Tottenham Hotspur head into their Premier League showdown with Crystal Palace on the back of a memorable 3-1 triumph over Real Madrid in the Champions League on Wednesday night.

Palace make the short trip to Wembley Stadium still sitting at the bottom of the table, but the Eagles did record just their fourth point of the campaign last weekend.

Tottenham Hotspur

© Offside

Spurs may have gotten the better of Real Madrid in midweek, but head coach Mauricio Pochettino will still have mixed feelings regarding his side's recent performances and how he should approach the upcoming fixtures.

While Spurs deserve their praise for toppling the Champions League title holders, defeats against both West Ham United and Manchester United will not have been forgotten and Sunday's meeting with Crystal Palace is an opportunity to show that Spurs can maintain the correct mentality after such a significant win.

Dele Alli had started to come in for criticism for his inconsistent displays this season, but the midfielder's two-goal contribution against Real has only improved his stock having had to sit out three European games through suspension.

Harry Kane remains the club's talisman - despite not scoring at Wembley on Wednesday - and his influence on this team has become increasingly evident after sitting out the disappointing defeats which preceded the triumph over Los Blancos.

Spurs have issues in other areas of the pitch, with goalkeeper Hugo Lloris and Toby Alderweireld both sustaining injuries in midweek, but Pochettino will see it as an opportunity to display the full strength of his squad.

The Argentine has stressed the need for focus against their bottom-of-the-table opponents, but having had a taster of the adulation which comes with the biggest triumphs, there will not necessarily be any kind of hangover for the visit of the Eagles.

Recent form: DWWWWL
Recent form (all competitions): WDWLLW

Crystal Palace

© SilverHub

Palace boss Roy Hodgson suggested that he was unhappy with his side's 2-2 draw with West Ham United last weekend, but the result could potentially act as the catalyst for a change in fortunes for the club.

The London outfit remain four points adrift of safety, but salvaging a point when facing a two-goal deficit against a direct rival could turn out to be a big result for a team who have struggled all season.

Hodgson has spoken of the positive impact of Wilfried Zaha, who missed much of the first part of the season through injury, but other members of the squad are starting to contribute to the cause.

Issues still remain in defence - Palace have only kept one clean sheet all season and that came in the EFL Cup - but Hodgson has at least started to stem the number of goals which were being conceded upon his arrival.

Palace's home form will likely be the pivotal factor when all is said and done at the end of the season, but Hodgson is under pressure to end a run of eight successive defeats on the road in all competitions.

After the international break, Everton, Stoke City, Brighton & Hove Albion and West Bromwich Albion are all to come in successive fixtures and despite their league position, Palace will be buoyant ahead of those games if they can claim at least a point at the national stadium.

Recent form: LLLWLD
Recent form (all competitions): LLWLLW

Team News

© Offside

Spurs have confirmed that Lloris and Alderweireld will both be absent due to the groin and hamstring injuries they sustained against Real.

That should mean a first league start of the season for second-choice stopper Michel Vorm, while Eric Dier will drop back into defence to cover for Alderweireld and Mousa Dembele or Moussa Sissoko introduced in midfield.

However, Pochettino has revealed that there are no concerns over Kane after his recent hamstring niggle, meaning that Son Heung-min is likely to start the game on the bench.

Hodgson has hinted that Mamadou Sakho could feature in the squad after returning to training, while James McCarthur and Patrick van Aanholt could also be in contention.

However, Christian Benteke remains absent, with Hodgson hopeful that the Belgian forward could be fit enough to return after the international break.

Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:
Vorm; Sanchez, Dier, Vertonghen; Trippier, Winks, Dembele, Davies; Eriksen, Alli, Kane

Crystal Palace possible starting lineup:
Speroni; Ward, Dann, Tomkins, Fosu-Mensah; Milivojevic, Cabaye, Loftus-Cheek; Schlupp, Townsend, Zaha

Head To Head

Sunday's meeting will represent just the 51st time in which these two teams have played each other in a competitive match, with Spurs claiming 26 wins in comparison to 11 victories for Palace.

Since Palace regained promotion to the top flight in 2013, nine contests have taken place, with Spurs recording six wins and a draw during that period.

Four of the last five matches have ended in a 1-0 scoreline, and you have to go all the way back to 1989 - a total of 23 games - since five or more goals were scored in this fixture.

We say: Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 Crystal Palace

Spurs may face issues with maintaining the level of performance shown against Real but the North Londoners are now one of the biggest teams in England - it comes with the territory. We expect Palace to threaten at Wembley, but their defence is not displaying the kind of form required to keep out Kane and co.

Previews by email