Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou took full responsibility after his side suffered a 2-1 defeat to previously winless Ipswich Town in the Premier League. 

Sammie Szmodics and Liam Delap gave Ipswich a 2-0 lead at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as Spurs fell short, despite Rodrigo Bentancur returning a goal in the second half.  

It was Tottenham's third defeat in their last five matches across all competitions and leaves Postecoglou's side in 10th place in the Premier League with 16 points from 11 matches. 

"It's hugely disappointing. We started slow and passively. We gave ourselves a mountain to climb. In the second half, we had chances but didn’t do enough to win the game," the Australian coach told BBC Sport after the game. 

His side had also suffered a 3-2 defeat to Galatasaray in the Europa League on Thursday. 

The hosts generated an xG of 1.82 on Sunday with five shots on target from 17 attempts, but were unable to take anything from the game.

"It's just down to me, I’m not getting consistent performances from the players. It’s something I need to address. I’m the person in charge, so that’s usually the way it goes. I take responsibility," said Postecoglou. 

"We can’t give ourselves those kind of mountains to climb." 

When asked about Ipswich's time-wasting tactics, Postecoglou said it is something his players will have to deal with. 

"It seems to be the way the Premier League is going. Clubs are taking strategic time-outs. We just have to cop it. It’s up to the officials, not me," he said. 

Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou has defended the club following comments made by former goalkeeper Hugo Lloris in his new book regarding the Champions League final in 2019.

Lloris, who made 447 appearances for Spurs between 2012 and 2024, suggested his former club were happy to be second best, claiming chairman Daniel Levy gifted the players watches with ‘Champions League finalists’ engraved on them before they faced Liverpool five years ago.

They went on to lose the final in Madrid 2-0. However, Postecoglou, who has questioned the club’s mentality himself, insists the period Lloris referred to should be looked back upon with pride.

"There could have been a very successful period for the club. They came very close. We're talking about finishing runners-up in the Premier League, runners-up in the Champions League,” Postecoglou said.

“It could have been a very different era and maybe, in retrospect, you would be looking at those things. It's easier to focus on the negatives when the outcomes are not what you want, but there was obviously a lot right at the time which got them close to the ultimate.

“From my perspective, you don't put a limit on what you can achieve because if you do, potentially you might miss something that comes along your way."

Spurs are aiming to avenge their midweek defeat to Galatasaray in the Europa League against strugglers Ipswich Town, who, along with Wolves, are yet to win in the Premier League this term.

But despite the Tractor Boys’ form, Postecoglou is expecting a difficult test, lauding Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna for the “unbelievable” job he has done at Portman Road.

"Yeah, I think every weekend, every league game, has its potential to hurt you if you're not at your best. Ipswich will be no different,” Postecoglou said.

"They got close last week, close the week before. I think Kieran McKenna has done an unbelievable job. We're expecting a tough one at the weekend, our form at home has been pretty strong."

While Ipswich remain winless upon their return to the top-flight, McKenna believes there have been signs of progress at the club.

"I don't think you can always set an exact expectation or definition of performances because every game is different. One of our first goals is to be competitive in every match, and we're not too far away from that,” McKenna said.

“Across the 10 games we have certainly been in the large majority of games. We would have liked to have won a couple by now but, also, we've only lost five out of 10 with what we have been through and the challenges we have faced over the early part of the season.

"To pick up five results - certainly could have been one or two more - and to be as competitive as we have been, I think there are a lot of positives in there. We know there is another step to take to win games consistently in the Premier League.”

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Tottenham – Dominic Solanke

After scoring three goals in his last two games for Spurs across all competitions, Solanke will be hoping to get his season up and running against Ipswich this weekend.

But his work rate at the top end of the pitch has gone under the radar this term. He has applied more pressures in the final third than any other player in the Premier League this season (212).

Ipswich – Leif Davis

Davis has been a bright spark in a disappointing season for Ipswich thus far, creating more chances than any other defender in the Premier League so far this campaign (25).

