Newcastle 2-1 Spurs (Premier League)

Apr 13, 2024: Newcastle 4-0 Spurs (Premier League)

Dec 10, 2023: Spurs 4-1 Newcastle (Premier League)

Apr 23, 2023: Newcastle 6-1 Spurs (Premier League)

Oct 23, 2022: Spurs 1-2 Newcastle (Premier League)

Apr 03, 2022: Spurs 5-1 Newcastle (Premier League)

Oct 17, 2021: Newcastle 2-3 Spurs (Premier League)

Apr 04, 2021: Newcastle 2-2 Spurs (Premier League)

Sep 27, 2020: Spurs 1-1 Newcastle (Premier League)

Jul 15, 2020: Newcastle 1-3 Spurs (Premier League)

Read more on Spurs vs Newcastle

Potentially on the brink of full-blown crisis mode, an ailing Tottenham Hotspur side commence proceedings for 2025 at home to Newcastle United in Saturday's early Premier League kickoff.

Ange Postecoglou's side could only take a point off of Wolverhampton Wanderers in their final game of 2024, while the Magpies made extremely light work of a meek Manchester United.

Match preview

Barely a year on from taking the most points of any manager in their first 10 Premier League games, Postecoglou's job is under the most threat it has ever been, as the North London crop ended 2024 with a meagre three wins from their last 13 matches of the calendar year.

Since hitting Southampton for five without reply in mid-December, Spurs have accrued just one point from a possible nine in meetings with Liverpool, Nottingham Forest and Wolverhampton Wanderers, the latter of whom salvaged a 2-2 draw on December 29 courtesy of a late Jorgen Strand Larsen intervention.

After coming within two points of Champions League qualification last year, Tottenham are rank outsiders to even make it into the Conference League, residing in the bottom half of the Premier League table and mathematically closer to the relegation zone than the top four.

Defeat on Saturday is not expected to trigger Postecoglou's dismissal, but it is believed that an EFL Cup semi-final exit at the hands of Liverpool - which would severely dent the Australian's hopes of fulfilling his second-season trophy prophecy - could gave Daniel Levy serious food for thought.

Ahead of the first leg of that encounter with the Reds next week, Postecoglou endeavours to end Spurs' pitiful five-game winless sequence on home soil in the Premier League; not since 1994 have they experienced a longer run without a top-flight success in North London.

Only a few years ago were Spurs competing for a spot at Europe's elite table while Newcastle languished in the bottom 10, but the roles are now reversed, and Eddie Howe's side are seriously threatening to upset the top-four apple cart amid a fabulous run of festive form.

One of just two teams to have won each of their last four Premier League matches - alongside surprise package Nottingham Forest - Newcastle followed up consecutive triumphs over Leicester City, Aston Villa and Ipswich Town with the most straightforward win they may ever march to at Old Trafford.

Alexander Isak and Joelinton flaunted their aerial dominance in the first half to conquer a feeble Man United side, thereby cementing Newcastle's fifth-placed standing in the Premier League table, and the gap to Chelsea in the final Champions League spot is now just three points.

After keeping a paltry three clean sheets in their first 15 Premier League matches of the season, the visitors have now registered four shut-outs in their last four victories, rediscovering the rearguard steel that initially made them such a force to be reckoned with a couple of years ago.

Also establishing a reputation as one of Tottenham's most feared opponents, Newcastle have beaten Saturday's hosts in four of their last five Premier League encounters, although the one aberration in that sequence was a 4-1 mauling in this exact fixture last season.

Tottenham Hotspur Premier League form:

Tottenham Hotspur form (all competitions):

Newcastle United Premier League form:

Newcastle United form (all competitions):

Team News

The Tottenham medical team welcomed another new face into the already-packed infirmary on December 29, as Destiny Udogie sustained his second hamstring injury in the space of a few weeks and will certainly be unavailable for the visit of the Magpies at the very least.

Postecoglou will at least have Djed Spence - a like-for-like Udogie replacement - back from suspension, but Rodrigo Bentancur is now banned for his own accumulation of yellow cards, opening up a spot in midfield for Pape Sarr to fill.

