Preview

Dec

2025

Preview: Spurs meet Liverpool in key test for both managers

Saturday evening sees two under-fire managers facing off as Liverpool travel to Tottenham Hotspur. Arne Slot’s side are unbeaten in five right now but the pressure is on the Premier League winning coach while Thomas Frank appears to be in danger of the sack just six months into his reign with the club.

By Sam McGuire

The story so far

Both teams started the season well.

Spurs had PSG on the ropes in the Super Cup before losing on penalties. They then romped to a 3-0 win over Burnley in the season opener and defeated Manchester City 2-0 at the Etihad. A 1-0 loss to Bournemouth was viewed as nothing more than a blip in the grand scheme of things, with Frank guiding his team to six wins and three draws from 10 across all competitions to kick off the campaign.

There were cracks emerging though during this run. Draws with Wolves and Bodø/Glimt were amber flags. Spurs have won just four of their previous 14 across all competitions now and this included a run of five defeats in seven. In their last outing, they were hammered by Nottingham Forest with goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario once again being put under the microscope.

Spurs are struggling. They may only be 11th in the table, just four points off of Liverpool, but the underlying numbers are red flags. They’re 17th for Expected Goals, 13th for Big Chances, and only seven teams have given up more Expected Goals.

Simply put, they aren’t a threat going forward and as a result, they’re not scoring enough.

*For more graphics like this, follow @fotmobapp on Instagram*

Liverpool, meanwhile, started the season perfectly, winning five from five in the Premier League before going on an horrendous run of form, losing nine of 12 across all competitions. They’ve salvaged it recently with a run of three wins in five but the pressure is still on Slot. The Reds have stopped losing by going into survival mode.

They aren’t yet firing in attack despite the fact they’ve scored five in their last two Premier League outings.

Key Players

For the Reds, it has to be Hugo Ekitike. With Mohamed Salah now away at AFCON and Alexander Isak struggling to really put his stamp on this Liverpool team, the France forward is going to be key in the coming weeks. With four goals in his last two games in the English top-flight, he’s the man in form. If this continues, Isak has a task getting back into Slot’s starting XI.

For Spurs, the focus is going to be on Vicario. He’s had a few questionable moments over recent weeks and was at the scene of the crime for a number of howlers. On his day, he’s a brilliant shot-stopper. He’ll have to be in fine form to thwart a resurgent Liverpool. If he has another horror show between the sticks, it could be the end of Frank at Spurs. He literally has the fate of his manager in his hands right now.

Team News

Both teams have players missing.

The hosts are without Destiny Udogie, James Maddison, Yves Bissouma, Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke while the visitors are without the services of Jeremie Frimpong, Mohamed Salah, Giovanni Leaoni, Stefan Bajčetić and Joe Gomez. The latter picked up a muscle injury against Brighton.

Dominik Szobozlai is also a potential doubt after sustaining an injury against the Seagulls but the initial reports are that it isn’t a bad one.

Prediction

We’re going with a narrow 2-1 Liverpool win in what should be a nervy game.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the Premier League with FotMob this season — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Dec

2025

Preview: City have top spot in their sights as they prepare to face West Ham

Manchester City are breathing down Arsenal’s necks as we head towards the new year, and it feels like the perfect time for their title ambitions for them to be playing struggling West Ham United.

By Ian King

Manchester City and West Ham’s form are both looking ominously familiar, but for very different reasons

With four straight wins under their belts during which they scored 14 goals, Manchester City are heading towards the Christmas spell with a familiar glint in their eye. They followed up their gloriously chaotic 5-4 win at Fulham with two clean sheets, and with Arsenal’s lead at the top of the Premier League now cut to two points, they’re now very much breathing down the leaders’ necks.

West Ham, meanwhile, arguably summed up their season so far by leading twice against Aston Villa before losing 3-2 at The London Stadium last weekend. They’re now five games without a win in the Premier League and have slipped back into the relegation places as a result of Leeds United’s recent three-game unbeaten run.

West Ham’s record against City has been dire over the last decade, but the history books allow them a tiny bit of hope

It’s now been more than ten years since last West Ham beat Manchester City in a league match, with their last win against them coming in September 2015 with a 2-1 win at The Etihad Stadium, although they did also beat them on penalties following a goalless draw in the Carabao Cup in 2021.