But he has not neglected his defensive responsibilities either. Only Sam Morsy (17) has won more tackles than Davis (12) for the Tractor Boys in the top-flight.

MATCH PREDICTION: TOTTENHAM WIN

Despite being heavily favoured by Opta’s data-led simulations, Tottenham have won just three of their 10 Premier League games against Ipswich (D3 L4). Excluding ever-present sides, it’s their lowest win rate against any opponent they’ve faced 10 or more times in the competition.

And Spurs have also struggled after competing in the Europa League in midweek. They have lost their last two Premier League games at the weekend immediately following a European match, losing to Brighton and Crystal Palace. Only twice have they lost three consecutive such matches, doing so from December 2012 to March 2013 and from September to October 2019.

They have also conceded the first goal in each of their last four top-flight home games but have come back to win the last three. No team has ever conceded first but gone on to win four consecutive home games in the competition before.

However, Spurs have won 32 of their last 36 Premier League home games against promoted sides (D2 L2) and haven’t failed to score in any of their last 42 such games since a 1-0 loss to Wolves in December 2009.

Ipswich remain winless in their 10 Premier League games this season (D5 L5), their longest run without a win from the start of a top-flight season. They have lost their last two away games 4-1 at West Ham and 4-3 at Brentford, last conceding four or more goals in three consecutive away league games in March 1964.

The Tractor Boys have also struggled in recent visits to the capital. They have lost their last five Premier League away games against London sides, conceding at least two goals each time (16 in total). However, 33% of their Premier League wins in London have come against Spurs (2/6), including their last such victory in December 2001.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Tottenham – 71.2%

Draw – 16.2%

Ange Postecoglou believes Tottenham's youngsters will have learned a lot from their 3-2 defeat to Galatasaray in the Europa League on Thursday. 

Yunus Akgun's stunning opener was cancelled out by 19-year-old Will Lankshear's first senior goal for Spurs, before Victor Osimhen's brace put the hosts in control at the break. 

Lankshear, however, would be sent off for a second bookable offence on the hour-mark, though Spurs did reduce the deficit through Dominic Solanke with a man less. 

Postecoglou named several inexperienced European players in his starting line-up, with 18-year-old's Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall also starting at Rams Park. 

But the Spurs boss believes that his younger players will learn from the experience against Okan Buruk's side. 

"Look, Will took his goal well, he worked hard for the team. Obviously, he hasn't had a lot of experience in senior football, so he would have learnt a lot today," Postecoglou said.

"The red card, it was a bit of overenthusiasm at that moment to give away a foul, but he'll learn from that. The same with Lucas. Giving him an understanding of the levels here.

"It is not easy when you are playing away in Europe. You can only allow them to learn that by exposing them to it.

"I thought Archie was great. It was a tough game for us defensively at different times, but I think we'll get so much growth out of him because he's not playing in his position.

"I guess for three teenagers in the starting line-up, I think they'll learn a lot from it, and hopefully it helps with their development."

At 19-years-old and 201 days, Lankshear is now Tottenham’s youngest goalscorer in major European competition since Harry Kane (18-years-old and 140 days) netted against Shamrock Rovers in the 2011-12 UEFA Europa League.

However, he became the third-youngest player to both score and be sent off in a Europa League game after Aleksandar Mitrovic for Partizan Belgrade in November 2012 (18-years-old and 67 days) and Federico Chiesa for Fiorentina in December 2016 (19-years-old and 44 days).

Despite the score-ine, Spurs were comfortably second-best against Galatasaray as they suffered their first defeat in the competition this season. 

They faced 28 shots from their opponents, their most in a game under Postecoglou. 

It is the most efforts faced by an English team in a Europa League group stage match since Everton faced 39 shots against Wolfsburg in November 2014.  

And Postecoglou believes his side only had themselves to blame for the defeat, citing a number of mistakes as their undoing in Turkey. 

"I just felt it was self-inflicted. We had real simple solutions out there to keep the ball. It wasn't that hard. We showed it with 10 men," Postecoglou added.