Guglielmo Vicario (ankle), Micky van de Ven (hamstring), Mikey Moore (illness), Richarlison (hamstring), Cristian Romero (thigh), Wilson Odobert (hamstring) and Ben Davies (hamstring) remain out of contention too; the latter was initially on track to return around this time before suffering a setback.

Postecoglou and Howe can empathise with one another over losing key cogs to suspension, as Fabian Schar picked up his fifth yellow card of the season in the win at Old Trafford and will also sit on the naughty step on Saturday.

Schar is set to be one of at least five defensive absentees for the Magpies alongside Jamaal Lascelles (knee), Nick Pope (knee), Emil Krafth (shoulder) and Sven Botman (knee), although the latter is now playing behind closed doors again and could make his long-awaited comeback imminently.

Kieran Trippier appeared to hurt his hamstring in the win over Man United as well and should therefore cede his place to Tino Livramento, while Callum Wilson is still several weeks away from returning from a hamstring issue.

Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:

Forster; Porro, Gray, Dragusin, Spence; Kulusevski, Sarr, Maddison; Johnson, Solanke, Son

Newcastle United possible starting lineup:

Dubravka; Livramento, Kelly, Burn, Hall; Guimaraes, Tonali, Joelinton; Murphy, Isak, Gordon

We say: Tottenham Hotspur 1-2 Newcastle United

Not one of the previous 59 Premier League meetings between Spurs and Newcastle has finished goalless, and that sequence should not be snapped at a ground where Tottenham have both scored and conceded in their last eight top-flight games.

While the Lilywhites are backed end the Magpies' stellar streak of clean sheets, the hosts' ravaged defence should be ruthlessly exposed by their bogey team Newcastle, who have our vote to prolong Postecoglou's misery and enhance their top-four credentals.

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

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Ange Postecoglou's Tottenham Hotspur have fallen behind in 15 Premier League home games in 2024, the most ever by a team in a calendar year in the history of the competition.

Wolverhampton Wanderers took the lead against Spurs after just seven minutes, and though the hosts were leading 2-1 by the half-time interval, Wolves scored an equaliser in the 87th minute, condemning the London club to a bottom-half finish in 2024.

Spurs have now conceded 12 goals in their last four matches in all competitions, and have kept just two clean sheets in their past 16 games.

Tottenham's recent form in terms of results is also poor, with the club losing six, drawing four and winning just three of their 13 most recent fixtures.

Postecoglou can have no complaints about the fact that he is under pressure at the moment, as while he is dealing with an injury crisis, his team have long displayed a tactical rigidity that has cost them points.

Will Tottenham Hotspurs' form improve?

The Spurs boss infamously remarked earlier this season that he "always wins things" in his second season at teams, and though he has guided Tottenham into the EFL Cup semi-finals, his side are set to take on Premier League favourites Liverpool.

Tottenham face a difficult start to 2025, with matches against Newcastle United, Arsenal, Everton and Brentford, as well as two games against Liverpool, all to come by February 6.

The Australian manager has often defended his team's adventurous style of play by arguing that it is better to stick to his principles rather than abandon them in favour of short-term benefits, but it is difficult to see how Spurs come through the next months without further embarrassment.

This is especially the case given defenders Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Ben Davies and Destiny Udogie are all out injured, as is goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario.

Perhaps reinforcing in the January window would allow Postecoglou to sign the players needed to better implement his distinctive style, but it remains to be seen whether the 59-year-old will be trusted with further expenditure on the squad.

Aiming for a remarkable fourth straight win over Tottenham Hotspur, Wolverhampton Wanderers head down to North London on Sunday afternoon for their final Premier League game of 2024.

The visitors stunned Manchester United 2-0 on Boxing Day, while Spurs experienced a miserable away day at Nottingham Forest - losing 1-0 - and here Sports Mole rounds up the team news for both clubs.

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR vs. WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR

Out: Djed Spence (suspended), Ben Davies (hamstring), Mikey Moore (illness), Guglielmo Vicario (ankle), Micky van de Ven (thigh), Cristian Romero (thigh), Wilson Odobert (hamstring), Richarlison (hamstring)

Doubtful: Radu Dragusin (ankle)

Sports Mole's predicted XI: Forster; Porro, Gray, Dorrington, Udogie; Bergvall, Bissouma; Kulusevski, Maddison, Son; Solanke

WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS

Out: Pablo Sarabia (calf), Sasa Kalajdzic (knee), Boubacar Traore (knee), Enso Gonzalez (knee), Yerson Mosquera (knee)

Doubtful: Mario Lemina (calf)

Sports Mole's predicted XI: Sa; Doherty, S. Bueno, Toti; Semedo, Andre, J. Gomes, Ait-Nouri; Guedes, Cunha; Larsen

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

One team on an upward trajectory and another on a downward trajectory conclude their Premier League duties for 2024 at 3pm on Sunday, when Tottenham Hotspur welcome Wolverhampton Wanderers to North London.