Going back into the history books, perhaps the definitive meeting of these two came in March 1970, when West Ham won 5-1 at Maine Road on an absolute paddy field of a pitch, with Jimmy Greaves scoring twice on his West Ham debut. Curiously, when the two teams had met at the Boleyn Ground three months earlier, City had won 4-0.

Jarrod Bowen is continuing to thrive at West Ham this season, under extremely testing circumstances

With goals in each of his last two games, Jarrod Bowen has continued his ascent towards replacing the club’s sporting director Mark Noble as the current iteration of “Mr West Ham” this season, even though he was born in Leominster rather than Limehouse. He’s scored five Premier League goals so far, but it’s not only that; his match ratings have broadly been excellent for weeks and he remains their most important player.

Erling Haaland may continue to hog the headlines with his goalscoring exploits at The Etihad, but Manchester City’s recent winning run has, if anything, been more about the return to stunning form of Phil Foden, who has scored six in their last four matches and has consequently relieved a little of the pressure on Haaland to keep scoring if City are to keep winning matches.

AFCON absentees add an extra layer of complexity to the managers’ team selection plans

Players have left this week for the African Cup of Nations, and that affects both these two teams equally. West Ham will be missing Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Malick Diouf for the next few weeks, while Manchester City will be absent Rayan Aït-Nouri and Omar Marmoush.

On the injuries front, West Ham are otherwise unaffected beyond the long-term injury to Lukasz Fabianski, but City do have other absentees, with Mateo Kovačić, Jérémy Doku, Rodri, John Stones and Oscar Bobb all missing.

City should continue to apply pressure at the top, but West Ham don’t look likely to relieve any pressure at the bottom

If Manchester City’s form has been starting to look ominous again in recent weeks, then a home match against this West Ham United team would seem to be perfect timing to Pep Guardiola. With Arsenal not playing Everton until 8pm on Saturday night, a win would put them top of the table for at least a few hours, and their superior goal difference would mean that Arsenal would need a win from their match to reclaim pole position in time for Christmas.

The most worrying aspect of West Ham’s defeat to Aston Villa for Nuno Espírito Santo will have been that his team led twice but failed to hold onto it on either occasion. They’re now three points adrift of Leeds United in that third relegation place and also have an inferior goal difference, so even if they somehow win this match, they’ll almost certainly go into Christmas in the bottom three unless Leeds do something spectacularly terrible in their own late kick-off against Crystal Palace.

But West Ham are without a win in five while City have won four in a row, and they have a terrible record in this fixture going back a full ten years. There aren’t really any signs that they’ll be able to take anything from this one, so I’m going to say 4-0 to Manchester City because they have two attacking options who are firing on all cylinders at the moment.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the Premier League with FotMob this season – featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Dec

2025

Preview: Newcastle and Chelsea meet in lunchtime kickoff

Newcastle are struggling for consistency this term as they balance expectancy after success with the demands of top-tier European action – and now they face Chelsea, who have one of the best away records in the Premier League.

By Karl Matchett

Blues sound on the road

While Enzo Maresca has only tasted victory in half of his league games at Stamford Bridge this season, away from home is…well, actually it’s the exact same story, four wins from eight – but that’s far more impressive on away days than it is for home form.

It leaves Chelsea with the second-best points haul (14) on the road this term (behind Crystal Palace, 16), and they’ve also scored more goals on the road than Newcastle have managed at home. That said, they have stuttered slightly of late: it was one win in five away games in all competitions prior to a midweek cup triumph at Cardiff, including defeats at Leeds and Atalanta.

Defensive concerns

Newcastle have basically been two different sides this year: very good at home, shocking away. It unsurprisingly leaves them mid-table (12th) as we approach the halfway stage, but they are at least above Chelsea in the recent form guide and can point to wins over Man City, Athletic Club and Tottenham as reason for confidence. Yet matters have been eroding in the defensive third. It’s nine games without a clean sheet now, Aaron Ramsdale hasn’t proven himself an able deputy for Nick Pope in goal and Tino Livramento has picked up an injury to add him to a list which already included at least five other defenders.

Chelsea’s approach isn’t a secret: they’ll attack, their wingers will be prominent and Cole Palmer’s creativity is back on the table too – it might be a mismatch in that area of the pitch.

