Tottenham Hotspur kick off 2026 with a trip across London to face Brentford on Thursday, bringing the first half of the 2025/26 Premier League season to a close.
Tottenham managed to end a chaotic 2025 on a high note, while also responding to back-to-back league defeats against Nottingham Forest and Liverpool with a narrow 1-0 win away at Crystal Palace on Sunday.
While it wasn’t a performance that answered many long-term questions, particularly in possession, where Spurs once again struggled to turn territory into clear chances, the three points ultimately mattered more than aesthetics, especially against a Palace side that completed a league double over them last season.
Brentford, meanwhile, sit just one point above Tottenham in eighth and come into this fixture on the back of consecutive league wins.
Their most recent outing was a dominant 4-1 victory over Bournemouth, although that run has followed a spell where results were far less convincing, with three defeats in four league matches prior to those wins, including a 2-0 loss away to Spurs earlier in the season.
Brentford vs Tottenham Hotspur: head-to-head record
These two sides met less than a month ago in the Premier League, when Tottenham were comfortable 2-0 winners at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with goals from Richarlison and Xavi Simons.
Before that, Thomas Frank’s Brentford were actually one of only three teams Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham managed to do the league double over last season.
Interestingly, Brentford’s most recent victory over Spurs came back in the 2022/23 campaign, when Frank’s side beat Ryan Mason’s interim Tottenham team 3-1 in north London. That remains their only win over Spurs since promotion to the Premier League in 2021.
Tottenham team news
Lucas Bergvall was forced off around the hour mark against Crystal Palace with what appeared to be a knock, but he should be available for the mid-week fixture.
Radu Dragusin made his first appearance after almost a year out with an ACL injury. Kota Takai was also included in the matchday squad for the first time since his summer move, although he remained an unused substitute.
On the suspension front, Cristian Romero returns after missing the Palace game, while Xavi Simons still has two matches left to serve.
There are still notable absences for Tottenham, with James Maddison, Destiny Udogie, Dominic Solanke, and Dejan Kulusevski all sidelined due to injury. At the same time, Pape Matar Sarr and Yves Bissouma remain unavailable due to their AFCON commitments.
Brentford team news
Brentford’s squad is in relatively good shape heading into Thursday night, with only a handful of absences to manage ahead of the visit of Tottenham.
Sepp van den Berg remains a doubt after he missed the Bournemouth match with a knock, while Fabio Carvalho is ruled out for the season.
AFCON absences include Dango Ouattara and Frank Onyeka, both of whom will be unavailable.
Predicted line-ups
TOTTENHAM: Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Spence; Palhinha, Gray, Bentancur; Kudus, Richarlison, Odobert
BRENTFORD: Kelleher; Kayode, Collins, Ajer, Henry; Damsgaard, Henderson, Yarmoulik; Lewis-Potter, Thiago, Schade
Our prediction
The dynamic has flipped since these sides last met. Tottenham were above Brentford in the table then, but now it is Brentford who hold that advantage. There is also a personal edge for Thomas Frank, who will be keen to move above his former club at a stadium where he spent close to seven years.
For Spurs, creativity remains the big concern, and that was evident again at Selhurst Park, where they were second best for long spells until Wilson Odobert changed the tempo with an electric cameo, which is why he will be the one to keep an eye on.
Brentford’s main danger will come from Kevin Schade, fresh off a hat-trick against Bournemouth. His pace and direct running will test Tottenham’s right side, with Pedro Porro likely to be heavily involved in managing that threat.
Predicted score: Brentford 1–3 Tottenham