"We just needed to be stronger on the ball and play the kind of football we play every week.

"Maybe it was a little bit the changes I made and the environment and atmosphere, but the moments that stick out to me was giving the ball away.

"We were playing through them quite easily with 10 men but with 11 men we had nowhere near that conviction and that was disappointing."

Tottenham believe Cristian Romero has avoided serious injury, but Richarlison is set for a period on the sidelines after the pair limped out of Sunday's win against Aston Villa.

Both Romero and Richarlison were substituted in the second half of a 4-1 victory at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Argentina World Cup winner Romero appeared to hurt his foot in a blow to a Spurs team already missing Micky van de Ven, while Richarlison was injured in creating the third goal for Dominic Solanke.

Neither will feature for Tottenham at Galatasaray in the Europa League on Thursday, but the outlook beyond that is rather more positive for Romero.

"From the weekend, obviously Richy unfortunately injured his hamstring," Ange Postecoglou said. "I'm still getting the final information, but I think he'll be out for a while.

"Romero, I think, is nothing too serious, hopefully. Hopefully, he still has a chance for the weekend [against Ipswich Town]."

Providing a further update on his squad for the Galatasaray match, Postecoglou said: "Timo Werner has been carrying a bit of a groin complaint, which is still there, so he didn't travel, and Mikey Moore picked up a bit of a virus yesterday, so we've left him at home as well.

"I think everyone else who's fit and eligible is here."

Given their injuries, a trip to a talented Galatasaray side might be considered daunting, but Postecoglou is relishing it.

"We're looking forward to it," he said. "It's a fantastic stadium, the supporters create an unbelievable atmosphere here, they love the big European nights.

"They're a very, very good team. It's exactly the kind of games you want to be involved in in Europe. Whether you're young, you're old, irrespective of the role you have, you look forward to it."

Ange Postecoglou saluted an "outstanding effort" by Tottenham after they came from behind to beat Aston Villa 4-1.

Spurs scored four second-half goals as they got back to winning ways in the Premier League, following last weekend's 1-0 defeat at lowly Crystal Palace.

Postecoglou's side notched up an impressive 2-1 victory over Manchester City in the EFL Cup on Wednesday, but fell behind against Villa to Morgan Rogers' first-half effort.

Nevertheless, the hosts responded well after the break. Dominic Solanke scored twice, while Brennan Johnson and James Maddison were also on target in what was eventually a commanding victory.

And Postecoglou by the positive manner in which his players have responded to their setback at Selhurst Park.

"Seven days is a long time in football," he said. "Seven days ago, I was a grumpy old so and so. We have to stay true to the course we're on. We made sure not to feel sorry for ourselves and get back to the team we want to be.

"The first half was a bit of an arm wrestle. [Villa] have a consistent level of performance. We have other gears in us, which we showed in the second half. After the performance in midweek, I thought it was an outstanding effort.

"I felt the momentum was going our way, we knew we would finish strong and if we upped it a couple of gears like we can, we knew we would be hard to stop."

The head coach also paid tribute to Solanke, who became the first Spurs player to score at least four goals in his first eight Premier League appearances for the club since Rafael van der Vaart in 2010-11.

"The amount of work the guy did for us over the week - goals are great, but his capacity to do everything he can for the team in every area - I can't speak highly enough of him," Postecoglou added.

"We stuck with it," Solanke told Sky Sports. "A few times this season, we've gone a goal down. Against Palace, we didn't react in the right way, but today we did.

"We always believe we can score many goals. It all came together today in the second half. We had to adapt to the way they were playing. At half-time, we had time to regroup and discuss what we had to do.

"We've had some great games, but haven't managed to do it the whole season, but we think we're capable of it."

Micky van de Ven suffered a hamstring injury and will be out of action for Tottenham until after the international break, head coach Ange Postecoglou has revealed.

Van de Ven left the pitch in tears while clutching the back of his right leg 14 minutes into Tottenham’s EFL Cup victory over Manchester City on Wednesday.

