Notebook - Brentford vs Spurs

After six weeks away, the Premier League is back on Boxing Day (Monday 26 December) as we make the trip to Brentford (kick-off 12.30pm).

Ahead of the fixture, here are all of its key points of note…

1 - Back in action

On Monday lunchtime, our Premier League campaign is set to resume away at Brentford. It has been six weeks away from competitive action for us due to the mid-season World Cup in Qatar, but now we are back and ready to pick up where we left off – our dramatic comeback win over Leeds United on 12 November.

What almost feels a lifetime ago, we left it late to overturn a 3-2 deficit against the Whites at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with a Rodrigo Bentancur brace in the final 10 minutes securing us all three points.

Highlights – Spurs 4-3 Leeds United

2 - Our Boxing Day Record

In the Premier League, we hold the record for the longest unbeaten run on Boxing Day – and we could extend it on Monday. Heading into the clash at the Gtech Community Stadium, we are currently on a run of 15 games undefeated on Boxing day having last suffered defeat on the 26 December in the competition in 2003 -  a 2-0 loss to Portsmouth. Since that defeat we have won 12 and drawn three of our such matches, including a 3-0 win over Crystal Palace last December.

Highlights – Spurs 3-0 Crystal Palace

3 - Kane’s Boxing Day hits

One of our scorers in that win over Crystal Palace was Harry Kane – and he has quite the record on Boxing Day. No player in Premier League history has scored more goals on the 26 December than Harry (nine – joint with Robbie Fowler). Incredibly, Harry has managed that return of nine in just six appearances on this date.

Watch – Harry Kane’s Boxing Day strikes

4 - Our record against Brentford

While we have such a strong record on Boxing Day, we also have a fairly strong record against Brentford, having not lost a game to them in 74 years. Not since a 2-0 defeat to Bees at White Hart Lane in March, 1948, have we come away emptied handed against the west London side. In the years since, we have faced them 13 times in all competitions, winning nine of those meetings and drawing four. Our last encounter with them came in April as we drew 0-0 on our first ever visit to the Brentford Community Stadium.

Highlights – Brentford 0-0 Spurs

5 - Clean sheet run

While our results against the Bees have been strong over the years, so has our ability to keep clean sheets against them. In each of our last five meetings with Brentford, we have not conceded – the west London side last scoring against us in a 1998 League Cup meeting.

6 - Lloris’ run to end

However, if we are to keep another clean sheet against the Bees this Monday, we will have to do it without Hugo Lloris. With our number one due to report back at Hotspur Way over the coming days having completed his break following his run to the World Cup Final with France, Antonio Conte has confirmed that, while he will be a part of the matchday squad at the Gtech Community Stadium, he will take his place on the bench with Fraser Forster set to deputise for him. It will be the first time Hugo has not started a Premier League game for us since 1 March, 2020, while it will be Fraser’s league debut for us.

7 - Conte vs Brentford

So far in his managerial career in English football, Antonio Conte is unbeaten against Brentford in all competitions. Having faced the Bees three times to date, Antonio has been victorious twice, drawing the other. He has also seen his sides keep a clean sheet in all three encounters.

8 - Brentford’s form this season

It has been quite the mixed bag of results for Brentford so far this season. Having started the campaign with just one defeat from their first six matches, a run which included putting four past Manchester United and five past Leeds, they then took victory in just one of their next eight in a period in which they conceded three to Arsenal, five to Newcastle and four to Aston Villa. They did, however, head into the World Cup break on a high, defeating Manchester City 2-1 at the Etihad.