Nottingham Forest eye four consecutive PL victories in almost 30 years.
[introduction]
Nottingham Forest vs. Tottenham Hotspur kicks off at 15:00 [GMT] on Thursday, December 26, at City Ground.
[home]
Nottingham Forest continued their fairytale run, extending their winning streak to three games [WLWWW] with a 2-0 victory over Brentford at the Gtech Stadium. The Tricky Trees became the first team to inflict a home defeat on the Bees, courtesy of goals in either half from Ola Aina [35’] and Anthony Elanga [51’]. That win, as many as Forest managed in each of their previous two campaigns, keeps them in fourth place with 31 points from 17 games [9W, 4D, 4L]. It was also the earliest they’ve reached the 30-point mark in a top-flight season since 1987/88, when they achieved it in their 14th game before finishing third. ‘We’re very proud of all the things we’ve been able to achieve, but we’ve achieved nothing yet,’ said manager Nuno Espírito Santo, who will aim to guide his team to a fourth consecutive top-flight win for the first time since 1995 as they host Tottenham on Boxing Day. Forest could also secure back-to-back Boxing Day wins for the first time since the 1990/91 and 1991/92 seasons, when they triumphed over Spurs in the latter. However, history isn’t entirely on their side, as they’ve lost their last three league meetings at the City Ground against the North London club. A 4—3—2—1 formation could be deployed, with Chris Wood leading the attack. Meanwhile, Nicolás Domínguez will miss this clash due to an accumulation of yellow cards.
[away]
Meanwhile, Tottenham heads into Thursday’s encounter reeling from a humbling 6-3 home defeat against league leaders Liverpool on Sunday. A relentless Liverpool attack overwhelmed Ange Postecoglou’s injury-hit backline, which was missing first-choice goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, left-back Destiny Udogie, and centre-backs Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero. Despite the defensive frailties, Postecoglou stuck to his attacking philosophy and paid the price as the Reds registered 24 shots and an expected goals tally of 5.6 [xG]. ‘I wasn’t angry, but I don’t know many managers that bounce into interviews after a defeat and are all cheery,’ said Postecoglou. ‘Fair to say I am getting tired of the same questions over and over, and perhaps after a defeat, it’s easier to get a reaction,’ he added. Currently 11th in the standings with 23 points [7W, 2D, 8L], Tottenham [DLLWL] will look to bounce back from their weekend defeat, having won their last six league meetings with Forest and 12 of their last 16 Boxing Day fixtures [12W, 4D, 0L]. A 4—2—3—1 formation could be seen, with Dominic Solanke in attack. Meanwhile, Destiny Udogie is fully fit and expected to play a part in Thursday’s clash, having recovered from a thigh injury.
