Vanni Sartini says he has hope as Vancouver Whitecaps look to end their recent losing run against Portland Timbers in the MLS playoffs Western Conference Wild Card match.

The Whitecaps finished eighth in the table, only above Wednesday's opponents having secured more wins, but due to scheduling conflicts, will not have home advantage for this tie. 

It is a disappointment to the club, who failed to win any of their last seven matches in the regular season, losing their last four on the bounce.

However, Sartini took heart from their playoff qualification and is confident his team can get back to winning ways in a game with so much resting on it.

"We need to be honest with each other," he told reporters. "We were honest when we had bad performances against Minnesota and Seattle, but the performances in the last two games were good.

"There were some moments [against Real Salt Lake] that make me really optimistic for Wednesday.

"Everything is not black now. It's a playoff game, everybody's happy to be in the playoffs, we're not moody. It will be a good game to turn up and play a good game against them."

Portland also slumped over the line at the end of the regular season, failing to win any of their last five, and failed to snatch a win at 10-man Seattle Sounders in a 1-1 draw on Saturday.

They have not won at Providence Park since mid-September, and head coach Phil Neville is looking for improvements among his front line to get the better of their rivals.

"The front six, four in particular, have to do better for us," he said. "It falls on all of them to get us through the playoffs.

"Their effort is unbelievable, as is the concentration and discipline, but we need them to deliver in these big moments.

"Our forwards have been phenomenal this season, but they've got the challenge of working around the pressure, and the big players always step up, and we believe that ours can."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Vancouver Whitecaps – Isaac Boehmer

The Whitecaps lost their final four matches of the regular season and will be the first team in MLS history to enter the playoffs on a four-match outright losing streak.

In that run, Isaac Boehmer conceded eight goals and scored an own goal that turned out to be the winner against Real Salt Lake last time out. He will be keen to put things right when they face Portland on Wednesday.

Portland Timbers – Evander

Evander recorded an assist on Portland's lone goal in their season finale, his 18th of the season to go along with 15 goals.

Evander's 18 assists and 33 goal contributions are both Timbers single-season club records, surpassing Diego Valeri’s assist total from 2019 (16) and goal contribution total from 2017 (32).

MATCH PREDICTION: VANCOUVER WHITECAPS WIN

This will be the second MLS playoff tie between Portland and Vancouver after the Timbers defeated the Whitecaps 2-0 on aggregate in the 2015 Conference Semifinals.

Overall, the eight meetings since the start of the 2022 season have been split, with each side winning three times and drawing twice.

The Whitecaps are only narrow favourites to win this game and have been eliminated in six of their previous seven MLS Cup playoff ties, only advancing past San Jose Earthquakes with a 5-0 win in the 2017 First Round. Vancouver have scored five total goals in their other nine all-time MLS playoff matches.

Meanwhile, Portland have not lost any of their five one-leg playoff matches at Providence Park (W2 D3), though they were eliminated on penalties twice after draws in those matches. The Timbers failed to score in their last two home matches this season, their first back-to-back scoreless games at the venue since 2019.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Vancouver Whitecaps – 39.9%

Draw – 26.6%

Portland Timbers – 33.5%

Miguel Gutierrez and Juanpe scored in either half to earn Girona a 2-0 victory over Slovan Bratislava, and a first-ever win in the Champions League. 

Gutierrez and Arnaut Danjuma combined brilliantly throughout on the left wing, and it was the latter's run to the byline and pull-back that set up the wing-back to break the deadlock for the Spaniards with a first-time finish three minutes before half-time.

Playing in their first European season, Girona continued to outclass their Slovakian visitors after the break, and Dominik Takac saved brilliantly from Bojan Miovski in the 54th minute to prevent the home side from increasing their lead. 

It took a moment of brilliance from Juanpe in the 73rd minute to make it 2-0, with his direct free-kick glancing off one of the players in the wall before flying into the net.

Cristhian Stuani's late penalty was saved well by Dominic Takac, while Paulo Gazzaniga was called into late action to preserve his clean sheet by keeping out Tigran Barseghyan's curling effort.

Girona now sit 20th in the 36-team table, while Slovan remain bottom after three straight defeats, with a goal difference of -10. 

Data Debrief: History is made

Girona have largely mastered their own downfall in the Champions League this season, scoring three own goals across their last two defeats.