Recent form

How optimistic should Magpies fans be? Eight wins from nine at home, or three wins from their last seven overall? Chelsea have won back-to-back games after a four-match winless streak but have been fairly impressive across the board.

Team news

Dan Burn, Jamaal Lascelles, Emil Krafth, Kieran Trippier and Sven Botman are all out for Newcastle, plus Pope and Livramento – and Lewis Hall is a doubt too. Lewis Miley might get pressed into action at full-back.

For Chelsea it’s Roméo Lavia, Estêvão, Liam Delap and Levi Colwill who are notable absentees.

Key player

If Chelsea are to make their attacking superiority count, they first need to match-up to the hosts’ midfield combative nature. That means Moisés Caicedo has to be at the top of his game – which is a very high ceiling. He ranks above 86% of central midfielders for defensive contributions and his all-round style is highlighted by per-90 Premier League stats this term: above 86% for touches, 90% for tackles, 88% for pass success, 97% for interceptions and, with 3 goals, 90% there too.

Prediction

Hard to see Newcastle keeping out an attack-minded Chelsea side given the limitations at the back Eddie Howe is facing: Newcastle 1-2 Chelsea.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the Premier League with FotMob this season – featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Dec

2025

Preview: Real Madrid take on Sevilla at the Bernabéu

Real Madrid play host to Sevilla in LaLiga on Saturday evening as they look to make it back-to-back league wins for the first time since the start of November.

By Ross Kilvington

Real Madrid bounced back last weekend

Prior to their LaLiga clash against Alavés last weekend, Real were on a dismal run of form domestically.

Indeed, Xabi Alonso’s men had sealed just one league win across their previous five games, drawing three and losing one.

That defeat to Celta Vigo appeared to be the nadir for Alonso, with Real having two men sent off during the match.

A 2-1 loss to Manchester City in the Champions League followed and it looked as though it was a case of when, rather than if, Alonso would be sacked.

Los Blancos returned to winning ways against Alavés last Sunday, sealing a routine 2-0 victory. Furthermore, the club secured passage into the next round of the Copa del Rey, despite an impressive fightback from third tier side Talavera.

Barcelona now lead the way in the standings by four points, but a win over Sevilla on Saturday evening will cut that gap to just a solitary point.

Sevilla aiming to seal first win at the Bernabeu since 2008

It has been nearly 17 years to the day since Sevilla last won away at Real Madrid. Since that 4-3 win in LaLiga, the club have secured just one draw in their subsequent 16 league matches in Madrid.

They currently occupy ninth place in the league table, although Sevilla have won just six matches this season.

The club were knocked out of the Copa del Rey in midweek, to Alavés coincidentally, but they did secure all three points last weekend courtesy of a 4-0 thrashing of Real Oviedo at home.

With Real not in the best of form at the moment, this match represents an ideal opportunity for the club to end their Bernabéu hoodoo and move up the table in the process.

Team news

Alonso’s injury crisis is alleviating, but he will still be without Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dani Carvajal, Ferland Mendy and Éder Militão due to injury.

Brahim Díaz is on Africa Cup of Nations duty with Morocco, while Endrick and Álvaro Carreras are both suspended for the clash.

The likes of David Alaba, Eduardo Camavinga, Raul Asencio, Antonio Rüdiger and Federico Valverde are doubts for the game.

Akor Adams and Chidera Ejuke will be both on AFCON duty, while Kike Salas, Marcão, Rubén Vargas, Tanguy Nianzou, Ørjan Nyland and César Azpilicueta will all be absent for the away side ahead of the trip to Madrid.

Prediction

Real may have won their previous two matches, but they have been far from convincing, especially when conceding twice against a team from the third tier in midweek.

Despite that, the chance to reduce Barcelona’s lead at the top to just a single point will be all the motivation Alonso and his men need this Saturday: Real Madrid 1-0 Sevilla.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow all the games from LaLiga on FotMob in the 2025/26 season – with in-depth stat coverage, including xG, shot maps, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Dec

2025

Preview: Paris Saint-Germain face Flamengo in Intercontinental Cup showdown

Paris Saint-Germain will make their FIFA Intercontinental Cup debut as they take on South American champions Flamengo in the final.

