Tottenham vs Brentford LIVE: Premier League match stream, latest team news, lineups, TV, prediction | OneFootball

Thomas Frank aiming for pressure-relieving win against former club to halt Spurs’ abysmal home run

Back in: Xavi Simons

Supporters have voiced their frustration and last weekend’s booing of Guglielmo Vicario following a blunder in the loss to Fulham has opened a rift between those in the stands and on the pitch amid a debate over who are the “true” Spurs fans. Frank would love to ease the scrutiny on his position by finally delivering another home victory against a Brentford side whom he managed for seven years and successfully established as top-flight regulars.

Keith Andrews has made an encouraging start to life as Frank’s successor, though the Bees have lost six of their seven league away matches so far this term, including against Arsenal last time out. Follow Tottenham vs Brentford live below!

Live updates

9 minutes ago

Sam Tabuteau reports

Xavi Simons starts for the first time since the 2-2 draw with Manchester United. A huge opportunity for the Dutchman. Micky Van de Ven comes back in after being named among the subs against Newcastle. No place in the squad for Destiny Udogie.

No surprise as Brentford go full strength. Thiago and Damsgaard are back in from the start after midweek rests versus Arsenal.

18 minutes ago

Tottenham confirmed starting line-up and subs

Tottenham XI: Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Spence; Bentancur, Gray; Kudus, Simons, Kolo Muani; Richarlison

Subs: Kinsky, Danso, Palhinha, Tel, Bergvall, Johnson, Odobert, Sarr, Davies

19 minutes ago

Brentford confirmed starting line-up and subs

Brentford XI: Kelleher; Kayode, Collins, Van den Berg, Ajer; Henderson, Yarmolyuk; Ouattara, Damsgaard, Schade; Thiago

Subs: Valdimarsson, Hickey, Henry, Pinnock, Jensen, Onyeka, Lewis-Potter, Janelt, Donovan

24 minutes ago

TEAM NEWS: TOTTENHAM

And the same for our hosts, Tottenham!

25 minutes ago

TEAM NEWS: BRENTFORD

Today’s team news for the visitors, Brentford!

30 minutes ago

Kudus the danger man for Spurs

Igor Thiago, assuming he starts, is unquestionably Brentford’s main goal threat, with Mikkel Damsgaard pulling the strings as Dango Ouattara and Kevin Schade cause plenty of problems from the wide areas.

Meanwhile, for good and bad, a lot of Tottenham's play goes through Mohammed Kudus, said Standard Sport’s Matt Verri this week:

“Brentford fans will know Frank loves crossing; that is a key part of his game, that is where he focuses, and that has carried on at Tottenham.

“Pretty much all of their attacks at the moment go down that right wing. There is a lot of times when Kudus is isolated and the pressure is on him to beat two or three men and get a cross in, but he has got six assists in the Premier League this season and has carried that attack a lot.

“That said, he is a player who frustrates fans and sometimes he tries to do too much but, because he is in a situation where he keeps getting the ball and is having to make it all happen by himself, that is pretty inevitable.

“So, assuming he starts, Kudus will be the one a lot of Tottenham's play goes through.”

35 minutes ago

10 minutes until team news!

Just 10 minutes to go until we get today’s team confirmed team news from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Will we see Thomas Frank hand Xavi Simons a starting berth after three successive benching for the summer signing that had fans so excited? Who will lead the line for Spurs?

Is Brentford’s 11-goal striker Igor Thiago ready for a full 90 minutes?

We’ll soon find out!

38 minutes ago

Brentford boss Andrews on Frank reunion

Brentford manager Keith Andrews, who took over from Thomas Frank when the Dane moved across the capital after seven years with the Bees, said he is looking forward to reuniting with Frank and other former Brentford staffers “very much”.

"Thomas is someone I regard as a friend; he’s a big part of the reason why I wanted to come to the club,” Andrews said.

"I had a really good working relationship with Thomas and learned a lot from him. I’ve seen up close and personal how he operated and the way he worked within the structure of this football club.

"I have a lot of respect for him and what he achieved at this football club. He was a really successful part of the club’s history.

"It’ll be nice to see them [Frank and other ex-club staff] tomorrow in and around the game."

Brentford manager Keith Andrews

Getty Images

43 minutes ago

Frank: Spurs must 'keep calm' and carry on as pressure builds

Frank has also admitted to feeling the weight of expectation as his Tottenham side looks to end a five-game winless run.

It’s been a mixed start to life at Tottenham for the Dane, who has seen results dip dramatically over the last few months.

After three wins from their opening four league games, Tottenham have since won just two of their last 10, leaving them 11th in the table.

It means the pressure is building on Frank as he prepares to welcome his former club, Brentford, to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this afternoon.

And, rather candidly, he has admitted as much.

“Definitely, definitely I’ve felt that,” Frank said. “It hasn’t surprised me because I knew that was the difference when I walked into it. But like anything else, you don’t know it before you’re standing in it. Like, really know it.

“So now I know it, so ‘OK, it’s like this, hmm’. Then we deal with it.”

Tottenham manager Thomas Frank speaks to Randal Kolo Muani

REUTERS

Despite Frank’s rather honest admission about the change in expectation from Brentford to Tottenham, he has been here before.

Slow starts in his two previous head coach roles, at Brondby and Brentford, have taught him to stick to his principles. His Bees tenure started with a run of one win from his opening 10 games in charge. But patience paid off.

He continued: “I think both experiences showed me [that] you can stick to your principles, processes, structure, to what you believe in. Constantly try to add the layers you want to add to the squad in terms of culture, behaviour, the way you want to play, finding the right formula, all that. You just need to keep doing that.”

Frank is realistic enough to know, though, that he may not be afforded that time at Tottenham. Results need to change, and quickly.

Read more here!

51 minutes ago

Match preview: Frank must take inspiration from Spurs' past to save his job

Thomas Frank will have no issue celebrating if Tottenham score against his former club, Brentford, this weekend. It could just save his job.

A happy reunion has the ability to turn toxic if Spurs cannot secure just their second home league win of the season.

So, Frank will be hoping his side can translate their efficiency on the road to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as they look to end a five-game winless run in all competitions.

Tottenham are among the highest scorers in the Premier League this season, yet their average of 1.14 goals per game at home is the sixth-lowest in the division. Few stats highlight their issues on home soil quite so dramatically.

Frank wants his team to be efficient in front of goal - taking fewer but higher-quality shots. This was something his Brentford side excelled at.

Spurs’ snatch-and-grab draw away to Newcastle on Tuesday, with Cristian Romero scoring with Tottenham’s only two shots on target, was proof that they have the ability to stay in games and strike cold.

While that tactic may work away from home, Tottenham fans want to impose more of an identity on the opposition when they welcome them to north London.

So far, Frank, like his predecessors, is finding it hard to make Tottenham’s home a fortress, and his style, which is predicated on the quality rather than the quantity of chances, has left little room for error in attack.

The Dane is stringent in his beliefs; it has carried him from the Championship to the Champions League in little under a decade, but he has also built his reputation on being adaptable.

Tottenham manager Thomas Frank