But, they put that behind them on Tuesday to record three points in the competition for the first time in their history.

Guttierez's opener was his first goal in all competitions since May, while Juanpe became the second-oldest Spanish player (at 33 years, 175 days) to score on his Champions League debut, after Vicente Engonga Mate for Real Mallorca in September 2001 (35y 326d).

Aston Villa extended their 100% record in the Champions League this season by beating Bologna 2-0 at home on Tuesday.

The result leaves Villa top of the 36-team league table, with three victories, six goals scored and zero conceded.

Unai Emery's side claimed the victory thanks to second-half goals from John McGinn and Jhon Duran, who was starting just his second match of the season in all competitions.

Villa controlled the match for large periods and had multiple chances to open the scoring before McGinn's free-kick went all the way through a sea of bodies and into the top corner. The Scot's goal was checked by VAR for a possible handball but later confirmed. 

Duran then doubled their lead in the 64th minute - Morgan Rogers swung a cross into the box, which the Colombian flicked into the goal after holding off a defender.

Next up for Villa in the Champions League is a trip to Club Brugge, while Bologna - who are 28th with one point - host Monaco.

Data debrief: Villa make history

Villa's victory on Tuesday helped them become only the third team to ever win their first three Champions League matches without conceding.

Unai Emery, meanwhile, became only the fifth Spanish manager to have won 25 matches in the competition, alongside Pep Guardiola, Vicente Del Bosque, Rafa Benitez and Luis Enrique.

For Bologna, it is one victory in 11 matches in all competitions so far this season.

El Bilal Toure's stoppage-time strike helped Stuttgart claim an impressive 1-0 win at Juventus in the Champions League, handing the hosts their first loss of the season.

The German side, who won their first game in the competition so far, finally got their reward in the 92nd minute through the substitute, having had a goal chalked off and a penalty saved.

Stuttgart had been more aggressive, with Ermedin Demirovic hitting the post in the first half, while an in-form Mattia Perin, who was by far the Italian side's best player, kept Juventus in it.

The visitors saw Deniz Undav's effort disallowed early in the second half for handball by the Germany striker before late drama unfolded. 

Anthony Rouault was fouled by Danilo, who picked up a second yellow card for the challenge in the 84th minute when a VAR check resulted in a penalty. Stuttgart wasted that golden chance though, with Perin saving Enzo Millot's spot-kick.

Ultimately, Toure's intervention ended a four-match winless run in all competitions for Stuttgart. Juve stay on six points and Stuttgart have four.

Data Debrief: Motta's unbeaten run halted

Juventus were unbeaten across all competitions this season under Thiago Motta, and it seemed luck was on their side before Toure snatched the three points. 

It looked like Perin had saved a point, as he became just the third Juventus goalkeeper to save a penalty in a Champions League match since 2003-04, after Wojciech Szczesny (v Valencia in September 2018) and Gianluigi Buffon (v Lyon in October 2016).

Motta was looking to become just the third Juve manager to win his first three matches in the competition, but instead will be left disappointed by a lacklustre performance from his side.

Meanwhile, it was just a fourth win in their last 20 Champions League matches for Stuttgart and a first in this campaign for Sebastian Hoeness' men. 

Achraf Hakimi's second-half stunner was not enough to mask Paris Saint Germain's Champions League struggles after they were held to a 1-1 draw at home by PSV.

The Ligue 1 champions salvaged a point when Hakimi rifled home from range to cancel out Noa Lang's 34th-minute opener, leaving Luis Enrique's side on four points after three games.

PSG were denied a late penalty, however, when the referee waved away spot-kick claims after Olivier Boscagli challenged Marco Asensio as the substitute was preparing to shoot.

Marquinhos also went close in the dying minutes, though Walter Benitez did just enough to palm away and earn his side a memorable draw.

Eredivisie leaders PSV, who made the most of PSG's mediocre midfield, are still winless with two points in the new format of Europe's premier club competition.

Data Debrief: Warning signs for PSG

Luis Enrique has only won 40% of his matches in the Champions League as PSG boss, winning six of 15 with three draws and six defeats, the lowest winning ratio from a head coach in the Qatari Sports Investment era.

That was not for a lack of dominance here, though, as PSG accumulated 2.43 expected goals (xG) to PSV's meagre 0.25.

Ousmane Dembele managed 0.93 of that xG total but found the target just once from six attempts, with five of those in the PSV area, as PSG failed to fire.

