Tottenham's relegation race is likely to go to the wire, and they are going to need some big results in what is a far from comfortable run-in. Spurs are currently two points from safety and in desperate need of a run of form.
West Ham, Nottingham Forest and Leeds United have all picked up big results in recent weeks, amassing varying degrees of momentum, but Spurs have been starved of silver linings.
Roberto De Zerbi is hoping to change that, but he has so far failed to deliver a big performance as he prepares to face former club Brighton.
Leeds picked up a huge win over Manchester United this week, and that puts them on the brink of safety, so the race is likely to now come down to Spurs, Forest and West Ham.
Nottingham Forest's pain might be Tottenham's gain
Forest actually have the best starting point of those three teams, three points ahead of Spurs and two ahead of West Ham, but they have the toughest run-in by far, and they also have the Europa League to worry about.
Forest reached the semi-final of the competition this week, and they will face Midlands rivals Aston Villa over two legs in the semi-finals.
Balancing Europe with a battle for safety is no easy task, especially given the strength of their remaining opponents, and to make matters worse, it seems they have picked up a number of injury concerns.
Forest beat FC Porto during the week to book their spot in the last four, but they picked up three fresh injury concerns in the process.
The Gazette & Herald has reported that Chris Wood, Murillo and Callum Hudson-Odoi have all picked up injury issues. Wood was kicked in the knee, while Murillo had a knock and Hudson-Odoi was the biggest concern of all. He appeared to be clutching his thigh and was spotted on crutches after the game.
Forest boss Vitor Pereira said after the game: "I’m not a doctor, but I think Chris and Murillo will not be anything special. Of course, Chris has a bruise on his knee, but I believe that him and Murillo will be ready for Burnley. Callum has a muscle injury and it is not possible, that’s the bad news.
“In my mind, we just know the next game we need to fight again with energy. I need to recharge myself with a Tesla charger because I need energy, but after a win, it is easier to recover than when we lose. When you lose, the headache is worse to recover. We try to be in our best condition for Sunday.”
It's never good taste to celebrate injuries, but Tottenham need all the help they can get to beat relegation, and Forest potentially being without a key player or two could have a big impact on the relegation race. Forest host Burnley this weekend.
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