Town will be hoping history repeats itself when they travel to take on Spurs on Sunday in Kieran McKenna’s first return to his old club as a manager and the Blues’ first competitive match at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The Blues’ last visit to the Lilywhites’ old White Hart Lane home in December 2001 saw George Burley’s Town end a 15-game Premier League winless streak, running out 2-1 victors.

McKenna’s Blues have failed to win any of their 10 Premier League matches since their return to the top flight, although will feel circumstances - specifically those relating to refereeing and VAR - conspired against them to prevent them from breaking their duck against Leicester at Portman Road last Saturday, the game ending 1-1.

Despite the lack of victories and with Town sitting in 18th in the relegation places, McKenna believes there have been signs of progress in those games with his side having been competitive as it finds its feet at this level and as the summer signings settle into his way of playing.

“I don't think you can always set an exact expectation or definition of performances because each game is different,” he said.

“I think one of our first goals is to be competitive in every match. And I think we're not too far away from that. I can't say we've been competitive in every moment of every match but across the 10 games we've certainly been in the majority. 

“Of course, we would have liked to have won a couple by now but also we've only lost five out of 10. With what we've been through and the challenges we've had in the early part of the season, [we’ve picked up] five results and it certainly could have been one or two more. 

“To be as competitive as we have been, I think there are a lot of positives in there. So we know there's another step to take to win games consistently in the Premier League that we haven't taken yet.

“We know some of the reasons for that. But I think we're showing some good signs of progress and the group is growing.”

It will be a far from easy task claiming that first win on Sunday with Tottenham currently seventh in the Premier League, 11 points ahead of the Blues.

At home, they have won four and lost one, a 1-0 reverse to local rivals Arsenal. Last weekend, they comprehensively beat Aston Villa 4-1.

On Thursday - the reason the fixture was moved to Sunday - Spurs lost 3-2 away against Galatasaray in the Europa League, ending the match with 10 men following young forward Will Lankshear’s red card.

Tottenham are the top scorers in the division with 22 goals and have struck the second-most shots, 172, after Manchester City, 197.

Spurs are the joint-highest home goalscorers alongside Brentford with 15. They have also conceded just four times on their own turf with only three sides - Newcastle, Nottingham Forest and Liverpool, all three - shipping fewer. However, they have kept just one clean sheet in their last 20 Premier League matches.

They have won nine of their last 12 Premier League matches and have scored in each of their last 42 home games against newly promoted teams.

Despite that form, McKenna insists Town are capable of taking points from the match, although he dismissed Thursday’s trip to Turkey and a handful of injuries playing a significant role.

“It's an exciting challenge and we believe we can get something from the game,” he said. “Nothing to do with injuries, I think they're probably missing [Micky] van de Ven, by my maths, out of their most common starting XI. So we're certainly going to have more starters or more important players missing this weekend.

“So, nothing to do with that. Why I think it's possible for us to get a result has nothing really to do with them having a game on Thursday. They rotated the side and they're well used to playing two games a week.

“So nothing to do with those things, just because of our belief that if we play as a team, if we stick to a game plan, we're going to need to show great energy. 

“First of all, they're the most intense team in the Premier League. It's the most physical game you can have anywhere at the moment because the Premier League is the most intense league and at the moment they're the physically most intense team in the Premier League. 

“So we're going to have to show a great physical capacity and intensity. We're going to have to be brave enough to impose ourselves on moments in the game.

“We're going to have to be super-disciplined to show organisation and resilience in other moments of the game.

“We're going to have to get all the margins to go in our favour in terms of set plays and game management and we're probably going to need some luck.

“All those things are possible on Sunday and we'll certainly work towards delivering as many of those as are under our control as possible.

“We know it's a really tough game. They've been scoring goals at home. They scored four goals last time out against Aston Villa, they scored four against Everton, they scored four against West Ham, three against Brentford and probably could have had double.

“So we know they're a real attacking side and they're pretty relentless with the way they go after goals. 

“There's a lot to admire in it but also there's, I believe, a way to try and get at any team. We'll try and impose ourselves as well as we can and try and hurt them in as many different ways as possible.

“It's a great challenge for us. I think it's one that if we approach it in the right way will make us stronger. 

“It's not a game that anyone will expect us to go and get points from. We believe that we can, but I do know that if we approach the game in the right way in every aspect then in a long season it's a game that can make us stronger as a group, and I think that really is under our control and that's the main focus for us in the Sunday.”