Vinicius Junior delivered a jaw-dropping treble in the second half as Real Madrid fought back from two goals down to smash Borussia Dortmund 5-2 in the Champions League.

Donyell Malen opened the scoring midway through the first half before Jamie Gittens doubled Dortmund's lead just four minutes later to stun the home crowd.

However, Kylian Mbappe teed up Antonio Rudger on the hour before Vinicius restored parity just two minutes after, with the goal initially ruled out for offside before prior to being overturned by a VAR review.

Lucas Vazquez completed a memorable turnaround with seven minutes remaining, though the Brazil winger stole the show in the closing stages.

Vinicius powered down the left flank before curling past Gregor Kobel with a fine individual goal, before securing his remarkable hat-trick with another impressive strike in the 93rd minute.

Victory leaves Madrid ninth in the Champions League table, while Nuri Sahin's Dortmund are fifth after their first defeat of the 2024-25 campaign.

Data Debrief: Gittens overshadowed by Vinicius

Gittens became the youngest Englishman ever to score against Madrid in the competition, aged just 20 years and 75 days, surpassing Alan Smith (20y 129d for Leeds United in March 2001).

Yet his record-worthy exploits were overshadowed by the heroics of Ballon d'Or favourite Vinicius, who single-handedly powered his side to their second-half turnaround in the Spanish capital.

It was just Vinicius' third hat-trick for Madrid in all competitions and first in the Champions League, but his second in 2024 after his treble against Barcelona in the Supercopa.

Victory was deserved for the hosts as well, with Madrid accumulating a massive 3.4 expected goals (xG) to Dortmund's 1.48.

Benfica midfielder Renato Sanches is due to return from injury in Wednesday's Champions League tie against Feyenoord, head coach Bruno Lage said on Tuesday.

Sanches suffered a hamstring injury in training last month and missed Benfica's last six matches, including their wins over Red Star Belgrade and Atletico Madrid in their opening two Champions League matches.

"Let's be very clear about this, because we have nothing to hide. Renato has been doing a lot of work. We had predicted that he could return a little earlier, then a little later, but I can confirm that Renato will be involved for the game against Feyenoord," Lage said.

Sanches, who was a teenage prodigy at Benfica, has struggled for consistency since his record transfer to Bayern Munich aged 18 in 2016.

He has since played for Swansea City, Lille, Paris Saint-Germain and Roma before the French giants loaned him back to Benfica this campaign.

Lage said only defensive midfielder Leandro Barreiro would be missing from the Benfica lineup for the match due to a thigh injury.

Benfica are on a run of six successive victories, with their 4-0 home win over Atletico earlier this month one of the surprise results of the early stages of the new-look Champions League competition.

"It is important to highlight that the work we did ahead of the Atletico match happens for every game," Lage said.

"First, we understand what we did well in our previous game, and we study the opponent in detail. We define the strategy, practise it and look to instil confidence in the players. That's what we do for every game, be it in the championship, in the Champions League or in the cup.

"We are confident, we've prepared very well and our confidence comes from the fact that when we transmit our ideas to the players, they feel confident that they can play a good game," added Lage, who returned to coach Benfica last month after Roger Schmidt was fired.

Lage was Wolves manager in the Premier League in the 2021-22 season and briefly into the next campaign, before losing his job after a run of poor results.

"My time in the Premier League gave me experience that I didn't have before, but that's part of any coach's experience," he told reporters.

"The more experience we have, the more we will learn. The way I work, we learn a lot from the assessments we make of our opponents, but above all from our own team."

Liverpool's injury list continues to grow with Diogo Jota not fit enough to travel in their Champions League squad to face RB Leipzig on Wednesday.

Jota was substituted after just half an hour in Liverpool's 2-1 victory over Chelsea on Sunday, and the upcoming European trip will prove too soon for the Portugal international.

Arne Slot was already without Alisson, Federico Chiesa and Harvey Elliott through injury and will now have to contend with the absence of both Jota and Conor Bradley, who missed the Chelsea game entirely.

"Conor Bradley, Harvey Elliott, Federico Chiesa, and Alisson didn't make the trip, so we have a few issues at the moment," Slot told reporters.

"Diogo got a knock when he was trying to go to goal. He was brought down but the other player fell onto him, that hurt him and he couldn't continue to play and come with us.

