Nottingham Forest vs Tottenham: History on the Line

Nottingham Forest head into Saturday’s Premier League clash with Tottenham with momentum, home advantage and, crucially, the better medical bulletin. Spurs arrive bruised, goalless and still patching up key players. The contrast could hardly be sharper.

Oliver Glasner’s side have already taken points off Liverpool and now stand on the brink of a little slice of history. Four straight league wins over Tottenham have turned this once-balanced fixture on its head. Make it five at the City Ground and Forest will set a new club record against Spurs.

The team news only feeds that narrative.

Glasner Gets His Midfield Enforcer – and a Familiar Face

The first boost for Forest comes in the middle of the pitch. Ibrahim Sangaré is back.

The Ivorian missed the 2-2 draw at Anfield with a minor calf issue picked up in training, but he has been cleared to return. For a side that thrives on intensity and control in central areas, his presence restores a key pillar of Glasner’s system.

Then there is Daniel Muñoz.

Signed from Crystal Palace on August 31, the Colombian defender is available for his first Forest appearance. He underwent nose surgery after the 2026 World Cup but can play with a protective mask. The caveat is his fitness: a shortened pre-season means he still needs minutes in his legs. Even so, Glasner has confirmed he is ready to be involved.

This is not a manager guessing on a new signing. Muñoz is a known quantity. The pair worked together at Palace, where they collected the 2025 FA Cup, the Community Shield and the UEFA Conference League. Muñoz’s influence in big moments is already written into that story – he set up the winning goal against Manchester City in the FA Cup final and walked away with the man-of-the-match award.

Forest will not have everyone back, though. Nicolo Savona remains out, still on the comeback trail from the knee injury he suffered in January. The Italian wing-back has rejoined partial training, but the Tottenham fixture comes too soon. Glasner is targeting a full return around the international break.

Even without Savona, the mood around Forest’s squad feels buoyant. Sangaré’s return, Muñoz’s availability and a ferocious home crowd promise a platform. And with Spurs wobbling, that platform suddenly looks like an opportunity.

De Zerbi’s Spurs Still Short, Still Searching

On the other side, Roberto De Zerbi walks into the City Ground with problems he cannot simply coach away.

James Maddison has rejoined training after fracturing his shoulder, but not in time for this weekend. De Zerbi has ruled him out of the trip, stripping Tottenham of their most natural creative hub between the lines.

Dejan Kulusevski is in a similar limbo. The Swede is back in full team training after more than a year out with a serious kneecap injury, yet Spurs are holding him back from competitive action. After such a long layoff, they will not gamble on rushing him into a high-intensity away game.

Wilson Odobert and Xavi Simons are also still sidelined as they work their way back from knee problems. Each absence chips away at De Zerbi’s attacking options and variety, just when Tottenham need invention and goals.

And they badly need both.

Spurs have opened the league campaign with a 3-0 defeat to Brentford and a 2-0 loss to Newcastle. Two games, two defeats, no goals. The numbers are stark, but the historical context is worse. Tottenham have not started a league season with two losses and no goals since 1974-75. They have only once in their history failed to score in their first three league fixtures.

Walk out of the City Ground still goalless and that unwanted record suddenly comes into view.

A Glimmer for Spurs: Sávio Back, New Forwards Ready

The news is not entirely bleak for De Zerbi.

Sávio is back and available after missing the Newcastle defeat with muscle fatigue. His return injects pace and unpredictability into an attack that has looked blunt and short on ideas.

New signings Omar Marmoush and Mathys Tel are also in contention, offering fresh legs and different profiles as Spurs chase their first Premier League goal of the season. De Zerbi at least has the option to reshuffle, to change the angles of his front line, to jolt his side out of their early-season torpor.

Off the pitch, though, another storyline underlines the scale of the rebuild. Richarlison has been left out of Tottenham’s registered Premier League squad and is training separately while the club works on his exit. Saudi Arabia and Turkey are among the possible destinations before their transfer windows close.

For a side already short of established attacking depth, the Brazilian’s impending departure only sharpens the spotlight on those who remain.

History Beckons for Forest, Pressure Mounts on Spurs

Forest have beaten Tottenham in each of their last four Premier League meetings, including victories in December 2025 and March 2026. What once felt like an upset now feels like a pattern.

Saturday offers the chance to turn that pattern into a landmark. Five league wins in a row against Spurs would be a first for Forest. At a packed City Ground, with Sangaré back, Muñoz ready to step in and De Zerbi’s side still trying to locate their first goal, the opportunity is there.

The question is simple: will this be the day Forest write a new chapter in this fixture, or the afternoon Spurs finally wake up and tear up the script?