Ange Postecoglou's team remain in the bottom half of the Premier League rankings thanks to their 1-0 loss to Nottingham Forest on Boxing Day, where Anthony Elanga's strike condemned Spurs to their fourth defeat from five top-flight games.

In contrast, Wolves made it two for two under Vitor Pereira with a 2-0 success over 10-man Manchester United on December 26, rising out of the relegation places in the process.

Here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at the head-to-head record and previous meetings between the two sides.

© Imago

Head-to-head record

Previous meetings: 106

Spurs wins: 52

Draws: 21

Wolves wins: 33

From 106 previous clashes between Tottenham Hotspur and Wolverhampton Wanderers, the Lilywhites' success rate falls just shy of 50%, triumphing in 52 competitive meetings with the Old Gold.

The West Midlands outfit have still chalked up a respectable 33 wins of their own in this fixture, and there have also been 21 stalemates down the years, but none since a 1-1 draw at Molineux in December 2020.

While Tottenham might boast the overall head-to-head bragging rights in this battle, Wolves have had their number more often than not in recent times, incredibly beating Spurs in each of their last three Premier League showdowns.

With Gary O'Neil at the helm, Wolves stunned Tottenham 2-1 at home in November 2023 thanks to two late goals from Pablo Sarabia and Mario Lemina, before repeating the trick in North London in February courtesy of a Joao Gomes double.

The Old Gold had also conquered Antonio Conte's Tottenham 1-0 in March 2023, where an Adama Traore effort made the difference, although Spurs had prevailed 1-0 on home soil earlier that campaign by virtue of a Harry Kane effort.

However, Bruno Lage's Wolves also sank Conte's Tottenham in February 2022, meaning that Spurs have lost four of their last five matches against their foes from the West Midlands, who have never beaten Tottenham four times in a row before.

Outside of league football, Tottenham and Wolves contested the first-ever final of the UEFA Cup in 1972 - a two-legged scrap that Spurs prevailed in 3-2 aggregate - and the 1921 FA Cup final, again won by the North London giants.

The individual goalscoring charts are also dominated by Lilywhites legends; Bobby Smith has scored the most documented goals in matches between Spurs and Wolves with 12, just one more than Martin Chivers.

Last 20 meetings

Feb 17, 2024: Spurs 1-2 Wolves (Premier League)

Nov 11, 2023: Wolves 2-1 Spurs (Premier League)

Mar 04, 2023: Wolves 1-0 Spurs (Premier League)

Aug 20, 2022: Spurs 1-0 Wolves (Premier League)

Feb 13, 2022: Spurs 0-2 Wolves (Premier League)

Sep 22, 2021: Wolves 2-2 Spurs (EFL Cup Third Round)

Aug 22, 2021: Wolves 0-1 Spurs (Premier League)

May 16, 2021: Spurs 2-0 Wolves (Premier League)

Dec 27, 2020: Wolves 1-1 Spurs (Premier League)

Mar 01, 2020: Spurs 2-3 Wolves (Premier League)

Dec 15, 2019: Wolves 1-2 Spurs (Premier League)

Dec 29, 2018: Spurs 1-3 Wolves (Premier League)

Nov 03, 2018: Wolves 2-3 Spurs (Premier League)

Jan 14, 2012: Spurs 1-1 Wolves (Premier League)

Sep 10, 2011: Wolves 0-2 Spurs (Premier League)

Mar 06, 2011: Wolves 3-3 Spurs (Premier League)

Sep 18, 2010: Spurs 3-1 Wolves (Premier League)

Feb 10, 2010: Wolves 1-0 Spurs (Premier League)

Dec 12, 2009: Spurs 0-1 Wolves (Premier League)

