Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho and his club have some work to do if they are to clinch European football for next season. Wolves are one point ahead of Spurs for the final Europa League qualification slot as we head into Championship Sunday.
Depending on how it all unfolds this weekend, Mourinho may need some help from Chelsea, a club he’s managed for two previous stints, while his side visits Crystal Palace. Tottenham are up one on goal differential over Wolves, so if both Chelsea and Spurs win, then Tottenham are in UEL next season.
A Wolves draw means that Spurs need to win, and a Wolves win means that Spurs stay domestic next season. At least they are at near full fitness for their final match, and they have an opponent in very poor form right now.
The only injury absentee for Mourinho is transfer fee record setter and outcast Tanguy Ndombele. Dele Alli is back to full fitness and Eric Dier has returned from his serving his suspension in full.
For Palace, skipper Luka Milivojevic faces a late fitness test, after a knee injury kept him out of the loss at Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Elsewhere, Mamadou Sakho is ruled out, along with James Tomkins, Patrick van Aanholt and Gary Cahill. Forward Christian Benteke is out, but due to suspension instead of injury.
Palace won their first match out of the restart, but have since dropped their last seven. This season cannot end soon enough for the Eagles.
Championship Sunday FYIs
Kickoff: 4pm BST, Selhurst Park, London
THFC Starting XI Prediction: go to this link
Position: Tottenham 58 pts, 7th Crystal Palace 42 pts, 14th
Prediction Tottenham 2, Crystal Palace 0
It wasn’t very long ago that these two London sides were level on points in the table with 40 each. Their seasons have gone in opposite directions ever since.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly contributes to WGN TV, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Now and SB Nation.
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