Following a rare fortnight with no Premier League football, Tottenham Hotspur grace the North London soil again on Saturday afternoon, hosting near neighbours Crystal Palace in a capital derby.
Ange Postecoglou's men went down 2-1 to Wolverhampton Wanderers two weeks ago, while the Oliver Glasner era at Selhurst Park began with a 3-0 rout of Burnley last weekend.
Match preview
© Reuters
On account of Chelsea's unsuccessful endeavours in the EFL Cup final - which led to the postponement of their scheduled London derby with Spurs - Tottenham have endured two weeks of reflection after emulating the Blues with a humbling home defeat to Gary O'Neil's counter-attacking masters on February 17.
After Dejan Kulusevski poked home through Jose Sa's legs at the near post to cancel out Joao Gomes's opening header, the latter left his mark on the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium turf again, lashing in from Pedro Neto's ninth assist of the top-flight campaign to hand Spurs their first Premier League loss of 2024.
In truth, an eventual defeat was on the cards for Tottenham if their displays against Everton and Brighton & Hove Albion - whom they only defeated by virtue of a last-minute winner - were anything to go by, and the Lilywhites have now relinquished fourth place in the Premier League standings to Aston Villa once more.
With a game in hand, Postecoglou's men - whose quest for top-level European competition has not been helped by an eight-game run without a clean sheet in the Premier League - have a five-point gap to make up to the Lions and are also just three points better off than Manchester United.
In addition to their defensive frailties, Spurs have already been bested in two home London derbies this season - going down to Chelsea and West Ham United - but Kulusevski's consolation versus Wolves means that the Lilywhites' exceptional scoring streak in the Premier League now stands at 37 matches.
© Reuters
Following Postecoglou's flying start to life in English football, his fellow Premier League novice Glasner revelled in a dream Selhurst Park debut at the Crystal Palace helm, having taken the reins from the infirm Roy Hodgson following the 76-year-old's decision to step aside.
After taking his seat in the stands to witness Palace's new three-at-the-back system frustrate Everton in a 1-1 draw, the former Eintracht Frankfurt head coach masterminded a resounding beating of Burnley on February 24, where Chris Richards, Jordan Ayew and Jean-Philippe Mateta all made the net bulge in an 11-minute flurry.
Whether the Eagles' soaring success is a catalyst for change or simply down to the famed new manager bounce only time will tell, but thanks to just a seventh Premier League win of the season, the 13th-placed visitors boast a comfortable eight-point advantage over 18th-placed Luton Town.
With a debut win already under his belt, next on Glasner's agenda is snapping an unsightly eight-game winless run on the road for Crystal Palace, who have not prevailed on their travels since coincidentally beating Burnley on November 4, and their streak without a London derby triumph on enemy territory now stands at nine matches.
That sequence includes a 2-1 loss to Tottenham at Selhurst Park on October 27, where the Lilywhites registered their fourth straight win over Crystal Palace, whose last success away to Spurs came in the fifth round of the 2015-16 FA Cup thanks to Martin Kelly's first and only goal for the Eagles.
Team News
© Reuters
Tottenham were dealt two crushing defensive blows before the loss to Wolves, as after Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie sat out an open training session at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, both missed the tie with O'Neil's men due to strain and knee issues respectively.
Udogie's problem is expected to clear up in time for the London derby, but Porro will not make the cut, and fellow wide man Ryan Sessegnon could now miss the rest of the season after another cruel hamstring blow; the Englishman has undergone surgery after hurting himself in Under-21s action.
Fraser Forster (foot) and Manor Solomon (knee) welcome the luckless Sessegnon back into the treatment room, which now also holds first-choice striker Richarlison, who will be missing for between two and three weeks with a knee complaint.
As far as Crystal Palace are concerned, key defender Joachim Andersen could not complete the full 90 minutes against Burnley due to cramp, but the ex-Lyon man's affliction should not hinder his chances of starting at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Glasner has also confirmed that Eberechi Eze - who returned to training last week after a thigh problem - will make the trip to North London, and the same can be said for Will Hughes, who has missed the Eagles' last two matches with an ankle concern.
However, Michael Olise (hamstring), Rob Holding (ankle), Marc Guehi (knee), Jesurun Rak-Sakyi (thigh) and long-term Achilles victim Cheick Doucoure - who has just penned a new contract at Selhurst Park - remain sidelined and will not be back in action in the near future.
Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:
Vicario; Royal, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Bissouma, Sarr; Kulusevski, Maddison, Werner; Son
Crystal Palace possible starting lineup:
Johnstone; Ward, Richards, Andersen; Munoz, Wharton, Lerma, Mitchell; Eze, Ayew; Mateta
We say: Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Crystal Palace
Each of Tottenham's last nine Premier League home matches has seen the Lilywhites fail to keep a clean sheet, and a re-energised Palace crop boosted by the return of Eze should be expected to prolong Spurs' miserable defensive streak on their own patch.
A two-week recuperation period is just what the doctor ordered for a Tottenham side who were appearing a little leggy, though, and while it may not be pretty, we still expect Postecoglou's free-scoring charges to return to triumphant ways.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ben Knapton
