Only seven games to play for and all seven are of huge importance for Tottenham who are languishing 17th and trying to avoid relegation.
On Sunday, Tottenham head to Sunderland, who have been highly impressive this season and are almost certain to stay up after coming to the Premier League this season.
One team is trying to finish in the top half while the other desperately needs three points. Here’s everything you need to know about the match.
How to watch
The match will be broadcast on Sky Sports in the UK, NBC in the U.S., JioHotstar in India and Stan Sport in Australia. You can also follow ESPN’s live coverage here.
Key Details
Kick-off time: Sunday, April 12, at 2 p.m. BST (9 a.m. ET; 6:30 p.m. IST; and 11 p.m. AEST)
Venue: Stadium of Light, Sunderland
Referee: Rob Jones
VAR: James Bell
Injury News
Sunderland
Robin Roefs – hamstring injury, DOUBT
Danny Ballard – hamstring injury, DOUBT
Bertrand Traoré – knee injury, OUT
Jocelin Ta Bi – knock, OUT
Romaine Mundle – hamstring injury, OUT
Tottenham
Yves Bissouma – muscle injury, DOUBT
Ben Davies – ankle injury, OUT
Dejan Kulusevski – knee injury, OUT
James Maddison – ACL, OUT
Rodrigo Bentancur – hamstring, OUT
Mohammed Kudus – muscle injury, OUT
Wilson Odobert – ACL, OUT
Mathys Tel – fitness, DOUBT
Pape Matar Sarr – shoulder injury, DOUBT
Talking Points
De Zerbi takes charge and his first objective is clear
Spurs have a new head coach in Roberto De Zerbi who is on a five-year deal with long-term ambitions. However, his first task is pretty clear cut. Avoid relegation at all costs. And he has seven matches to do that.
Seven matches are still a handful, and anything is possible in this league, be it about the relegation battle or the title race. De Zerbi, though, knows that there is barely any scope for more losses. Spurs are 17th at the moment after 31 matches, just one above West Ham who could move out of the relegation zone if they beat Wolves later on Saturday, putting more pressure on the new head coach.
After a week with his new squad, De Zerbi will be keen to see his methods play out on the field. More importantly though, the present moment is not about style but about getting the win. Playing Sunderland away from home is a difficult prospect and De Zerbi cannot afford more losses.
How will De Zerbi line up the team?
Tottenham’s season has been ravaged by injuries, with the latest one being Mohammed Kudus, who was already missing since January, suffering a fresh injury scare that might rule him out for the rest of the season. There are also doubts about the fitness of Mathys Tel, Guglielmo Vicario and Pape Matar Sarr.
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De Zerbi’s preferred formation is 4-2-3-1. In absence of Vicario, Antonín Kinsky will play for the first time since his 17th-minute substitution in the Champions League game against Atlético Madrid. Pedro Porro, Cristian Romero, Micky Van de Ven and Destiny Udogie could be the four at the back with Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray, who has been in good form, being the two midfielders. Xavi Simmons could play a big role under De Zerbi as a 10 instead of a winger. If Tel can’t make it, Randal Kolo Muani could start from right and Richarlison on the other wing with Dominic Solanke being the lone striker up front.
Sunderland need their home form back
One of the biggest strengths of Sunderland this season has been their home form. After getting promoted, they started the Premier League season with 12 games unbeaten at the Stadium of Light. They made their home stadium a fortress where even teams like Arsenal and Manchester City suffered.
That home dominance though fell apart in February. They suffered defeats against Liverpool, Fulham and Brighton which has pushed them to 11th in the standings. After Spurs, they have a few more tough fixtures at home against the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea. Sunderland would love to secure the points against Spurs and get the home form back so they can push to play in European competitions next season.
Xhaka outstanding, but other players also deserve credit
No doubt Grant Xhaka is one of the signings of the season. The experienced midfielder came in, instantly adding a layer of physicality in the midfield as well as helping with his creativity on the ball. Xhaka’s transfer has been influential but Sunderland is no one man team.
The likes of Noah Sadiki, Brian Brobbey, Omar Alderete, Nordi Mukiele and Robin Roefs came in during the summer and have been consistently solid. It’s true that Sunderland spent money to overhaul the squad after getting promoted, but the money has been spent well.
Then there are the likes of Luke O’Nien, Trai Hume, and Dan Ballard who have been with the club for a few years and have upped their levels to match the standards in the Premier League. A big credit should also go to head coach Régis Le Bris for moulding the team to suit the Premier League’s high demands.
Unlike in the past few seasons where we’ve seen promoted sides going straight back down, Sunderland are here to stay. With seven games to go, they will aim to finish as high as possible.
What do the numbers say?
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Tottenham are unbeaten in their last 15 Premier League games against Sunderland (W10, D5) since a 3-1 loss in April 2010.
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Tottenham remain winless in 13 Premier League games (D5, L8). Only once in their league history have they had a longer run without victory –16 matches from December 1934 to April 1935.
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Chemsdine Talbi has scored four Premier League goals this season. Only player to score more while aged 20 or younger in a single campaign in the competition for Sunderland is Danny Welbeck in 2010-11 (6).
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Sunderland have won two of their last three Premier League games (L1), as many as their previous 12 beforehand (W2, D5, L5), and could win back-to-back league matches for only the second time this season, last doing so in October.
