Tottenham-Forest: Why Nuno Espírito Santo Might Still Haunt Spurs

Sunday afternoon, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Kick-off's set for 6 PM BST. You can catch it on Sky Sports Premier League if you’re in the UK, or stream it via NOW. Simon Hooper's got the whistle. It's a late start for a Sunday, which always feels a bit odd, especially with the sun dipping.

Spurs are coming off a wild 1-1 draw with West Ham, where Brennan Johnson scored early but Kurt Zouma quickly equalized. They haven't exactly been firing on all cylinders lately, winning just one of their last five Premier League matches – that 2-1 comeback against Luton Town on March 30. That's not the kind of form you expect from a team chasing Champions League football. They're sitting fifth, three points behind Aston Villa, though with a game in hand. That gap feels bigger than it looks on paper sometimes.

Forest, on the other hand, just picked up a crucial 3-1 win over Fulham, with Callum Hudson-Odoi, Chris Wood, and Morgan Gibbs-White all finding the net before half-time. That win pushed them three points clear of the relegation zone. They’re still sweating it, though, especially with that four-point deduction for breaching PSR rules. They’ve picked up 11 points from their last seven games, a decent run that includes draws against Crystal Palace and Luton. Nuno Espírito Santo, who, let's not forget, managed Spurs for all of four months in 2021 before getting the sack, has actually done a respectable job steadying the ship at the City Ground.

Injury front for Spurs isn't looking great. Richarlison is out with a knee injury, confirmed by Ange Postecoglou. Manor Solomon and Fraser Forster are long-term absentees, and Ryan Sessegnon’s still sidelined. Defense is where it gets trickier. Micky van de Ven had to come off against West Ham with what looked like an ankle issue, though Postecoglou sounded optimistic it wasn't serious. Pedro Porro also missed the West Ham game with a knock. If Van de Ven isn't fit, Radu Drăgușin steps in, which isn't ideal for a backline that's already conceded 45 goals this season. Only six teams have let in more.

Forest has fewer headaches. Taiwo Awoniyi is still a doubt with his thigh problem, which is a blow given his physicality up top. Willy Boly also missed the Fulham game. But Nuno's got options. Danilo and Ryan Yates have been solid in midfield. Morgan Gibbs-White is pulling the strings, and Chris Wood has chipped in with 11 goals this season, making him their top scorer. He’s proving to be a pretty savvy pickup for a team fighting for survival.

Here’s the thing: Spurs have a habit of making things harder than they need to be against teams fighting for their lives. Remember that 4-2 defeat to Brighton in December? Or the 3-0 loss at Fulham just last month? They struggle against well-organized, counter-attacking sides. Nuno knows how to set up a team to frustrate. He did it at Wolves, and he did it at Spurs for a short while, even if it wasn't pretty. Forest will sit deep, absorb pressure, and look to hit Spurs on the break, especially with the pace of Hudson-Odoi and Elanga.

My hot take? Forest are going to snatch a point here. Spurs will dominate possession, but struggle to break down Nuno's disciplined setup. Expect a frustrating 1-1 draw for the home crowd, leaving Postecoglou with even more questions about his side's mental fortitude in the run-in.