Town have played once at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, a 3-0 pre-season defeat in August 2020 in which Son Heung-min scored twice, and McKenna is well aware of the South Korean’s threat, even if the pair didn’t meet during their spells at Spurs.

“He’s not someone who I came across,” McKenna said. “I'm not sure if we would have crossed over or not, maybe very, very early stages [of Son’s time there]. But he's a brilliant player, and he's had a fantastic Premier League career and a fantastic impact on Tottenham over the years. 

“Of course, his wonderful link-up with Harry Kane and now he leads the team himself in many ways.

“A great experience for us to come up against him this weekend. I know the defenders are going to be super-focused on doing the right things and getting the details right to try to stop and limit him as much as we can.

“But also they've got a team and a squad full of attacking threats now and you certainly can't just worry about one threat in the team.

“I know the defenders, especially in that area of the pitch, will be especially ready for the threat that he brings and do the very best to keep him quiet.”

Town will also have to keep Brennan Johnson, son of Blues legend David, under control. The Wales international was the target of online abuse from his own fans following his move from Nottingham Forest but this season had a spell where he scored six goals in six games in all competitions. He added his seventh of the campaign against Villa last week.

“Very impressive,” McKenna said. “People speak very highly about him as a person, I've never come across him.

“He's certainly having a big impact on the Tottenham side at the moment with his directness off the ball, his movement to get behind, his ability to create chances, and his movement to score opportunities. He's very, very good.

“And on the off the pitch stuff or criticism, I don't know the ins and outs of the situation, but I do know it's part of the reality for Premier League footballers and for young people, in many ways an unfortunate part of the reality.

“But I know that he will be very well supported by the staff there, by the manager there. And apart from having to face him this weekend, it's good to see any young player showing resilience and working his way to really good form. And we know we'll be at full stretch to stop him this weekend.”

McKenna’s side will be wearing the pink third kit, designed in conjunction with Ed Sheeran, for the first time and the Blues boss hopes it will bring his team some good fortune.

“That’s right, that’s going to be its first outing,” he said. “Everyone knows how important Ed is to us and hopefully it will bring us some good luck on Sunday.”

The Team

McKenna will probably stick essentially to the team which should have beaten Leicester last week but with one enforced change due to Kalvin Phillips’s one-match suspension.

Aro Muric will be in goal with Ben Johnson and Leif Davis, making his 100th Town start, the full-backs and Dara O’Shea and Cameron Burgess the centre-halves.

Jens Cajuste will come in for his third Premier League start for Phillips alongside skipper Sam Morsy, still on four bookings with a fifth leading to a ban.

Conor Chaplin again looks set to start as the number 10 with Omari Hutchinson on the right and Sammie Szmodics on the left.

McKenna will have to choose between Liam Delap and George Hirst for the out-and-out striker’s role.

Harry Clarke will be back on the bench having served his one-match ban for his red card at Brentford.

The Opposition

Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou has a few injury concerns going into Sunday’s match.

At a press conference given on Friday morning only a few hours after their overnight return from Turkey, the former Australian boss revealed that centre-half Cristian Romero is only a possibility to face the Blues due to a foot issue picked up in the Villa match last week.

Striker Timo Werner, who is on loan for the season from Bundesliga RB Leipzig, is expected to miss out due to a groin injury, as will young winger Mikey Moore, who has been ill.


Another frontman, Brazilian international Richarlison, is also out having broken down last week as he made his return from a hamstring problem.

Centre-half Micky van de Ven remains sidelined, also due to a hamstring issue.

Reflecting on Town’s visit, Postecoglou said: “Every league game has the potential to hurt you if you're not at your best. Ipswich will be no different. They got close last week, I think they've been close in a number of games this year.

“I think Kieran McKenna has done an unbelievable job since he's been there and I think they continue to grow. It's always harder for clubs who get promoted who haven't gone down and got the benefit of parachute payments.

“He’s got them competitive and I think they have been competitive in just about every game this year which is a credit to him and his players.

“We're expecting a tough one at the weekend, as we do every week, but our form particularly at home has been pretty strong this year and we want to continue that.”

History

Historically, Town have won 21 games between the teams (20 in the league) and Tottenham 24 (22) with eight ending in draws (eight).

The Blues have previously played at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium once, a behind-closed-doors friendly which the home side won 3-0 ahead of the 2020/21 Covid season, Son netting twice after Ryan Sessegnon had opened the scoring.