While Postecoglou confirmed the fears of Spurs fans, he was optimistic about the prognosis with the defender not expected to be out for a long stretch.

"Micky has strained a hamstring. It's not too serious, but it will probably be after the international break for him [to return]," the Spurs boss told reporters ahead of his side's clash with Aston Villa on Sunday.

"He was disappointed. Obviously, he was really looking forward to the game, so he was a bit emotional, but it is definitely not a bad one like last time that kept him out for quite a while.

"He will work hard, and the good thing is we've got the international break, which is an extra two weeks. Hopefully, it means he won't miss too much football."

Van de Ven has featured in eight of Tottenham's nine Premier League games this season and has been a reassuring presence in defence.

Indeed, he has made the second most clearances (23) and blocks (four) in the squad, only second to Cristian Romero and Pedro Porro respectively.

There was, however, positive news about skipper Heung-min Son, who was absent during Spurs' defeat at Crystal Palace last weekend.

"Sonny trained [on Friday], so if he gets through training [on Saturday], he should be OK," Postecoglou added.

Emiliano Martinez was humble as he accepted the Yashin Trophy for the second straight year at the Ballon d'Or awards on Monday.

Martinez, who played a key role in Aston Villa's Champions League qualification last term before helping Argentina retain the Copa America title.

The former Arsenal goalkeeper won the Yashin Award in 2023, having been integral to Argentina's 2022 World Cup success, and he kept hold of the prize dished out to the best goalkeeper at the ceremony in Paris.

"I don’t see myself as the best – there are so many good goalies I see week in, week out," Martinez said upon accepting the award.

"I only care about group titles with the national team, with Aston Villa. I focus on myself and my goalie coaches know the work I put in every day.

"For me, it's about improving myself."

Martinez and Villa have made an impressive start to the campaign. They are top of the Champions League with three wins from as many matches, and occupy fourth spot in the Premier League ahead of Sunday's trip to Tottenham.

"It's huge for me," Martinez continued.

"I always dreamed of playing one game for the national team. Coming from such a young lad to England and trying to work my way up to succeed at Aston Villa and with the national team, winning one [cap] was an honour.

"Back-to-back [Yashin Trophies] is something I never expected. I'm just proud to be here today. All thanks go to my family and friends.

"We’re doing something amazing in the club, we're moving forward. We've won back-to-back trophies with the national team and that’s all I care about."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Tottenham - Son Heung-min

Son, who missed Spurs' defeat to Crystal Palace last week, has been involved in nine goals in eight Premier League games against Villa (six goals, three assists), though all six of his goals against them have come at Villa Park. No player has scored more against an opponent without netting a home goal in the competition.

Aston Villa - Emiliano Martinez

Fresh from winning the Yashin Trophy for a second time, Martinez will no doubt be out to prove his credentials as the best in the world.

Keeping a clean sheet and helping Unai Emery's team to victory would be a good start.

MATCH PREDICTION: TOTTENHAM WIN

Spurs have lost two of their last three league matches, but Opta's supercomputer backs them to come out on top on Sunday.

Tottenham have scored 49 goals in 23 home Premier League games under Ange Postecoglou. The only boss to hit 50 goals in 24 or fewer home games with Spurs is Antonio Conte (50 in his first 20).

Only two of Tottenham's last 71 home Premier League games have ended as a draw (W47 L22) and they are the only side without a home draw since the start of last season (W16 L7).

Just Liverpool (13) and Nottingham Forest (11) have won more away Premier League points this season than Villa (10 – W3 D1). Villa have only won as many as four of their opening five away league games in a season once before, doing so in 2020-21 (W4 L1).

Tottenham have lost three of their last four Premier League meetings with Villa, though did win the last such match 4-0 in March, so while Opta's model fancies Spurs' chances, Villa will certainly be no pushovers.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Tottenham - 49.5%

Aston Villa - 27.6%

Draw - 22.9%

Ange Postecoglou hailed Tottenham's EFL Cup fourth-round victory over Manchester City as his side continue to evolve under his stewardship.

