. Last season's game - Nottm Fst 0 Spurs 2, 15.12.23
. Premier League Matchday 18 - last year
. See the current injury list for all Premier League Teams
. All the Spurs Stats you could hope for here! THFC6061 Sports Stats

Full Record of Spurs -v- Nottingham Forest

Premier        Pl   W   D   L   For-Ag   Pts
Home            7   4   0   3    11-9    12
Away            7   3   1   3    10-8    10
============================================
Total (Prem)   14   7   1   6    21-17   22   1.57 pt per game
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Football Lge
Home (Div 1)   34  20   4  10    76-46   48
Away (Div 1)   34  17  10   7    48-37   50
============================================
Total (Div 1)  68  37  14  17   124-83   98
============================================
Football Lge
Home (Div 2)   13   8   3   2    25-15   19
Away (Div 2)   13   1   6   6    15-25    8
============================================
Total (Div 2)  26   9   9   8    40-40   27
============================================
Total (Prem)   14   7   1   6    21-17   22
Total (Div 1)  68  37  14  17   124-83   98
Total (Div 2)  26   9   9   8    40-40   27
============================================
Grand Total   108  53  24  31   185-140  147
============================================

Last Six Premier League results:-

Nottm Fst   -     LWLWWW

Arsenal    3-0    Nottm Fst
Nottm Fst  1-0    Ipswich
Man City   3-0    Nottm Fst
Man Utd    2-3    Nottm Fst
Nottm Fst  2-1    A.  Villa
Brentford  0-2    Nottm Fst

Spurs       -     WDLLWL
           
Man City   0-4    Spurs  
Spurs      1-1    Fulham
B'mouth    1-0    Spurs  
Spurs      3-4    Chelsea
S'hampton  0-5    Spurs  
Spurs      3-6    Liverpool

Pos           P  W  D  L   F-A   GD  Pts
 4. Nottm F  17  9  4  4  23-19   4   31
11. Spurs    17  7  2  8  39-25  14   23

A Trent Bridge too far?

I've seen comments to the effect that Sunday's 6-3 home defeat to Liverpool was "A bridge too far" for a Spurs team lacking their first choice goalkeeper, centre-backs, and left back along with various other injured or suspended personnel. Well, our Boxing Day trip to Nottingham could be a Trent Bridge too far for ailing Spurs.

Destiny Udogie stayed on the bench for the Liverpool match, but could start this game (3pm - Amazon Prime). At long last, Rodrigo Bentancur can play, after serving that seven-game domestic suspension over his "racist slur" comments about his team captain. Bentancur's last league game was our home defeat to Ipswich on November 10th, when he scored our goal and his only goal of this season. Rodrigo must play on Thursday and I fancy Pape Sarr will be the midfielder getting a rest on the bench. If Udogie is fit, I'd give Pedro Porro a deserved break and start Djed Spence in his place.

Ange Postecoglou doesn't have too many options, but Brennan Johnson hasn't started a game since 12th December at Ibrox Park, and could start against his old team.

It's amazing to reflect that we've shipped 13 goals in our last three home games, and have lost our last two home league games. On the other hand our last two away wins have been 4-0 at Manchester City and 5-0 at Southampton! Which Spurs will turn up on Boxing Day?

Forest are now in their third season back in the Premier League and after struggling to maintain that status in their first two years, they face us in the Champions League places, while we languish in the bottom half. Forest stayed up last season with 32 points, the lowest ever total recorded by a team that has secured safety. That came after they were deducted four points. Only 27 points were needed to survive, which is also a new low, as 18th-placed Luton Town went down with 26 points.

Forest already have 31 points and are in great form. They are the only team to beat Liverpool so far this season (in any competition) and are on a run of three successive league wins.

When they beat West Ham 3-0 on November 2nd, Forest won three consecutive Premier League games for the first time since May 1999. They also reached third place in the league table. Now, they've already had another three-match winning run. Chris Wood (now aged 33) scored 14 league goals last season, and already has 10 to his name this term. His 17 goals at all levels so far this season include 7 for New Zealand against Tahiti, Malaysia, Vanuatu and Samoa. That's not the most challenging opposition, but it must be very taxing flying half-way around the world and back at international breaks.

Club owner Evangelos Marinakis oversaw another busy transfer window in which Forest needed to raise £20m in transfer sales to comply with financial rules (by the end of June) meaning they needed to dispose of fringe players only. Defenders Scott McKenna and Joe Worrall were among those who left, while arrivals included Fiorentina and Serbia veteran defender Nikola Milenkovic who has scored important goals in recent games against Manchester United and Aston Villa. Forest are a threat at corners as well as Arsenal!

Incidentally, Forest have had their ups and downs with officials over the last year or so and in October the club owner the was given a five-match stadium ban for spitting "in the direction of the match officials in a disgusting display of contempt". Mr. Marinakis vehemently denied the alleged nature of his behaviour.

Nuno Espirito Santo won the Premier League Manager of the Month Award for October and Chris Wood won the Player of the Month Award. You'll remember that Nuno won the Manager of the Month award in August 2021 when Spurs won their first three Premier League matches with the former Wolves man at the helm. Things soon started to go wrong, and Nuno was gone after a 3-0 home defeat to Manchester United at the end of October that year.

Brazilian centre-back Murillo has been ever-present in Forest's league games this season, as have wing-back Ola Aina (he scored in the 2-0 win at Brentford), and goalkeeper Matz Sels. Club captain Ryan Yates and his colleagues Elliot Anderson, Anthony Elanga, Morgan Gibbs-White, Callum Hudson-Odoi have all been prominent for the club.

Spurs lost six of their seven Premier League games against Forest between 1993 and 1997 but have won the subsequent six meetings, keeping four clean sheets in the process. It will be a very tough task to continue that record on Boxing Day. I will be travelling (not too far from Chesterfield) with hope in my heart!

Craig Pawson will be our match referee for the 33rd time. He last had charge of Spurs when we beat Aston Villa 4-1 on 3rd November. On Boxing Day last year Mr. Pawson looked after Manchester United beating Villa 3-2 at home.

Did you know? - This fixture was also played 60 years ago on Boxing Day 1964! Spurs won (their only away win of the 64/65 season) and Alan Gilzean scored his first Spurs goal (it was the match-winner) after Cliff Jones had opened the scoring after 15 minutes. Bob Chapman equalised after 68 minutes. Gilly's winner was in the 79th minute. It was his second game for the club. The Forest side included goalkeeper Peter Grummitt, who had been in goal the day we beat them 9-2 at home in September 1962. Jimmy Greaves scored four that day, and Cliff Jones also scored two goals. (Thanks to Spurs Odyssey Quiz League maestro David Guthrie for some of the information here)

Merry Christmas to all!

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