Nuno Espirito Santo Bracing for Unpredictable Tottenham Clash

Nottingham Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo is preparing his team for an unpredictable clash with Tottenham, praising his side's defensive solidity.

Nottingham Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo is bracing himself for an unpredictable encounter when his side hosts his former club Tottenham at the City Ground on Thursday. Nuno, who previously managed Spurs, is aware that his team will need to be prepared for anything against a Tottenham side known for their inconsistency.

Tottenham's attacking prowess is undeniable, with the team having scored a league-high 39 goals so far this season, making them the most entertaining side in the Premier League. However, their defensive vulnerabilities were exposed in a 6-3 loss to league leaders Liverpool last weekend, highlighting the challenges and opportunities that Forest will face on Thursday.

Nottingham Forest will enter Thursday's match against Tottenham in a strong fourth place, having secured three consecutive victories. Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo, who had a brief and tumultuous stint at Spurs in 2021, has warned his team to expect the unexpected from their opponents.

Nuno described the current Tottenham side as “extremely unpredictable,” emphasizing the challenges they pose. “You never know what's going to happen in the game,” Nuno said. “What we can see is good (Spurs) players, a lot of goals, also conceding goals.” Despite analyzing Tottenham's previous performances, Nuno acknowledges that each game brings new situations. “We analysed yesterday, it was different in terms of goals and situations. The result was a little bit unexpected but what we are preparing is a new game, new situations will happen and we are facing a very good team.”

Nottingham Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo may stick with the defensive lineup that proved successful against Brentford on Saturday when his team faces Tottenham on Thursday. Nuno deployed a back three of Morato, Murillo, and Nikola Milenkovic, and Forest became the first team to prevent Brentford from scoring at home this season.

Nuno was pleased with the defensive performance, saying, “I think it worked OK.” He acknowledged that the team had to be cautious against Brentford's attacking threat. “We were good in the game. Defensively we had to be aware that Brentford were very offensive, a lot of goals and situations and one of the reasons was that.” Nuno also noted that this defensive shape was not new to the team, having been used previously against Manchester City and other opponents. “But before, we did it against (Manchester) City and many games before so it's a shape the players knew, the routines were there and we decided to go with this game, let's see.”