Here is a look at the road ahead for Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League following Newcastle draw.
As we walk into the month of December, we know that things are about to get intense at Hotspur Way. The festive period in England is one of the most vigorous in European football, with games churning through almost every three or so days. There is hardly any space to rest and have their feet up for the players, and it will be the same for Thomas Frank‘s men in the upcoming weeks as well.
Now we have reached a stage in the season where the Lilywhites won’t have much time to lick their wounds. While the draw against Newcastle ended up stopping the losing run that Tottenham were on of late, this side are still sitting in the mid-table while searching for an identity worthy of their Champions League ambitions.
But now what is more scary is that Tottenham will enter into a sequence of such fixtures which will decide whether this side can still salvage something out of this season or whether the 2025/26 season will slip into something far uglier for the Lilywhites.
If we give the fixture list a quick glance, there is a realisation that strikes in that period from early December to the end of February mean the Lilywhites are effectively locked into a two-games-a-week cycle (except those couple of weeks of League Cup midweek fixtures in December). And this will be coming with games not only in the Premier League but also in the Champions League on either side.
And while the game itself is not improbable, given how thin things are at Hotspur Way, it will be important for Thomas Frank to handle this run well and for Tottenham to haul themselves back towards the top eight and into the Champions League knockouts. But if you get it wrong, suddenly the noise around the head coach will only grow louder.
Tottenham’s Premier League fixtures show an unforgiving winter stretch at Hotspur Way
The tough run of fast games started this month with a midweek draw against Newcastle United at St James’ Park. This will be followed by hosting Brentford at home on December 6, which precludes matchday six of the Champions League league phase in midweek, where Spurs host Slavia Prague. Once Thomas Frank’s men come through that UCL tie, suddenly there is a suffering trip to Nottingham Forest lined up for December 13.
But given how Tottenham are not playing the deep stages of the Carabao Cup this season, there will be two weeks of one Premier League game where Liverpool visit north London on December 20. And the. Frank’s side will travel to Crystal Palace on December 27. Then Tottenham will again face Brentford in the early days of 2026.
For a team that is leaking goals and still finding their offensive form, this will be a testing run of games. If you look at it, there is Forest away in the cold, which is always difficult given how Sean Dyche sets up, and then playing Liverpool at home in front of a restless crowd. There is also an awkward Palace trip there. And then two Brentford meetings.
And then come January and February…
Tottenham host Sunderland just days after that Brentford derby before Frank takes his team to Bournemouth just days later. West Ham will then come to North London, followed by a huge European night against Borussia Dortmund in N17. This will be before a tricky trip to Burnley and followed by one to Germany to face Eintracht Frankfurt. And then to top it off, it will be Manchester City.
It will be those games in the Champions League that will demand a lot out of players. It will not only drain energy but also demand a lot of emotional focus. This will force Frank to make tough calls with every decision on minutes to have a possible knock-on effect on the league form.
And if Europe were not enough, the league calendar will have its own spike of games in terms of difficulty once that New Year run settles down. After Burnley and City, Tottenham will go to Old Trafford to face Manchester United before hosting Newcastle and then take on Arsenal and Fulham in back-to-back London derbies across February.
A Look at Tottenham Hotspur’s upcoming fixtures
6th December: Tottenham Hotspur versus Brentford kick off 15:00
9th December: Tottenham Hotspur versus Slavia Prague kick off 20:00
14th December: Nottingham Forest versus Tottenham Hotspur kick off 14:00
20th December: Tottenham Hotspur versus Liverpool kick off 17:30
28th December: Crystal Palace versus Tottenham Hotspur kick off 16:30
1st January: Brentford versus Tottenham Hotspur kick off 20:00
4th January: Tottenham Hotspur versus Sunderland kick off 15:00
7th January: AFC Bournemouth versus Tottenham Hotspur kick off 19:30
17th January: Tottenham Hotspur versus West Ham United kick off 15:00
20th January: Tottenham Hotspur versus Borussia Dortmund kick off 20:00
24th January: Burnley versus Tottenham Hotspur kick off 15:00
28th January: Eintracht Frankfurt versus Tottenham Hotspur kick off 20:00
1st February: Tottenham Hotspur versus Manchester City kick off 16:30
7th February: Manchester United versus Tottenham Hotspur kick off 15:00
11th February: Tottenham Hotspur versus Newcastle United kick off 20:00
21st February: Tottenham Hotspur versus Arsenal kick off 15:00
Author Opinion
Going into this run of games, Tottenham have to ensure that they put the form from the past few games behind them. Given that this run-in is going to define the season, Thomas Frank needs to find a way to get on the better side of it, especially given the rising pressure on him of late.
Where do you think the Lilywhites will be placed at the end of this upcoming run of fixtures? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