May 15, 2004: Wolves 0-2 Spurs (Premier League)

Last 10 Premier League meetings

Feb 17, 2024: Spurs 1-2 Wolves (Premier League)

Nov 11, 2023: Wolves 2-1 Spurs (Premier League)

Mar 04, 2023: Wolves 1-0 Spurs (Premier League)

Aug 20, 2022: Spurs 1-0 Wolves (Premier League)

Feb 13, 2022: Spurs 0-2 Wolves (Premier League)

Aug 22, 2021: Wolves 0-1 Spurs (Premier League)

May 16, 2021: Spurs 2-0 Wolves (Premier League)

Dec 27, 2020: Wolves 1-1 Spurs (Premier League)

Mar 01, 2020: Spurs 2-3 Wolves (Premier League)

Dec 15, 2019: Wolves 1-2 Spurs (Premier League)

Read more on Spurs vs Wolves

The defensive crisis worsens: Spurs injury list for Wolves clash

Click here to read our full preview for Spurs vs Wolves

A 37-year-old centre-back pairing? Predicted Spurs XI against Wolves

Will Hwang start after Man Utd goal? Predicted Wolves XI against Spurs

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Two of the Premier League's bottom-half battlers collide in their final match of 2024 on Sunday, as an off-colour Tottenham Hotspur welcome a reborn Wolverhampton Wanderers to their North London base.

The Lilywhites' Boxing Day scrap with Nottingham Forest ended in a dismal 1-0 defeat, a couple of hours before Vitor Pereira's Wolves rejoiced in conquering Manchester United by two goals to nil.

Match preview

A penny for the thoughts of Daniel Levy when the final whistle blew at the City Ground on Thursday, as the man he gave the boot to after just 17 games in 2021 enhanced Nottingham Forest's Champions League credentials at the expense of Spurs' continental hopes altogether.

Nuno Espirito Santo's ill-fated Tottenham stint is best consigned to the bottom of his CV, but the Portuguese avenged his 2021 sacking from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium when Anthony Elanga prodded his third goal in as many games past the onrushing Fraser Forster.

A hitherto entertaining Tottenham attack were bereft of ideas against the inspired pairing of Nikola Milenkovic and Murillo, as Ange Postecoglou's off-colour Lilywhites fell to their second straight Premier League defeat and an embarrassing fourth from their last five matches in the top flight.

A far cry from the all-conquering Spurs team of Postecoglou's earliest weeks in charge, Tottenham are still entrenched in the bottom half of the Premier League standings - despite being the second-best attacking team in the division behind leaders Liverpool - and now have a paltry three wins next to their name from their last 12 matches in all tournaments.

If nothing else, Postecoglou's Tottenham seldom fail to put on a spectacle at their North London home; the last three matches at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium have seen a monumental 23 goals - over seven a game on average - and both teams have scored in each of Spurs' last eight contests on their own patch.

Experiencing the feeling that Tottenham did when Postecoglou first arrived, Wolves are basking in the new manager bounce glow under Pereira, who followed up his opening success over Leicester City with a statement victory over Ruben Amorim's Manchester United on December 26.

Playing almost the entire second half with a numerical advantage thanks to another Bruno Fernandes red card, Wolves sparked Molineux mayhem when Matheus Cunha scored directly from a corner, before the brilliant Brazilian teed up Hwang Hee-chan to put the tie to bed.

Wolves' second straight Premier League win coupled with Leicester City going down 3-1 at Liverpool means that the visitors to North London have shot out of the Premier League relegation zone, although it will only take one dissatisfactory result for the 17th-placed Old Gold to plunge back down into danger.

However, Wolves have a historical and superstitious reason for optimism this weekend, where they could win three straight Premier League games for the first time since coincidentally winning each of their final three matches of 2023 against Chelsea, Brentford and Everton.

Sticking with the theme of good things coming in threes, Wolves have managed to get the better of Tottenham in each of their last three Premier League head-to-heads, doing the double over Postecoglou's men in the 2023-24 season by a 2-1 scoreline on both occasions.

Tottenham Hotspur Premier League form:

Tottenham Hotspur form (all competitions):

Wolverhampton Wanderers Premier League form:

Team News

Postecoglou was already working around a decimated defence before Christmas, and the Australian's rearguard will be even more ravaged for Sunday's game, which Djed Spence misses through suspension after seeing red at his former home on Boxing Day.

