Tottenham Hotpur vs Crystal Palace – Premier League Match Preview

The Lilywhites will turn their focus to the Premier League yet again, but their heads will be in Bilbao; Tottenham Hotspur are set to host Oliver Glasner’s Crystal Palace this Sunday in what will be the penultimate home game of what has been a difficult domestic season for the North Londoners. The hosts come into the game on a high given their 5-1 (on aggregate) triumph over Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League on Thursday, where they booked their place in the UEL finals to be held on 21 May at Bilbao.

And with Ange Postecoglou’s side set to face Manchester United for European glory in a couple of weeks, the Australian head coach will be looking to slowly start building momentum for the much-awaited game, which is why Tottenham may not take tomorrow’s game against the Eagles quite seriously despite being in 16th place in the English top tier table.

The Lilywhites have been on the losing side in 19 of the 35 played games in the ongoing campaign (so far), which has seen many raise eyebrows surrounding Ange Postecoglou’s credentials to lead Tottenham, irrespective of how the upcoming UEL finals go. And their languishing place means the only hope that the North Londoners have of a European qualification next season is through going all the way in the Europa League, and that is why we may end up seeing a changed side this weekend.

When & Where?

When: Tomorrow, 11th May 2025

Where: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, North London

Kickoff Time: 2:15 BST

Team News

The hosts will continue to miss Radu Dragusin, who is serving on the sidelines with a long-term ACL injury, while Lucas Bergvall and James Maddison will add to the list of the absentees. Then comes skipper Son Heung-min, who has spent the last weeks in the treatment room, but he is expected to be edging closer to regaining full fitness, but that being said, he will be unlikely to be risked for the Sunday game.

Then coming into the visitors, the Eagles will continue to be without Cheick Doucoure and Chadi Riad alongside Tottenham target Adam Wharton.

Tottenham v Crystal Palace Tactical Preview

While Tottenham (as mentioned above) are likely to rotate the main players and preserve their energy for the Europa League final, the tactical structure going into the game tomorrow should remain consistent; expect the high defensive line with full-backs pushing into midfield and aggressive vertical movements from central zones.

With Pedro Porro and Djed Spence operating in a hybrid underlapping and overlapping full-back role, Ange will try to create a 2-3-5 structure in possession, with Sarr and Gray responsible for controlling tempo in midfield. Kulusevski’s movement into the half-space will be important to link with Solanke, while Odobert and Tel should help with width and bring some sort of directness in the final third.

Crystal Palace under Oliver Glasner are a compact and dynamic side, and they (especially given that they are away from home) will likely sit in a mid-block, try to take in some pressure, and look to exploit transitions using the pace and glides of Sarr and Eze and the power of Mateta up top. The Eagles will try to create overloads in wide areas and target Tottenham’s defensive gaps, especially if Ange leaves too much space behind their high line.

Given Tottenham’s recent defensive instability and heavy-legged performances after midweek fixtures, Palace will look to capitalise with direct runs behind Romero and Danso.

And while this game may not carry much weight in terms of league position for Tottenham, it’s crucial in maintaining rhythm and fitness levels heading into the final in Bilbao, particularly for squad players looking to earn their place in the starting eleven against United on May 21st.

More Tottenham Hotspur News:

• TTLB Opinion: Is Postecoglou the reason behind Maddison’s underwhelming season at Tottenham?
• TTLB Opinion: Tottenham target Branthwaite and Guehi – but who makes more sense?
• TTLB Opinion: Should Tottenham be worried about Van de Ven to Real Madrid or is it all agent talks?

Predicted lineups

Tottenham: Vicario, Porro, Romero, Danso, Spence, Gray, Sarr, Kulusevski, Odobert, Solanke, Tel

Crystal Palace: Henderson, Richards, Lacroix, Guehi, Munoz, Kamada, Hughes, Mitchell, Sarr, Eze, Mateta