Luke Woolfenden is the only member of the Town squad involved that day still at the club.

The Blues have won the last three competitive matches between the teams with the Lilywhites having been victorious in the previous three.

Tthe teams last met at Portman Road in January 2002 when a late John McGreal headed goal gave Town the points as they defeated Spurs 2-1 and claimed a double over the North Londoners.

A second-half Gus Poyet goal looked to have won the visitors a point, Marcus Bent having put Town ahead in the first half of an entertaining and open game.

The previous month, Town's miserable run of 15 games without a Premier League win came to an end as goals from Finidi George and Alun Armstrong saw the Blues come from behind to deservedly beat ten-man Tottenham at White Hart Lane, Simon Davies having put the home side ahead before Teddy Sheringham was sent off for an off-the-ball altercation with McGreal.

That victory was the start of a run of seven wins in eight which took them up to 12th in the table and well on the way to safety. However, a late season collapse saw them relegated.

Familiar Faces

Town boss McKenna was an academy midfielder with Tottenham but was forced to retire with a hip injury before making a first-team appearance. He began coaching in the Spurs youth set-up, progressing to the U18s before moving on to Manchester United, ending 14 years at the club.

Winger Jack Clarke was with Spurs between July 2019 and July 2022 following an £8,500,000 move from Leeds. However, he made only four cup sub appearances for the Lilywhites.

Blues midfielder Massimo Luongo came through the Spurs youth set-up, during which time he made one senior sub appearance and spent his first spell on loan with the Blues. Luongo also played 32 Australia internationals under Postecoglou during his time as Socceroos’ boss.

Town’s head of player and coaching development Bryan Klug worked at Tottenham’s academy between 2010 and 2012 and was assistant academy manager when he opted to return to Playford Road as academy director.

The Blues’ head of athletic performance, Matt Allen, joined the club from Spurs in the summer of 2023.

Officials

Sunday’s referee is Darren England, his assistants will be Simon Bennett and Neil Davies, and the fourth official Robert Jones. The VAR official is John Brooks and his assistant Mark Scholes.

England, who was the VAR official for the Aston Villa and West Ham matches earlier in the season, has shown 44 yellow cards and three red in 10 games so far this season.

The Doncaster-based official’s most recent Town match was the 2-1 win at Watford in December last year in which he booked Chaplin, Hutchinson, Luongo, Hirst and two Hornets.

Prior to that he was in charge of the 1-0 home defeat to Swansea in April 2019 in which he cautioned James Bree, Toto Nsiala and three Swans.

He also refereed the 2-0 defeat at Blackburn in the preceding January in which he yellow-carded skipper Luke Chambers and one home player and also awarded Rovers a penalty after Callum Elder had hauled down Adam Armstrong.

Before that he was in the middle for the 2-1 defeat at Nottingham Forest in April 2018 in which he booked Grant Ward and one home player.

England also took charge of the 1-0 defeat at Bristol City a month earlier, in which he cautioned Jonas Knudsen and one Robin, and the 2-0 win at Sunderland a month prior to that, in which he yellow-carded Joe Garner and one Black Cat.

Squad From

Muric, Walton, Slicker, Davis, Townsend, O’Shea, Johnson, H Clarke, Woolfenden, Burgess, Morsy (c), Cajuste, Luongo, Hutchinson, Chaplin, Szmodics, J Clarke, Broadhead, Burns, Delap, Hirst, Al-Hamadi.

Photo: Action Images

ArnieM added 20:03 - Nov 8 Gulp!
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FreddySteady added 20:11 - Nov 8 Here’s hoping Spurs will be “Spursy” but we are playing ok and I genuinely believe we will stay up!
6

Suffolkboy added 20:21 - Nov 8 KM as ever reassuringly certain and analytical, positive and measured ; not raising hopes too high,but setting standards and targets which point to progression in all ITFC try to do the pitch . COYB
5

rkl added 20:42 - Nov 8 Tottenham away and Man Utd at home in the next two. I still remember Frank Yallop’s two strikes in those consecutive fixtures back in 93 Who will be our hero this time?
4

IpswichT62OldBoy added 21:01 - Nov 8 Needs must as the devil drives, stick to the troth and we will stay up.
2

blueboyd added 22:30 - Nov 8 we are going to get absolutely smashed out of sight I believe!
-7