Timo Werner and Pape Sarr were both on target in the first half on Wednesday, with Matheus Nunes reducing the deficit on the stroke of half-time.

Spurs held on against a much-rotated City side, who suffered their first defeat of the season after a 2-1 reverse in north London.

Tottenham disappointed in a 1-0 loss away to Crystal Palace in the Premier League before this win, though Postecoglou was delighted with his side's response.

"It's a cup tie played against a formidable opponent, I thought we did well for the most part," he told Sky Sports.

"We didn't allow too many clear-cut chances. We could have put the game away, but City are always going to push you.

"It's an ever-evolving process, this team is growing all the time, but when you have growth you are going to stumble.

"As disappointed as we were on Sunday I had great belief we could come out today and put up a great show.

"Both our goals were quality goals, they have to be as City don't give easy chances."

Spurs had been eliminated in their last three EFL Cup ties against fellow Premier League sides, going out to Chelsea in 2021-22, Nottingham Forest in 2022-23 and Fulham in 2023-24.

Werner eased any nerves after just five minutes, however, with his close-range finish easing the mounting pressure on the former Chelsea forward.

"Great for Timo. He is going through a tough time, but the build-up play was great," Postecoglou added.

"It should lift him, we are supporting him, but it is down to him and his approach to things. He was unlucky to not get one or two more, if attacking players don't score they feel anxiety a bit."

Postecoglou hammered his side after their collapse at the start of October in a 3-2 defeat to Brighton, and similar criticism followed after their defeat to Palace last time out.

The Australian coach is remaining level-headed, though.

"I don't believe in big moments or catastrophic moments - we are the same team that we were three days ago. Hopefully, we have more good days ahead of us," he concluded.

Timo Werner scored his first goal in seven months to help Tottenham eliminate Manchester City from the EFL Cup with a 2-1 victory in Wednesday's last-16 tie.

Both teams were left to count the cost of muscle injuries come full-time of an entertaining game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, as Micky van de Ven hobbled off in tears and Savinho was also distressed as he went off on a stretcher.

Werner also sustained a knock that forced him off, but that was long after emphatically curling away from Stefan Ortega inside five minutes after being teed up by Dejan Kulusevski down the Spurs right.

Pape Matar Sarr tucked in a first-time finish of his own from outside the box to double the hosts' advantage 25 minutes later - an effort Ortega perhaps could have done better to keep out - but City finally woke up before half-time.

Savinho picked out Matheus Nunes to side-volley in at the back post and that set the tone for a gripping second period - one in which Erling Haaland watched from the substitutes' bench despite his side chasing a goal.

Ortega made three saves to keep City in the tie, with Richarlison failing to convert from a glorious position, and those misses so nearly proved costly in the closing stages.

Yves Bissouma brilliantly denied Nico O'Reilly on the line with quick reflexes, however, to ensure Ange Postecoglou remains on course for silverware in his second season at Spurs, while inflicting a first loss of the campaign on eight-time EFL Cup winners City.

Data Debrief: City can't handle Kulu

Tottenham had suffered elimination from their previous three EFL Cup ties against fellow Premier League opposition - against Chelsea, Nottingham Forest and Fulham in the past three seasons - but they showed great resolve to overcome City.

Werner and Sarr scored the goals that sent Spurs through, both of those assisted by Kulusevski in a different manner. The Sweden international created four chances in total, which was double the number of any other home player.

Man City may have scored for the first time in four away games in the EFL Cup, but this marks their third successive away loss in the competition for the first time since August 1997.

Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou has said that he was unsurprised by Erik ten Hag's sacking at Manchester United given the amount of attention on both him and the club.

Postecoglou has faced criticism himself this season, with Tottenham currently eighth in the Premier League following a defeat to previously winless Crystal Palace at the weekend.

Similarly, Ten Hag oversaw a 2-1 defeat away to West Ham on Sunday that put United 14th in the table, just seven points above the relegation zone. It was to be his last in charge.

But Postecoglou was sympathetic towards the Dutchman, though, explaining that the pressure put on managers is sometimes hard to live up to.

