Premier League: Spurs Plan to Spoil Nuno’s North London Return

Tottenham Hotspur vs Nottingham Forest

Tottenham will see a familiar face in North London this weekend, as Nuno Espirito Santo’s Nottingham Forest are their next opponents on the 32^nd matchday of the 2023-24 Premier League season.

Nuno Espirito Santo was unceremoniously sacked by Spurs in 2021, so now he can exact a small measure of revenge on his former employers by getting another win on the road to steer clear of the dreaded drop zone.

Nottingham Forest are currently 17^th in the standings with 25 points because of the four-point deduction that was given to them by the league a few weeks ago for breaching profitability and sustainability rules. Otherwise, they should’ve been higher in the English top-flight table.

Meanwhile, Tottenham are fighting for a Champions League berth and are in fifth with 57 points, and they can leapfrog the fourth-seeded Aston Villa with a victory here.

Talking Points

Johnson will get another shot at Tottenham

Nuno Espirito Santo is not the only person who will get to face his former employers, as Brennan Johnson will meet Nottingham Forest for the second time since he was sold by the West Bridgford-based outfit last summer.

There were high expectations for Johnson because of his £47 million transfer fee after a solid debut campaign, but he had a tough start to his new life at North London, going in and out of Ange Postecoglou’s starting XI despite the team suffering key injuries.

But eventually, Johnson fought his way back into the starting lineup and has delivered, scoring two goals in his last two starts in their 4-0 win against Aston Villa last month and 1-1 draw against West Ham United on Wednesday.

Overall, Johnson has been directly involved in seven goals, the most on the team since the start of the calendar year. He now has five goals and seven assists this term.

Because he has shown great chemistry with their frontline, particularly Timo Werner, Brennan Johnson should draw another start this weekend.

In other news, Micky van de Ven returned from a minor hamstring injury against the Hammers and will likely start once more. The 22-year-old centre-back is one of the top young defenders in the English top-flight today.

Wood is vital for Nottingham Forest

With Taiwo Awoniyi still on the sidelines, Nottingham Forest will continue to rely heavily on Chris Wood, who has hit a rich vein in form with 12 goals already this term.

In Nottingham Forest’s three-game undefeated run, the New Zealand international has created several entries in the Premier League 2024 highlights reel, as he scored goals against Luton Town, Crystal Palace, and Fulham in different ways.

Wood scored off of an assist from Morgan Gibbs-White in a tap-in against the Hatters, while he netted a header and a long-range volley against the Eagles and the Cottagers, respectively.

Morgan Gibbs-White, Anthony Elanga, and Callum Hudson-Odoi will also play huge roles up front for Nottingham Forest on Sunday, as they have combined for 15 goals and 16 assists this season.

History

Tottenham managed to beat Nottingham Forest 2-0 in their reverse fixture last December despite being down by 10 men after Yves Bissouma was sent off. Richarlison and Dejan Kulusevski both found the back of the net for Spurs.

Steve Cooper was sacked by Nottingham Forest a few days after the loss because the club endured a run of having only one win in 13 matches, leaving them in 17^th place at the table.

The Spurs have now won their last five Premier League matches against Tottenham after losing six of their previous seven between 1993 and 1997. Tottenham have also kept four clean sheets in their current unbeaten run.

Ange Postecoglou’s side has also won 11 of their 15 Premier League home matches this campaign (L4), and Nuno Espirito Santo’s team has won just two of their last 25 Premier League away matches (D7, L16).

Betting Tip

The SBOTOP Premier League 2024 odds are in favour of Tottenham beating Nottingham Forest on Sunday night. Spurs are 1.37 favourites, while Nottingham Forest are 6.20 underdogs, and a draw is priced at 4.72 in the 1X2 market.

There should be enough goals to go by for this one, especially since Tottenham have had a hard time keeping clean sheets, making alternative bets like Total Goal 2-3 at 2.14, Total Goal 4-6 at 2.30, and Over 3.25 at 1.91 worth considering.

Furthermore, a Correct Score of 2-0 in favour of the hosts – the exact score in their reverse fixture – can give you a decent payday with its 8.50 offer.

 

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