By Ian King
Spurs finished the weekend where they started
The best that can be said of Tottenham Hotspur’s weekend is that at least it didn’t end materially worse off than it started. They may have made an unimpressive fourth change in a row by losing 2-1 at Fulham, but with Nottingham Forest, West Ham United and Burnley all also losing, they finished four points above the drop zone, as they started, with ten games now to play.
Crystal Palace have been slightly confusing of late. After losing at home to Burnley and then putting in an unconvincing performance in beating Wolves 1-0, their final outing at Old Trafford to play in-form Manchester United saw them lose 2-1, even after a performance they could have deserved a point from. Despite being just two positions above their opponents in the table, the six-point gap between the two teams means Palace are almost certainly already safe for another season.
Crystal Palace are the latest team to be beaten by Spurs in the Premier League
If there’s any reason for optimism among Spurs fans ahead of this match, it’s that Crystal Palace were the last team to beat in the Premier League. We will gloss over the fact that this happened on December 28th. But there is also a warning for Spurs in the recent past. Palace won the league double against them last season, winning 1-0 at Selhurst Park in December 2024 and 2-0 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in May, as the home side’s 2024-25 Premier League season gurgled down the logline.
A little historical curiosity is that these two have faced each other in seven different league tournaments or divisions, since their first meeting in 1906. They have faced each other in both the League Cup and FA Cup, but also in the Premier League, the old First and Second Divisions of the Football League, as well as the Southern League and Western League before joining the Football League.
Richarlison is the only Spurs player who truly knows what a relegation fight is like.
One of the biggest concerns about Spurs’ slide to the bottom three is that they don’t have players accustomed to being in a relegation fight, making them particularly ill-equipped to deal with the unique pressures that come with such a fight. However, Richarlison is one player who has done it. Thanks to his time at Everton, he has certainly been involved in this kind of fight before. With eight goals, he is now by far their top scorer in the League, and his goal at Fulham last weekend was just about the only highlight of an otherwise dismal weekend for the north Londoners.
Brennan Johnson scored the goal that won Spurs the Europa League last May, and given the size of Tottenham’s injury list, the haste with which they sold him to Palace at the start of the January transfer window was almost unseemly. Johnson is yet to score for Palace in the League, despite making nine appearances for them, so it all feels a bit like a script that writes itself.
Both teams have players missing, but Spurs remain mired in a dire injury crisis.
Tottenham’s latest casualty is Djed Spence, who missed the Fulham game and probably won’t be ready for this one either. Otherwise, they stay where they were. Cristian Romero remains suspended, while Wilson Odobert, Destiny Udogie, Lucas Bergvall, Rodrigo Bentancur, Ben Davies, James Maddison, Mohammed Kudus and Dejan Kulusevski all remain out of action.
Crystal Palace have four injured players, with Eddie Nketiah, Cheick Doucoure, Jean-Philippe Mateta and Jefferson Lerma all at various stages of recovery. Maxence Lacroix will also be unavailable for Oliver Glasner. He is suspended following his sending off against Manchester United on Sunday.
Spurs’ dismal form has to end at some point, and Crystal Palace have looked vulnerable at times this season.
Igor Tudor’s comments after the match against Fulham, in which he highlighted the team’s shortcomings in defense and midfield And attack, speaks volumes about the dumpster fire that the Spurs’ season has become. Having an interim head coach who looks so defeated and broken after just two matches in charge of his new team seems like a pretty accurate representation of where the club is currently at.
We are at the point where the law of averages is the most optimistic sign for the home team regarding the remaining matches. Spurs beat Crystal Palace earlier in the season, and that’s something to hold on to. There has to be a time when they win another Premier League game, right? Isn’t it?
But Crystal Palace have been working hard recently in matches against other teams lower in the table, and even though they played better against Manchester United, they still lost. So I’ll put my neck on the line and aim for a 1-0 Spurs win.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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