Spurs Face Palace With Relegation Fears Looming as Tudor's Honeymoon Ends

The spectre of relegation has crept uncomfortably close to Tottenham as they prepare to welcome Crystal Palace to N17 on Thursday evening. It's a grim reality that seemed unthinkable just weeks ago.

Igor Tudor's appointment last month has failed to spark any immediate revival. His opening two fixtures have yielded a 4-1 home hammering by Arsenal and a 2-1 reverse at Fulham—hardly the stuff of managerial honeymoons. The Lilywhites remain the sole Premier League outfit without a victory in 2026, languishing in 16th place and precariously positioned just two points clear of the drop zone following West Ham's weekend win at Craven Cottage.

Tottenham's last league triumph came when they edged Palace 1-0 at Selhurst Park, with Archie Gray grabbing the decisive moment. That fixture now feels like a distant memory.

The visitors, by contrast, have experienced something of a resurgence. Whilst they were mired in a 12-game winless drought when they lost to Spurs, they've since won three of their last six matches across all competitions. They even led away at Old Trafford last time out, though a red card ultimately worked in Manchester United's favour during a 2-1 defeat.

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Spurs' injury list reads like a casualty ward. Pedro Porro and Kevin Danso have recently returned to fitness, but Djed Spence misses out with a minor calf problem, potentially handing Souza his first start since his £13million arrival from Santos in January. Cristian Romero remains suspended, serving the final match of his four-game ban. Udogie, Bentancur, Kudus and Bergvall are all sidelined, whilst Davies, Kulusevski, Maddison and Odobert appear unlikely to feature again this season.

Palace's Maxence Lacroix serves a one-match suspension following his red card at Old Trafford, with Chadi Riad stepping in. Jefferson Lerma hasn't recovered sufficiently to start but should feature on the bench. Jean-Philippe Mateta returns to training next week after his January move to AC Milan fell through due to injury, though Cheick Doucoure remains unavailable. Eddie Nketiah won't return until April, leaving Jorgen Strand Larsen as Palace's only fully fit striker.

Brennan Johnson, the man who netted the Europa League final winner for Spurs last season, is expected to make his return to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in Palace colours.

The Numbers Tell a Troubling Story

Tottenham have now stretched their Premier League winless run to ten games—equalling their longest such streak in the competition's history. At home, they've won just once in their last 13 league matches, that solitary victory coming against Brentford in December. Their recent record in home London derbies is particularly damning: six defeats in seven, including four of five this season—already their worst haul in a single campaign.

Spurs have also failed to win any of their last 12 midweek Premier League fixtures, with their last such victory coming against Brentford in January 2024.

Palace, meanwhile, have constructed an impressive away record in London derbies recently, losing just one of their last nine such trips—a 1-0 defeat at Arsenal last October. They've also won two of their last three visits to this ground, including a 2-0 triumph last season after a nine-year streak of away defeats at Tottenham.

Interestingly, Oliver Glasner's Palace have a perfect record against Igor Tudor's previous employers—Eintracht Frankfurt beat Marseille home and away in the Champions League group stage during 2022-23.

Spurs' Thursday evening curse continues: they're winless in their last 12 midweek Premier League outings. Thursday fixtures have produced a diet of draws and stalemates this season, with the previous seven Thursday matches yielding three 1-1 results and four goalless affairs.

Johnson has rediscovered some form at Palace after a stuttering start, recording assists in each of his last two appearances. One curious stat: Conor Gallagher has scored more Premier League goals against Palace than any other opponent, netting four against his former loan club.

What to Expect

This shapes up as a genuine lottery. Both sides carry compelling reasons for optimism, though Tottenham's current malaise suggests they'll be vulnerable. Spurs have conceded first in six of their last seven league games—a concerning habit. Palace showed they can strike early, opening the scoring within five minutes at Old Trafford.

A draw would consign Tottenham to an unwanted club record of 11 consecutive Premier League games without victory. Low-scoring encounters have been the pattern for Palace this season, with under 2.5 goals hitting in 15 of their 28 league matches so far.

Kick-off: 20:00 GMT Thursday, March 5 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. TNT Sports 1 will broadcast from 19:00, with BBC Radio 5 Live providing commentary.