"It is difficult to judge at this moment of time to see how long it's going to take."

Liverpool come into their match against Leipzig with a 100% record after two games in the Champions League, while their hosts have lost both of their matches.

But with each team playing eight times as opposed to six in the previous group-stage format of the tournament, Slot believes it is too early to judge how teams were doing.

"The concept of the Champions League [as far as] I got my head around it, I don't think you can have a fair opinion yet because we are only two games into the Champions League now," he said.

"We've to wait and see what the result of this format is. You can only judge that after the group stages are done."

Vincent Kompany cannot fathom how Barcelona have Lamine Yamal filled the world-class void left by Lionel Messi already.

Bayern Munich will have to deal with the Spain winger, who powered La Roja to Euro 2024 glory, when his side meet the Blaugrana on Wednesday.

Teenager Yamal has raised the hopes of Barcelona supporters that he could help them enjoy similar success they had with Messi, also a product of the club's famed La Masia youth academy.

Messi won four Champions League titles with Barcelona, along with 10 La Liga crowns, before his move to Paris Saint-Germain, and subsequently to current club Inter Miami in MLS.

Kompany does not see Barcelona truly feeling the impact of Messi's departure, however, for as long as Yamal continues to deliver.

"I honestly don't know but it is already exceptional for Barcelona as a club so shortly after the departure of Messi... one of the key figures of our football era, already to have potentially a player who can replace him," Kompany told a press conference on Tuesday.

"That is quite unique. Full credit to La Masia."

Yamal has enjoyed a fine start to the season following his European success with the national team, with five goals and six assists across all competitions so far.

Bayern, in 15th place after two Champions League matchdays, are desperate to bounce back following their loss to Aston Villa in their previous game.

"I honestly think the question for us is not trying just to stop players but to win a game and that includes playing against all players not one just one player although he [Yamal] is an exceptional player," Kompany said.

Bayern have attacking midfielder Jamal Musiala back from injury but Kompany has still not decided if he will start.

"With Jamal... everyone knows how important he is for Bayern but it is not just about the next game but the next 30 or 40 matches. We need to find the right balance," Kompany added.

"We will have to see if he plays 90 minutes or if he comes on." 

Inter head coach Simone Inzaghi says that his most pressing concern ahead of their Champions League match away to Young Boys is the artificial surface at the Wankdorf Stadium.

The Scudetto holders face the Swiss champions having already beaten Red Star Belgrade and drawn away to Manchester City.

But with so little time to get used to the different pitch material, Inzaghi preached cautiousness in his pre-match press conference.

"I will have to make careful evaluations, the synthetic changes things, it is not the same and that's why we will train here today, changing our habits," he said.

"We will have to get used to it in a short time, in the hour we will have on the pitch we will have to pay close attention."

Inzaghi would not be drawn on the poor form of their hosts, who are currently 10th in the Swiss Super League with just two victories from their opening 10 matches and two defeats in the Champions League.

Joel Magnin took temporary charge of Young Boys following Patrick Rahmen's dismissal earlier in the month, though the interim boss was in the same position last season when the club won the league title.

"They won the league last year and have had some initial problems. It is a physical team, which has played in the cups for many years," said Inzaghi.

"They are a structured team with a new coach who knows the environment. On Saturday against Luzern they played a good game, we will have to pay attention."

The Inter head coach has issues of his own, with midfielder Kristjan Asllani having missed Sunday's victory over Roma.

Hakan Calhanoglu also went off injured in that match, but Piotr Zielinski is expected to be available again.

"Zielinski did a good part of training yesterday and the feelings are positive, I will have to evaluate," said Inzaghi.

"I was happy with what [Nicolo] Barella did in front of the defence on Sunday, tomorrow one of him and Zielinski will play there.

"Barella, [Henrikh] Mkhitaryan and [Davide] Frattesi have spent a lot [of energy]. Frattesi will certainly play, then of the other three, two will start from the start and one will probably come on."

Victor Boniface will miss Wednesday's Champions League game at Brest, with the Bayer Leverkusen striker still processing the shock of a car crash he was involved in on Sunday.

Xabi Alonso confirmed Boniface's absence on Tuesday, just two days after the forward was a passenger in a car involved in a crash.

Boniface had scored the winner in Saturday's 2-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt but sustained minor injuries to his hand and foot in the incident.