"I'm not really shocked. Disappointing as it was, it was almost inevitable with the scrutiny he had," said Postecoglou in a press conference.

"If you look at Erik, he was there for two and a bit years. He won a trophy in each year, they finished third in his first year.

"If he was here with that record would he have lost his job? I don’t know.

"Would he be under the same scrutiny? I don’t know because everyone tells me all I have to do is win a trophy, but I have got a feeling it would be the same because, just the nature of the world today."

Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario admitted his side lacked fight following their 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.

The north London side conceded the eventual winner in the 31st minute as Jean-Philippe Mateta fired past Vicario at the back post.

It was a lacklustre showing upfront from the visitors, too, as they managed only three shots on target throughout the match, resulting in an expected goals (xG) total of just 0.72.

Vicario was candid about the lack of hunger from his side, as their total of 11 shots in the game marked their lowest total in a single match in the Premier League this season.

"They fight and I think we lacked that today. We are disappointed because we have to fight. We play good football but maybe sometimes we lack the desire to fight. They show a real desire to fight for something,” he told Sky Sports.

"I just want to focus on us and what we didn't do as a team. I think we lacked a bit of energy and to be better than them. We have to take this personally and it has to hurt us a lot. Football gives us an opportunity again and we have to be ready for the cup."

Tottenham were without captain Son Heung-Min, who is also their joint-top scorer this season (three) with a total of five goal contributions.

"He is the captain but we have a big squad and we have to deal with that. We have to be able to win games without Son. We lacked in something, not in football, but attitude and fight," added Vicario on his captain’s absence.

The result represented only the second win for Palace across their last 19 Premier League games against Tottenham (D2 L15), though both victories in that time have come at Selhurst Park while keeping a clean sheet.

Yet Ange Postecoglou’s side now have two defeats in their last three games and have failed to win any of their four away London derby matches in the Premier League in 2024 (D1 L3).

"It was one of those games with a lot of stoppages and battles and they ended up winning a lot of them and coming out on top. There was a lot of disruption and it was hard to get any fluency. They did better than us,” Postecoglou told BBC Match of the Day.

"It turned into a game they were thriving on and we should have dealt with it better. It was a poor goal to concede, it had nothing to do with playing out from the back. That can happen.

"I'd be very surprised if they were happy right now. Why would I be happy? If I'm unhappy then they'll be unhappy. If you're suggesting that our fans weren't happy with today then that's a fair assessment."

Oliver Glasner believes Crystal Palace's problems are mental, rather than tactical, as the pressure builds on the Eagles boss ahead of Sunday's London derby versus Tottenham.

Palace are one of four teams yet to win a Premier League match this season – a new record through eight games of a single campaign.

That is despite them winning six of their final seven games of 2023-24, leading some to tip them as surprise candidates for European qualification in pre-season.

Reports have suggested Glasner's position could be under threat if results do not improve before the November international break, but the Austrian is simply focused on giving his players the support they need.

"At the moment we don't score goals, we should score more. Then it's always tough, one mistake and we get punished," Glasner said. 

"I think we've all had better times in football, better times in sports. The players tried everything to win the game, but at the moment, we have to be honest, it's not enough.

"Everybody's frustrated, everybody's disappointed. It's our responsibility, especially mine now, to get chins up, the head up of every single player, to support them.

"At the moment I don't think it's a tactical problem, it's a mentality problem. It's a lack of confidence, we can see it, and so this is what we have to change."

Tottenham, meanwhile, have won three of their last four league games after fighting back to beat West Ham 4-1 in another London derby last week.

Ange Postecoglou withdrew James Maddison at half-time in that game, allowing Dejan Kulusevski to thrive in a number 10 role, and he thinks there is more to come from the Swede.

"Deki's been great all year. He obviously feels more comfortable in that area, he's much more involved in the game, which I think is key with Deki," Postecoglou said.

"He wants to be involved and playing on the wing, sometimes he could get a bit frustrated in himself that he wasn't involved.