By Neel Shelat

PSG’s second shot at an intercontinental trophy

Following their first-ever UEFA Champions League triumph, Paris Saint-Germain have featured in two FIFA competitions this year. The first was the inaugural edition of the Club World Cup, in which they finished as runners-up after losing the final to Chelsea.

*July’s Club World Cup Final defeat for PSG*

Now, the Intercontinental Cup – the successor to the old Club World Cup played just by the winners of each federation’s premier club cup competition – will afford them a second opportunity to become world champions of some sort. The new format of the competition grants the European entrants a direct spot in the final, so this will be PSG’s only game of the tournament in Qatar.

Flamengo looking to cap off a fantastic year

Brazilian giants Flamengo will be fighting for their fifth trophy of the year to cap off one of the most successful seasons in their history.

Mengão started off with a couple of relatively smaller titles in the Supercopa and Campeonato Carioca, their state championship. As the season heated up, they found themselves competing on all fronts besides going on a tour of the United States for the Club World Cup, in which they advanced to the knockouts. They fell short in the Brazilian cup, but went the distance in both the league and Copa Libertadores to lift their fourth continental crown and second such double.

Flamengo had enjoyed a similarly trophy-laden season in 2019 when they also got to the Club World Cup final in Doha, but then lost out to Liverpool in extra time. They will be hoping to go one better this time around and lift their second intercontinental title.

Will fatigue catch up with Flamengo?

Although Paris Saint-Germain have had UEFA Champions League commitments and are not leading the way in Ligue 1 at the moment, they have been able to take things relatively easy and regularly rest their star players so far this season. Flamengo, on the other hand, have had no such luxuries as they are in the busiest and most stressful part of their season.

This will be Filipe Luís’ side’s 10th match in the last month as they have been involved in a frantic end to the league season, the Copa Libertadores final, and two rounds of the Intercontinental Cup over the last week.

Historical record firmly favouring PSG

The old Intercontinental Cup – which ran from 1960 to 2004 and pitted the European and South American champions against each other in a two-legged decider – was an incredibly evenly-matched affair. There was almost nothing to separate the two confederations in the end, as the CONMEBOL sides edged it 23-22.

The subsequent Club World Cup, though, very quickly became a one-sided affair. Brazilian sides did win the first three editions of the tournament, but since 2007, Corinthians in 2012 are the only outlier in an otherwise spotless record for the UEFA representatives.

Prediction

Flamengo are quite deservedly the best team in South America as they have a collection of experienced internationals and are well-coached by a relatively young but already vastly experienced Luís, who will surely be a wanted man after his stellar 2025, but PSG have to be considered clear favourites.

The Parisians will only be without Achraf Hakimi, so a near-full-strength XI should get them over the line comfortably enough.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the FIFA Intercontinental Cup with FotMob this season – featuring deep stats coverage, xG, physical metrics, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Dec

2025

Preview: Man City face Brentford in Carabao Cup quarterfinal

Manchester City are fighting on multiple fronts and can take another step towards Carabao Cup glory by beating Brentford on Wednesday.

By Graham Ruthven

City coming together

After a transitional year or so, there is a growing sense that Manchester City are finally starting to settle into a new identity. Things are coming together.

Sunday’s 3-0 away win over Crystal Palace might have slightly flattered Pep Guardiola’s team, but it was proof of the momentum City have built, winning each of their last five matches in all competitions.

The Carabao Cup isn’t Manchester City’s top priority this season. Nonetheless, Wednesday’s quarter-final against Brentford is a chance to take another step towards silverware.

Despite establishing themselves at Premier League level, Brentford have never won a major piece of silverware in their history.

This season’s Carabao Cup could be an opportunity for the Bees to change this and so Keith Andrews might place more importance on Wednesday’s quarter-final than his opposite number.

Manchester City are unbeaten in their last five meetings with Brentford in all competitions. They are firm favourites to extend that unbeaten run to six fixtures.

This, however, could be a tactical match-up that benefits Brentford. They could expose the hosts in transition and capitalise on their relative lack of physicality at the back.

Key players

Guardiola could rotate his team ahead of the busy Christmas period, meaning Erling Haaland might be in line for a place on the bench against Brentford on Wednesday.

Savinho is expected to start for Manchester City, giving the hosts a threat in quick transition. The Brazilian was productive off the bench against Crystal Palace, winning the penalty kick that led to City’s third goal.