Alonso said the Nigeria international still needed some time to recover from the shock in the aftermath.

"He is not in the squad. After what happened, it's also a precautionary measure," Alonso told a press conference.

"He's missing for health reasons. He has a small wound on his hand, a small cut on his right foot. But the shock is bigger.

"Physically he is better but it is also an emotional issue. He feels good but he is not ready for tomorrow," Alonso said.

Boniface has scored seven goals across all competitions, including one in the Champions League.

Thankfully for Leverkusen, Alonso said he did not expect Boniface to be sidelined for too long before what could be an entertaining European clash.

Brest and Leverkusen have both won their opening two matches in the league phase of the competition.

Leverkusen are aiming for three straight Champions League wins for the fifth time, while this could be the second time they have done so in their opening three games of a campaign since 2001-02, going on to reach that season's final.

Tijjani Reijnders scored twice as Milan secured their first points in the Champions League this season with a 3-1 win over 10-man Club Brugge. 

Against the run of play, Christian Pulisic put the hosts ahead in the 34th minute, scoring an audacious effort directly from a corner kick. 

Brugge were then reduced to 10 men shortly after, when midfielder Raphael Onyedika was sent off for a foul on Reijnders following a lengthy VAR check.

Despite their numerical disadvantage, Brugge pulled level after the break, with Kyriana Sabbe picking out the bottom corner with a low strike. 

However, Reijnders restored Milan's lead in the 61st minute with a simple first-time finish from around the penalty spot, before sealing the win with a similar effort 10 minutes later.

Francesco Camarda thought he had added some gloss to the scoreline late on, but his looping header over Simon Mignolet was scored from an offside position, and it was chalked off following a VAR review.

Milan are up to 18th with that win, while Club Brugge drop to 24th, though both are still in the play-off places.

Data Debrief: A slice of history

With the points already wrapped up for Milan, Camarda entered the fray. Aged 16 years and 226 days, he is the youngest debutant for Milan in the Champions League, and the youngest Italian player to feature in the competition, overtaking Moise Kean (16y 268d).

He thought he had written his name into the history books in the dying minutes too, and if his goal had stood, he would have become the youngest-ever scorer in the competition.

Instead, it was Reijnders' day. He is just the third Dutchman to score 2+ goals in a single Champions League match for Milan, after Marco van Basten in 1992 (four against IFK Goteborg) and Clarence Seedorf in 2007 (two versus Shakhtar Donetsk).

Alessia Russo has been named England's Women's Player of the Year for 2023-24.

The Arsenal forward played a key role for the Lionesses during their Euro 2025 qualifying campaign to help them book a spot in the tournament.

She scored three goals in six starts, a team-high, and had the joint-most shots on target with Beth Mead (five), having 14 attempts overall.

Overall, she played 11 times in the 2023-24 season, with her six-goal haul also earning her the team's top goalscorer award.

Russo is the fourth Arsenal player to win the award in the past decade, following in Mead's footsteps after she won it in 2021-22. 

The 25-year-old was voted the stand-out player for England, ahead of Lauren James and Lucy Bronze, who finished second and third respectively.

England face Germany at Wembley in their next game on Friday, in their first meeting since the Lionesses beat them in the Euro 2022 final.

Anthony Gordon has signed a new long-term contract with Newcastle United.

The winger, who was linked with a move away from St. James' Park to Liverpool in the last transfer window, has committed his future to the club.

He has made 74 appearances for Newcastle in all competitions since joining from Everton in January 2023 and was awarded the club's Player of the Season award after impressing last term.

Gordon has scored 15 goals and registered 11 assists in all competitions. Since his debut, only Kieran Trippier (119) and Bruno Guimaraes (92) have created more chances for the Magpies than the 23-year-old.

The season, he has netted twice in the Premier League, with only Harvey Barnes (three) scoring more.

"I just think the club's in a great place. Since the takeover, it's just been up and up. Me and the gaffer are a perfect match in terms of style of play. I love it here," he told the club's website.

"I'm very happy here, I like living here, the team is very suited to me - and I'm here to win a trophy. The short story is, we need to win a trophy.

"Winning a trophy here would be unbelievable because the fans have waited so long. To be part of that team who finally does it is a massive goal of mine."

In just five weeks, there have already been unexpected major twists and turns in the Women's Super League.

