A familiar face will be in the opposition dugout on Boxing Day when Ange Postecoglou's Tottenham travel to Nottingham Forest. The East Midlands club have made a fantastic start to the 2024/25 campaign and currently occupy the final Champions League position.
A season in which they were tipped to struggle towards the bottom of the Premier League table, former Spurs boss Nuno Espirito Santo has produced an incredible job at the City Ground to leave Forest fans dreaming of a possible European return. Winning their last three games and recording some notable scalps along the way after defeating Manchester United and Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest will want to make it four on the trot by getting the better of Tottenham.
Spurs were on the losing side last Sunday after falling to a 6-3 defeat at home to Liverpool in what was another crazy game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Showcasing how dangerous they can be in attack and also their defensive fragilities, the north London club need to bounce back with three points to keep within touching distance of those above them in the standings.
So how exactly will Tottenham line up at the City Ground in the 3pm kick-off on Boxing Day? Our football.london reporters have named their teams below.
Alasdair Gold - Tottenham Hotspur correspondent
Postecoglou has a Christmas gift in the shape of a couple of fresh players returning to the fold in Rodrigo Bentancur and Destiny Udogie. Udogie's return could mean that Pedro Porro - who has played the most minutes of any Spurs players this season - gets a rest this time and Djed Spence switches sides back to the right to play against the club he spend a successful loan season at.
With Bentancur back from suspension, the Australian must choose between bringing the Uruguayan straight back in and if so whether Yves Bissouma, Pape Matar Sarr or James Maddison drops out.
Brennan Johnson could also come into the side to provide some fresh attacking legs and it may be a decision between Son Heung-min and Dominic Solanke and who gets the rest this time unless Dejan Kulusevski steps back into the midfield.
Gold's team: Forster; Spence, Dragusin, Gray, Udogie; Sarr, Bentancur, Maddison; Kulusevski, Solanke, Johnson.
Rob Guest - Football writer
Ange Postecoglou really needs to give his team some fresh legs after electing against making changes for last Sunday's game against Liverpool. Tottenham will be boosted by the return of Rodrigo Bentancur for this match following his seven-match domestic ban and Destiny Udogie should hopefully be in a position to play after watching on from the bench against Liverpool.
The duo immediately come into the team, with Udogie taking the place of Pedro Porro as Djed Spence switches from left-back to right-back. Bentancur then comes in at the base of Tottenham's midfield in place of Yves Bissouma.
Brennan Johnson has started the past three games on the bench but he should return to the XI as he is nice and fresh. Son Heung-min is the man to miss out in place of the winger as the Spurs captain offered very little against Liverpool and players such as James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski need to remain in the side given their form.
Guest's team: Forster; Spence, Dragusin, Gray, Udogie; Bentancur, Sarr, Maddison; Kulusevski, Solanke, Johnson.
Lee Wilmot - Head of Football
It's hard to pick a team from players in top form, but it's also hard to pick from players available to Ange Postecoglou!
Fraser Forster starts in goal with Pedro Porro at right-back and Radu Dragusin and Archie Gray as the only choices at centre-back. I'd probably give Destiny Udogie the nod at left-back, but that's no slight on what Djed Spence has done, I'd just like to manage his minutes.
In midfield it will be good to have Rodrigo Bentancur back, he plays alongside Pape Matar Sarr for me and then James Maddison.
Dejan Kulusevski and Son Heung-min play either side of Dominic Solanke, as much as I think Son should perhaps be taken out of the team in place of Brennan Johnson, it's just not going to happen.
Wilmot's team: Forster; Porro, Dragusin, Gray, Udogie; Sarr, Bentancur, Maddison; Kulusevski, Solanke, Son.
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