"I think we can get more goals out of him, more assists. All season, he's been great. I think he's maturing, as well. He's been captain of his country, which gives him even more self-belief. I think there's more to come."

PLAYERS TO WATCH 

Crystal Palace – Eddie Nketiah

Since scoring a hat-trick against Sheffield United in October 2023 for Arsenal, Palace striker Nketiah has played 804 minutes in the Premier League without finding the net.

He is currently on a run of 30 shots without scoring in the competition, and if the Eagles are to ease the growing pressure on boss Glasner, they may need him to find his shooting boots.

Tottenham – James Maddison

Spurs midfielder Maddison could make his 200th Premier League appearance in this match. 

Maddison ranks first in the competition for passes played into the opposition penalty area this season (72), while he has five assists in his last 11 games.

MATCH PREDICTION – TOTTENHAM WIN

Tottenham have won 19 of their 30 Premier League games against Palace (seven draws, four losses), their highest win rate against any fellow London side in the competition's history (63%).

They will be confident of another victory here. Postecoglou's side have won three of their last four Premier League matches (one defeat), as many as they had in their previous 11 games (three wins, one draw, seven losses).

One could argue their performances have warranted more points this season, too. Spurs are second only to Manchester City for shots (145), shots on target (55), touches in the opposition box (355) and successful opposition half passes (2,069) in the Premier League. 

Tottenham also rank top for passes played into the opponent penalty area (306) and expected goals (16.95 xG).

Palace, meanwhile, won five of their first seven home leagues matches under Glasner (one draw, one defeat), scoring 22 goals, but have since gone four without victory at Selhurst Park (two draws, two defeats), failing to net in three of those games.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Crystal Palace – 25.9%

Tottenham – 50.1%

Draw – 24%

Heung-min Son will miss Tottenham's Europa League clash with AZ, head coach Ange Postecoglou has confirmed.

The Spurs skipper returned from a hamstring injury during their victory over West Ham at the weekend, but was absent from training on Wednesday.

Postecoglou said Son would not be risked for the visit of the Eredivisie side on Thursday, with Tottenham aiming to make it three wins from three, having opened their campaign with victories over Qarabag and Ferencvaros.

Although, Richarlison is available and could make his first start of the season, after returning from injury as a substitute against West Ham. 

"Sonny was a bit sore after the weekend," Postecoglou told reporters during his pre-match press conference. "He was never going to be involved tomorrow. [We will] leave him out of tomorrow, and see how he is from there.

"Richy got through this weekend really well, [he is into] almost the second week of training now. [He is] ready to go in terms of being available.

"We've started the competition really well so far, [with] different challenges in both games. We've exposed some of our young players to European football, a positive growth from that.

"From our perspective - here at home - it's a good opportunity to continue our form."

Ange Postecoglou is ready to “explode” when his Tottenham players return from the international break, using his side as “therapy” after their loss to Brighton last time out.

Spurs were on the end of a dismal defeat at the Amex Stadium against the Seagulls, squandering a two-goal lead to halt their five-match winning streak in all competitions.

Postecoglou faced criticism for the manner in which his side capitulated on the south coast, but wanted to make his feelings known ahead of their London derby with West Ham that will kick off the latest round of Premier League fixtures this weekend.

“You never know with the international [break] whether it will be good or bad, maybe for the players it was good, but I don’t like sitting on a loss. You want to get it out of your system and move on to the next challenge,” Postecoglou told Optus Sport.

“There can be a tendency to overanalyse, but it wasn’t a good one. That first half we played against Brighton was unbelievable – the best we have played all year – but I just didn’t like the second half and what we looked like.

“You know what international football, the game finishes and everyone goes, so the dressing room after the game is not the time to analyse. I have been sitting on it for 10 days now and I am ready to explode once they get back in the building and they will be my therapy.”

West Ham, meanwhile, come into the contest off the back of a first win in five games against Ipswich, relieving the pressure on new boss Julen Lopetegui.

