Nottingham Forest vs Tottenham Hotspur kicks off on 5 Sept 2026 at 10:00 EST and 15:00 GMT.
Big-spending Spurs still need to get going
Tottenham narrowly avoided the dreaded drop last season, but despite massive expenditure this summer, they've started with two losses from two matches. Can they get a result at the City Ground against Nottingham Forest? Despite an outlay of over 350m, Spurs have started the campaign with two defeats against Brentford and Newcastle, and they've not yet troubled the scorers.
Getty ImagesForest experiencing teething problems
Also under the tutelage of a new boss, Forest are still adapting to Oliver Glasner's 3421 formation. They did, however, manage a 2-2 draw at Liverpool last time out after leading twice. Glasner will need to address their home form, considering they've lost both matches this season at the City ground, both to Leeds United, once in the league and the other in the EFL Cup.
Getty ImagesTeam news & key stats
- None of the last 10 meetings between these sides has ended in a draw.
- Tottenham is yet to score a Premier League goal, their worst start to a top-flight season since 1974.
- New Forest signing Daniel Munoz has won more tackles than any other Premier League defender since February 2024.
Players to watch
Forest talisman Morgan Gibbs-White has 13 EPL goals this calendar year, more than any other player. He scored against Liverpool at Anfield. Big-money signing Liam Delap will be hoping for a first start at Forest following his move from Chelsea.
Getty ImagesSpurs have signed controversial winger Mykhailo Mudryk on loan from Chelsea. Whether or not the Ukrainian is involved here remains to be seen, but new midfielders Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes will surely start and aim to build some chemistry following transfers from Newcastle and West Ham respectively.
Getty ImagesLikely XIs
Forest (3421): Sels; Cunha; Milenkovic, Murillo; Aina, Schlager, McAtee, Williams; Gibbs-White, Ndoye; Igor Jesus.
Spurs (4231): Kinsky; Gray, Van Hecke, Van de Ven, Robertson; Bentancur, Tonali; Porro, Fernandes, Tel; Marmoush.
Team news & squads
Nottingham Forest vs Tottenham Hotspur Probable lineups
Oliver Glasner is without defender Nicolo Savona and midfielder Ibrahim Sangare through injury ahead of this fixture. No suspensions are listed for the hosts, and no probable lineup has been confirmed at this stage. Further updates are expected closer to kick-off.
Roberto De Zerbi faces a lengthier absentee list on the Spurs side. Wilson Odobert, Xavi Simons, and Pape Matar Sarr are all ruled out through injury. No suspensions are recorded for the visitors, and no projected XI has been released. Updates will be added as they become available.
Form
Nottingham Forest have recorded one win, two draws, and two losses across their last five matches in all competitions, though two of those results came in pre-season friendlies. In competitive action, their most recent result was a 2-2 draw at Liverpool in the Premier League, while they suffered back-to-back losses to Leeds United — 1-0 in the league and 2-0 in the Carabao Cup. Forest scored four goals and conceded five across the five-match run.
Tottenham's last five matches tell a similarly mixed story. Their most recent fixture ended in a 2-0 Premier League defeat at home to Newcastle United, and they also lost 3-0 away to Brentford in the league. A 5-1 Carabao Cup win over Charlton Athletic provided some relief, but De Zerbi's side have scored just ten goals across the five games while conceding eight, with their two competitive losses both coming by multiple-goal margins.
Head-to-Head Record
Head to Head
The most recent meeting between these sides took place in March 2026, when Nottingham Forest won 3-0 away at Tottenham in the Premier League. That result followed a 3-0 Forest home victory over Spurs in December 2025, meaning the Reds claimed six goals without reply across those two encounters. Across the last five Premier League meetings, Forest have won four and Tottenham one, with the visitors' sole victory coming in April 2024 when Spurs won 3-1 at home.
Standings
In the current Premier League table, Nottingham Forest sit 15th while Tottenham Hotspur are placed 20th ahead of this fixture.