Radu Dragusin is also a serious doubt after hurting his ankle in the loss to Forest, while Ben Davies (hamstring), Mikey Moore (illness), Guglielmo Vicario (ankle), Micky van de Ven (thigh), Cristian Romero (thigh), Wilson Odobert (hamstring) and Richarlison (hamstring) are still confined to the infirmary as well.

Dragusin's possible absence would deprive Postecoglou of every senior centre-back in his ranks, meaning that he may have no choice but to introduce 19-year-old Alfie Dorrington alongside 18-year-old Archie Gray, unless Yves Bissouma starts as an emergency defender.

Wolves have no such crises to worry about for Sunday's trip south, and there is hope that midfield lynchpin Mario Lemina might be fit to feature after a calf injury kept him out of the triumph over Man United.

Spanish winger Pablo Sarabia is expected to miss out with a similar concern, though, while Sasa Kalajdzic, Boubacar Traore, Enso Gonzalez and Yerson Mosquera remain on the long road to recovery from knee injuries.

Almost all of the Old Gold's starters from the Boxing Day success should be retained, but Hwang might have made his case to come in for Goncalo Guedes after finally getting off the mark for the Premier League season last time out.

Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:

Forster; Porro, Gray, Dorrington, Udogie; Bergvall, Bissouma; Kulusevski, Maddison, Son; Solanke

Wolverhampton Wanderers possible starting lineup:

Sa; Doherty, S. Bueno, Toti; Semedo, Andre, J. Gomes, Ait-Nouri; Guedes, Cunha; Larsen

We say: Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers

It takes a brave soul to confidently predict which version of Tottenham's attack is going to show up - the chaotic or clueless one - but Postecoglou's men can be expected to struggle against a Wolves side who should not afford them much space in the final third.

Pereira's men could be forgiven for playing for a point in North London, and such is the visitors' level of confidence right now that they can surely match anything that an inconsistent Spurs throw at them, while also capitalising on their hosts' depleted defence.

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

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Tottenham Hotspur are considering a January move for former Everton defender Ben Godfrey to bolster their defence, according to a report.

Spurs have been ravaged by injuries in defence this season, with Cristian Romero (thigh) and Micky Van de Ven (hamstring) both sidelined for the foreseeable future.

Additionally, Ben Davies, who has predominantly played as a centre-back in recent years, is also out of action due to a hamstring injury sustained in the loss to Bournemouth at the start of the month.

The Lilywhites' injury setbacks have forced Ange Postecoglou to deploy Archie Gray out of position alongside Radu Dragusin in central defence, but so far, the pairing have struggled mightily, conceding nine goals in their last two matches.

© Imago

Spurs eyeing Godfrey to help ease defensive injury crisis

According to Football Insider, Tottenham are now scouring the market to provide Postecoglou with reinforcements in January.

Strengthening in defence is a priority for the North London side, and according to the report, they have already reached out to Atalanta BC regarding a potential move for Ben Godfrey.

The 26-year-old joined Atalanta for around £11m last summer, but he has struggled to secure a regular place in Gian Piero Gasperini's league-leading team, playing just 93 minutes across all competitions this term.

It is understood that Spurs are interested in signing the Englishman on a short-term loan for the second half of the season while their current crop works their way back to full fitness.

However, with La Dea currently topping Serie A, they may be reluctant to make any moves that could jeopardise their title challenge.

© Imago

Additional defensive reinforcements expected in January

Godfrey is not the only player who Spurs are eyeing to help bolster their defence, as a report from The Sun this week indicates that they are also considering signing a new goalkeeper.

Guglielmo Vicario's serious injury has thrust Fraser Forster into the starting XI, but Tottenham are facing a shortage of quality depth behind the 36-year-old goalkeeper.

There is also a belief that, due to his age, Forster cannot be relied upon as a long-term solution, prompting Tottenham to seek greater stability in the goalkeeper position.

The player rumoured to be among the top choices on the Lilywhites' wishlist is Burnley shot-stopper James Trafford, who received his first call-up to the England squad last month.

The 22-year-old, who is believed to be valued at around £20m, joined Burnley in the summer of 2023 and made 28 appearances for the club in the Premier League last season.