Phil Foden could also be rested by Guardiola. Jérémy Doku, however, could keep his place in the City starting lineup while Oscar Bobb may make his third start in this season’s Carabao Cup.

Igor Thiago has been something of a revelation for Brentford this season, scoring 12 goals in all competitions. The Brazilian centre forward will be a physical threat and an attacking focal point for the Bees to play off.

Jordan Henderson scored his first Brentford goal against Leeds United on Sunday. The midfielder has created more Big Chances than any of his teammates this season and will be a key figure in Wednesday’s cup quarter-final.

Michael Kayode’s long throws will put the Manchester City backline under pressure while Rico Henry’s surging runs down the left side could expose the space in behind Rico Lewis.

Team news

Mateo Kovačić and Rodri are sidelined for Manchester City, leaving Guardiola short of options in central midfield. This will likely see Nico González and Tijani Reijnders start in the middle of the pitch.

Omar Marmoush is also unavailable for City with the Egyptian forward on international duty at the Africa Cup of Nations this month.

Frank Onyeka and Dango Outtara are similarly at AFCON with their respective national teams while Fábio Carvalho is a long-term absentee as he recovers from a serious ACL injury.

Prediction

City have some serious pedigree in this competition – lifting the trophy in four consecutive seasons up to 2021 – so will likely be out to ruin Brentford’s big day: Man City 2-1 Brentford.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the Carabao Cup (aka EFL Cup) with FotMob – featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Dec

2025

Preview: The League Cup quarterfinals start as Chelsea head to Cardiff

Chelsea travel to League One leaders Cardiff City for their Carabao Cup quarter final, the first time these two sides have faced off since their Premier League meeting back in 2019. Both clubs have gone through a lot since then.

By Alex Roberts

Enzo Maresca’s side weren’t at their best in the last round, making it more complicated than it should have been and needing young winger Jamie Gittens to bail them out in their 4-3 win over Premier League strugglers Wolves.

Cardiff, on the other hand, got the better of Wrexham, beating their Welsh rivals 2-1 on the night and breaking the hearts of anyone who’s still catching up via the medium of the next Welcome to Wrexham series in a year’s time.

Rotation, rotation, rotation

It’s the name of the game for Chelsea at the moment, and the absolute bane for my fantasy team. We never really know what line-up Maresca is going to put out, and it’s hard to tell whether that’s a good thing or not.

The results against Leeds and Atalanta are definitely in the con column, but having the ability and wherewithal to be able to rest the likes of injury prone duo Reece James and Wesley Fofana when needed is certainly a pro.

Maresca has several young stars that could get a chance here. Gittens, Josh Acheampong, Tyrique George, and Marc Guiu are all pushing to start, while academy stars Reggie Walsh and Shumaira Mheuka could get chances. We’ll just have to wait and see.

Remember Calum Chambers?

Once one of Arsenal’s great young hopes, signed from Southampton for a reported fee of around £16 million back in 2014, the defender now finds himself at Cardiff, and he could offer some valuable experience against Chelsea.

Chambers starred, alongside William Fish, at the heart of Cardiff’s defence in the win over Wrexham, ending his game having made four clearances, four recoveries, and winning six of his nine aerial duels.

No matter who Chelsea play, Chambers will undoubtedly be in for a busy evening. The most important thing for the former Arsenal man is to be a calm presence for Cardiff’s inexperienced yet dynamic back line.

Team news

There will be plenty of changes for Chelsea with Maresca likely to rest some of his key players in the midst of the hectic festive period. Along with the names we already mentioned, Jorrel Hato could finally be given a chance to redeem himself after a calamitous first half display against Qarabag.

Maresca has all but confirmed that star man Cole Palmer won’t feature as Chelsea continue to manager his minutes. The same could be said for James.

Chelsea will definitely be without Levi Colwill (knee), Liam Delap (shoulder), and Roméo Lavia (thigh).

Cardiff pleaded with Chelsea to allow loan star Omari Kellyman to play, but their request was duly turned down by the Premier League giants, which feels a little harsh.

To make matters worse, Brian Barry-Murphy’s side will also be without star man Rubin Colwill, who isn’t expected to return to action until February with an ankle injury. Gabriel Osho (toe) and Ollie Tanner (ankle) will also miss the game.

