Tottenham vs Crystal Palace

On Sunday afternoon, two London teams still chasing silverware this season face off in a Premier League derby, as Tottenham Hotspur host Crystal Palace at their home ground.

With Tottenham focusing on Europa League success and Palace preparing for an upcoming FA Cup final, this all-London encounter might lack the usual intensity of a typical derby.

A bold manager once declared he’d always claim trophies in his second season—a statement likely met with doubt and mockery at the time—but Tottenham’s Ange Postecoglou is now just one match from proving that prediction true in Europe’s second-tier tournament.

Despite battling harsh weather in the Arctic Circle against Bodo/Glimt on Thursday, Spurs handled their business efficiently, securing a 5-1 aggregate victory in the semi-finals to book a compelling final showdown with fellow Premier League side Manchester United.

With their sights set on Bilbao, Tottenham are likely to treat their remaining Premier League games as a formality, with the primary aim for the 16th-placed side being to steer clear of slipping to 17th by season’s end.

Last weekend’s lackluster 1-1 draw against West Ham United extended Tottenham’s winless run in the Premier League to four games, with only one victory in their last nine league matches—a home win against a relegated Southampton last month.

Postecoglou’s squad has struggled against West Ham, Fulham, and Chelsea recently, contributing to a paltry 11 points from 11 London derbies in the Premier League this season, the lowest among the capital’s clubs.

While Tottenham’s only route to European football in 2025-26 is through a Europa League victory, Crystal Palace still have a faint hope of sneaking into the Premier League’s top eight, which could earn them a spot in next season’s Conference League.

However, with Oliver Glasner’s team trailing Bournemouth by seven points with only three games left, the Eagles’ best shot at European football likely lies at Wembley, where they’ll face Manchester City in an eagerly awaited FA Cup final in two weeks.

Sunday’s visit to Spurs offers Palace a final opportunity to rebuild momentum, which has waned significantly in recent weeks; after a five-game winning streak across all competitions between February 22 and March 29, they’ve managed just two wins in their last eight.

A 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest on Monday night extended Palace’s winless streak in the Premier League to five games, though a single victory would equal their club-record 49 points in a Premier League season, as they’ve never reached 50 points in the competition.

History indicates that Palace are unlikely to match that record at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, having lost their last nine top-flight away games against Spurs.