Michail Antonio, Mohammed Kudus, Jarrod Bowen and Lucas Paqueta were all on target against the Tractor Boys and are aiming to produce back-to-back Premier League victories for the first time since March 2023.

Lopetegui showered praise on Bowen, who missed out in England’s Nations League squad for their October fixtures. The Spaniard is expecting his star man to continue his form, with the aim of impressing incoming Three Lions manager Thomas Tuchel.

“The best way to show your disappointment as a player is this,” Lopetegui said.

“When you don’t play in one lineup, when you don’t go away with England, it’s this. I think he knows that. He is always ready to help the team.

“He is always ready to work hard, to play well and that’s why he is a very good player.”

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Tottenham – James Maddison

Including crosses, no player has played more passes into the opposition box in the Premier League this season than Tottenham’s Maddison (64).

The 27-year-old’s next goal will be his 50th in the competition, with the midfielder netting in two of his last three league games.

West Ham – Jarrod Bowen

Bowen has been involved in 34 shots this season (15 shots, 19 chances created), more than any other West Ham player.

Indeed, last time out against Ipswich, he became the first Hammers player to have five or more shots and create five or more chances in a single Premier League match since Michail Antonio against Arsenal in March 2021.

MATCH PREDICTION: TOTTENHAM WIN

This will be the eighth time Tottenham and West Ham have faced each other in the first Premier League matchday back after an international break, with Spurs so far unbeaten in the previous seven (W4 D3).

Tottenham have also only won more Premier League games against Everton (31) and Manchester City (28) than they have vs West Ham (26).

But Postecoglou’s men have lost four of their last six Premier League London derbies (W1 D1), as many as they had in their previous 16 (W9 D3). They did beat Brentford 3-1 in their last such match, however.

In contrast, the Hammers are unbeaten in their last three Premier League London derbies on the road (W1 D2), with those accounting for all three of their away games so far this season. They last had a longer such run without defeat between January and December 1999 (six).

David Moyes’ West Ham side came from behind to win this exact fixture 2-1 last season, but they have not won consecutive league visits to Spurs since doing so in April and November 1966.

They will have to be wary of the threat of Brennan Johnson, who has scored in each of his last six games in all competitions for Tottenham. His six goals in run are more than he’d netted in his first 38 appearances for the club (five).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Tottenham – 56.6%

Draw – 22.4%

West Ham – 20.9%

A fuming Ange Postecoglou brandished Tottenham's collapse against Brighton as the nadir of his Premier League tenure after Sunday's 3-2 defeat.

Brennan Johnson's well-taken opener marked his sixth goal in as many games across all competitions before James Maddison's first-half finish had Spurs leading 2-0 at the break on the south coast.

However, Fabian Hurzeler's hosts managed a remarkable turnaround as Georginio Rutter levelled after Yankuba Minteh's strike, before Danny Welbeck completed a remarkable turnaround just past the hour.

It was just the second time that Tottenham lost a Premier League game they led by two goals in their last 166 such matches (W159 D5), and Postecoglou fumed at the full-time whistle.

The Tottenham manager said on Sky Sports: "Disappointing, frustrated and absolutely gutted with that. It's the worst defeat since I've been here.

"Unacceptable second half, and nowhere near where we should be. We got carried away with how we were going.

"We kind of accepted our fate [in the second half] and it is hard to understand as we've not done that while I've been here. We paid the price.

"The problem is we are travelling along too smoothly, football and life will trip you up if you get too far ahead of yourself."

Sunday also marked the 10th time that Tottenham have lost a Premier League game in which they led by two or more goals, becoming the first club to hit double figures for this unwanted record. 

Though their second-half collapse may have some fans lamenting a typical Spurs performance, Postecoglou insists finding a solution remains solely on his shoulders.

"There is no message," the Australian said when asked what he would tell his players. "It is a terrible loss for us, as bad as it gets. There is only one way to fix it and that's my responsibility.

"We lost all our duels and if you're not competitive it is not going to work; we were not competitive.

"They all go on international duty the majority of them, they will process it individually and I will process it when everyone gets back."