Prediction

Cardiff don’t have anything to lose here, and that always makes a lower league opposition dangerous. Still, we think Chelsea will get through with a relatively comfortable 2-0 win.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the Carabao Cup (aka EFL Cup) with FotMob this season — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Dec

2025

Preview: In-form Manchester United welcome Bournemouth to Old Trafford

Manchester United have the chance to move up the Premier League table on Monday evening as they host a Bournemouth side who have not won in six games.

By Ross Kilvington

Ruben Amorim eyes Champions League places

Amorim looks to have turned a corner at the helm of the Red Devils, although there are still the odd moments of inconsistency that plague the side.

Impressive wins over Liverpool and Brighton were followed by disappointing draws with Nottingham Forest and Tottenham. Even Everton managed to get in on the party, winning at Old Trafford for the first time since 2013.

Since then, the club have defeated Crystal Palace and Wolves, with a draw against West Ham sandwiched in between.

Things clicked at Molineux. United managed 27 shots throughout the match, creating eight big chances in the process.

Bruno Fernandes was superb, registering three goal contributions, creating five big chances and playing 12 passes into the final third.

He thrived playing behind Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha and Amorim will be looking for more of the same against the Cherries.

Another performance like the one on display at Molineux and Man United will be right in the hunt for a Champions League spot next term.

Bournemouth are in freefall

After a decent start to the Premier League season, Andoni Iraola’s men have been in freefall recently.

The Cherries’ last win came against Forest on October 26. Across their six subsequent fixtures, they have scored just five times, conceding 13 goals in the process.

This run of two points from 18 has seen them plummet down the league table. Indeed, at the time of writing, Iraola’s men currently sit 15^th, albeit seven points clear of 18^th placed West Ham.

Bournemouth can perhaps take solace in the fact they have a wonderful record when playing United at Old Trafford in December.

Last year, the Cherries sealed a sublime 3-0 win and this came 12 months on from a 3-0 win at the Theatre of Dreams in the 2023/24 season.

Lighting couldn’t strike three times, could it?

Team news

Amorim will have plenty on his mind ahead of the tie regarding team selection. Three of his players – Mbeumo, Amad and Noussair Mazraoui – will leave this week to participate in the Africa Cup of Nations.

The manager is keeping their availability under wraps, however, with FIFA setting a date of Monday 15 December to release players for the tournament.

Elsewhere, Matthijs de Ligt and Harry Maguire remain absent, while Benjamin Šeško is recovering from a bout of food poisoning and might not make the squad.

Iraola will be missing Ryan Christie, Matai Akinmboni and Ben Gannon Doak due to injury, with Lewis Cook suspended for the clash.

Prediction

The home side might come into this clash missing several key players, but Amorim will be feeling positive after dominant 4-1 win over Wolves last week.

Despite the Cherries enjoying a couple of excellent results at Old Trafford in recent seasons, the Red Devils will enact their revenge on Monday evening.

Prediction: Manchester United 2-1 Bournemouth.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow all the games from the Premier League on FotMob in the 2025/26 season – with in-depth stat coverage, including xG, shot maps, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Dec

2025

Preview: Sean Dyche’s Forest face Spurs at the City Ground

Can Tottenham Hotspur continue their mini-resurgence away to a Nottingham Forest team trying to build some momentum of their own?

By Graham Ruthven

Resurgent rivals

Back-to-back victories over Brentford and Slavia Prague have given Tottenham Hotspur and their embattled manager Thomas Frank some much-needed respite from the crushing pressure that had started to build.

Sitting a lowly 11th in the Premier League table, Spurs are still a long way from where they want to be, but there have at least been some green shoots of progress in their recent performances.

The same could be said of Nottingham Forest. Despite last week’s disappointing 3-0 loss to Everton, Sean Dyche’s side have won four of their last seven games, taking them out of the bottom three.

While Forest are heading in the right direction under Dyche, they were still only two points above the drop zone heading in to the weekend and can’t take anything for granted. They require points on the board.

Spurs boast the joint-second best away record in the Premier League this season. This game could be a positive tactical match-up for Frank’s team as they aim to make it three wins in-a-row.

Key players

Elliot Anderson has continued his incredible development this season and will be a controlling influence for Nottingham Forest in the centre of the pitch this weekend.