Arsenal, tipped to be title contenders, are in search of a new manager following Jonas Eidevall's departure and sit in fifth, while Chelsea are breathing down Manchester City's neck at the top.

Manchester United and, perhaps unexpectedly, Brighton are pushing them, while it is also tight at the bottom, with three sides yet to earn their first win.

But what, or who, have been the biggest stories so far? We take a look at the Opta data to find out.

The surprise package

Before the season began, Brighton, under new manager Dario Vidosic, were the favourites to be relegated, with the Opta supercomputer giving them a 26.4% chance of finishing bottom of the table.

Instead, the Seagulls have blown away the competition, occupying fourth spot heading into the international break. They are unbeaten in three, with Nikita Parris haunting her old club to earn a 1-1 draw with Man United before the break.

Brighton have scored the second-most goals in the WSL (10, level with Tottenham), but from the fifth-fewest shots (48), proving just how clinical they have been by outperforming their 8.48 expected goals (xG).

Only Manchester City (3,273) and Arsenal (2,792) have completed more passes in the WSL this season than Brighton’s total of 2,467. This average of 493 passes completed per game is comfortably their most in a single campaign (their previous best was 296 per game last season).

Unsurprisingly, their chances of being relegated have now dropped to just 0.7%, and Vidosic will be eager to kick on.

Revitalised United not missing Earps

Lots of talk in pre-season centred around United's high-profile departures, including club captain Katie Zelem, Lucia Garcia, Parris and, perhaps most importantly, goalkeeper Mary Earps.

After a disappointing 2023-24, in which they finished fifth and conceded 20 goals more than in the season prior, it looked like the Red Devils might endure another campaign without a title fight.

However, those worries may have been for nought, with United making an unbeaten start and only dropping their first points in last weekend's draw with Brighton.

Parris' goal was the first they had conceded this season, as Phallon Tullis-Joyce has seamlessly filled Earps’ place between the sticks. She has faced 15 shots on target and has prevented 2.7 goals, according to Opta's expected goals on target model (xGoT).

With Maya Le Tissier and Millie Turner forming a strong partnership in front of her, they have conceded the second-fewest shots in the WSL (41) and with Grace Clinton firing up top, Marc Skinner looks to have found a solid balance in his team.

Rytting Kaneryd propels Chelsea forward

Sonia Bompastor has picked up where Emma Hayes left off with Chelsea, but she already knows she is in a title battle, even after Arsenal's surprisingly slow start.

With the likes of Khadija Shaw and Vivianne Miedema in strong form, City currently have the advantage, sitting top of the pile, though they have played a game more.

But the Blues have a driving force of their own in Johanna Rytting Kaneryd – she scored the first goal of the Bompastor era and was also the star of the show in their 5-2 win over Tottenham last time out. 

She has already racked up a league-high five goal contributions, half of what she managed across the whole of last season. Her six chances created are the second-most in the Chelsea team, making 1.7 per 90 minutes, and she will be key to their title hopes if she can maintain this level.

Lower table struggles

There is also an intriguing look to the foot of the table, with West Ham, Aston Villa and Everton all sitting level on two points.

The Hammers have not been able to put last season's struggles behind them yet and have netted just twice, underperforming their 3.51 xG – the lowest total accumulated by any team so far.

Villa will feel the most hopeful of the group, with Rachel Daly seemingly back to her best with three goals so far, but they need to start seeing out wins – they have dropped eight points from winning positions after being pegged back by City last time out, more than any team.

Everton's season, meanwhile, has been hampered by fitness woes, with Inma Gabarro and Aurora Galli suffering anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries in the first two games.

They have scored just once, an own goal by Camila Saez against West Ham, meaning they have the biggest xG underperformance, having created 4.42.

Can Liverpool or Spurs put themselves in the fight?

At the moment, the middle of the table is tight, with Leicester City and Crystal Palace recording one win apiece, with the likes of Liverpool and Tottenham unable to make a statement start despite promising ends to last season.

The Reds did beat Spurs, only to drop points against West Ham and Palace to make life tricky. They have also conceded as many goals as they have scored (seven), leaving Matt Beard with questions to ponder over the break.

Spurs have a similar problem, having conceded 11 times in their last three outings alone.

They are scoring goals though, outperforming their xG of 7.74 with 10 goals, but Robert Vilahamn knows they need to shore up their defence if they want to challenge the sides above them.