Northstandveteran added 22:31 - Nov 8 Good call rkl. First division Frank. I'm predicting a Spursy turn out. 2-0 town.
3

Gforce added 22:58 - Nov 8 We've got two hopes !
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bobble added 10:23 - Nov 9 Everyone back except for delap, boot it forward to him everytime we get it..2...1 to town
1

bluebullet29l added 12:33 - Nov 9 With our defence we have no chance...even if we scored 5 we would let in 6....
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blueboy1981 added 16:08 - Nov 9 Right now does anyone really expect even a single point out of the next two matches ? - with our continuously benevolent defence. Which will it be ? - ‘put up time’ - or an ‘embarrassment’ … ?? Round 1 tomorrow !! - and let’s HOPE for the former ….. !!!
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MickMillsTash added 16:20 - Nov 9 During the Kick ins - the defensive drill sometimes suggests that we will defend as a 5- Burns involved. But we never do - even if it may be sensible Tomorrow it really would be sensible we have gaps between our full backs and centre backs as a 4 and spurs will exploit that Having said that Spurts can leave one at the back and Delap vs 1 might be good news
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blueboy1981 added 17:26 - Nov 9 Some won’t like this, or agree, but our next two games will decide our season - a no points return will mean unless a 100% about turn in performances is imminent, we know where we’ll be in August 25 again !! It has to improve NOW !!
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RobsonWark added 18:51 - Nov 9 BRING BACK WALTON! It's our only chance. We are never going to win with that clown Muric in goal. Walton will command the box and make the saves that Muric can not.
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londontractorboy57 added 20:50 - Nov 9 We could.shoukd of gog.more from the teams on the same points as spurs I see no reason why with abit of.luck we can't win this one.
2

churchmans added 23:31 - Nov 9 Head and form says we are gona get pumped! Especially if we conceed early! But the heart says hope and surprise! Meanwhile brighton manager hurzella is the double of george hirst! Can't see a win in our next 3games! Any points will be a surprise! Still think our season will be determined by our games against palace,wolves,Leicester probably go to the last home game of the season! I just hope we don't dissappear way out of sight

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churchmans added 23:32 - Nov 9 And southampton! Still beleive we can stay up
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armchaircritic59 added 01:44 - Nov 10 I think everyone should read the first two of Ange's last 3 paragraphs above, and take it in. We are not competing on a level playing field, just back the guys for the rest of the season and we'll take stock at the end.
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PhuketPete added 02:46 - Nov 10 @robsonwark. K McK clearly doesn’t agree with so it’s a waste of time to keep complaining about Aro, Its also unfair and disloyal to single out one player when practically everyone in the side has made defensive mistakes - BUT they’ve all also done many good things and are improving. Please just enjoy the ride and remember this is a huge bonus for those of us who remember the SBR era (some even the SAR years), but after 20+ years, thought we may never again see a top flight Ipswich team.

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PhuketPete added 02:59 - Nov 10 @blueboy1981. I don’t agree the next two define us and more to the point nor will KMc and the players. Also don’t agree we need a “100% about turn” in performances. Excepting WHU and Everton we’ve been decent and are already markedly better, esp going forward. What we do need is better officiating and a slice of good fortune. Anyway today is about the performance more than the result as we have a string of winnable games after Spurs. So please try to stop being so miserable. We’ll still be in the mix at the run-in with 3-4 other clubs

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bobble added 04:16 - Nov 10 Spurs have lost 4 out of 10 games we have lost 5 ,not much between the teams losing games wise...
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blueboy1981 added 08:42 - Nov 10 PhuketPete …. It’s called Reality, and not choosing to continuously be delusional of Truth and Actual.
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blueboy1981 added 10:33 - Nov 10 If any of you think for a single second that Relegation would be anything but a Disaster for our Club, just cast an eye to Luton Town FC - and Digest !! We need WINS ! - NOW !!
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Ebantiass added 12:58 - Nov 10 Depends on which spurs side turns up I think. At home they are very good and a high energy style of play. I fear a 4-1 drubbing. COYBs
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TimmyH added 13:04 - Nov 10 Anybody thinking we can beat Spurs today are in LA LA land...yes they do have some bad games when least expecting but largely away from home, this season they have been good on their own patch even when they lost 2-0 to Arsenal they didn't deserve it. 3-0 to Spurs but obviously hoping for a miracle.
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