The England international is averaging more average passes per 90 minutes than any other Forest player this season and has also created 25 chances, underlining his importance to Dyche’s team.

Ahead of Anderson, Morgan Gibbs-White is another top-level player capable of imposing himself on the strongest opponents, accruing a team-high 3.1 Expected Goals (xG) so far this campaign.

For Tottenham, Xavi Simons is the attacking midfielder capable of breaking open a game. After a slow start to life at his new club, the Netherlands international has found some form, scoring in each of his last two games.

Richarlison will lead the line for the visitors to the City Ground. The Brazilian forward is Spurs’ top scorer this season, netting six times. He will physically match up against Nikola Milenković and Morato.

Mohamed Kudus has been Tottenham’s most creative player this season, generating three Big Chances in the Premier League. The Ghanian will be a threat down the right wing.

Team news

Forest captain Ryan Yates is set for a period on the sidelines after suffering an injury in last week’s defeat to Everton meanwhile Matz Sals is recovering from a minor groin problem.

Chris Wood remains out of action with a knee issue meaning Igor Jesus is likely to lead the line for the home team at the City Ground. Ola Aina and Taiwo Awoniyi are also unavailable for Forest.

Spurs have their own injury troubles with James Maddison, Dominic Solanke, Dejan Kulusevski, Yves Bissouma and Destiny Udogie all currently sidelined when they otherwise would be first team figures.

However, Brennan Johnson could return to the fold after missing the mid-week win over Slavia Prague in the Champions League through injury.

Prediction

With both teams in relatively good form and coming off a long week where both featured in European ties, there might not be a lot to split them. A score draw could be on the horizon: Nottingham Forest 1-1 Tottenham Hotspur.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the 2025/26 Premier League season with FotMob – featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Dec

2025

Preview: Palace look to relive the highs against City

The games are starting to come thick and fast for the Premier League clubs as we enter the festive period, but the fixtures won’t be getting any easier.

By Neel Shelat

Crystal Palace’s precarious position in the top four

Crystal Palace have shot up into the top four after winning three of their last four league games, but their position was far from comfortable heading in to the weekend (written ahead of Saturday’s games).

Palace will have to do their very best just to stay in the Champions League spots for the next month, as they will face both Arsenal and Spurs around Christmas before going on to meet Newcastle and Aston Villa in the first week of the new year.

Manchester City’s decade of dominance at Selhurst Park

Palace’s daunting challenge in the last FA Cup final was made all the more difficult by the fact that they had not beaten Manchester City in any of their previous seven meetings. Better yet, that win was the first time in a decade that the Eagles defeated City in London.

Of course, that means that the 10-time English champions still have ongoing unbeaten streaks in the league. They have won seven and drawn the remaining three of their last 10 visits to Selhurst Park, last losing in 2014/15.

Depleted right wing for the Eagles

One of the main concerns for Crystal Palace going into the season was their lack of quality squad depth, especially since they were to navigate a European campaign alongside their domestic commitments. They certainly are starting to feel the effects of that as we enter the festive period.

Ismaïla Sarr picked up an ankle injury against Manchester United and has been out for the last two weeks. He might return to fitness soon, but will likely remain unavailable as Senegal are expected to call him up for the Africa Cup of Nations. Oliver Glasner recently confirmed that Daniel Muñoz is set to undergo knee surgery, forcing him to field a second-choice right wing pairing of Nathaniel Clyne and Eddie Nketiah. Striker Jean-Philippe Mateta was also absent for the midweek UEFA Conference League match against Shelbourne, but that was said to be more of a precautionary measure.

City’s supporting cast finally starting to fire

Maxime Estève had been Manchester City’s second top-scorer behind Erling Haaland for a large chunk of the season so far due to his two own goals for Burnley. That finally changed at the end of November with Phil Foden’s brace against Leeds United.

Since then, Haaland has only scored a couple of goals while the rest of his teammates have netted nine times. Foden has been the most prolific with five goals in the last three league games, while Rayan Cherki is starting to show the best of his creative talents with three assists in those matches.

*Leading goal contributions for City in the Premier League*

Prediction

Although Manchester City’s defensive solidity has been inconsistent, their attack can easily become too hot to handle for most sides. So, they could well come away with something like a 2-1 win in London.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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