Tottenham Hotspur hosts Leicester in the Premier League with the result vital to both sides’ hopes at both ends of the table.
Son Heung Min inspired Spurs midweek in a 3-2 win in the Europa League, with Ange Postecoglou now desperate for a result in the league to ease pressure on the Australian boss.
“It’s about the players,” Postecoglou said, while also praising his Korean talisman. “It is getting increasingly difficult for them to maintain performance for sure as they’re giving everything and it’s a small group.
“We should have some light at the end of the tunnel the next couple of weeks. The resilience and determination of players to get out there and perform is a fantastic thing for me to witness and I couldn’t be prouder of them.”
While Ruud Van Nistelrooy’s Foxes are second from bottom and look to snap a run of seven successive league defeats, including last weekend’s home loss to Fulham. Follow all of the latest in our live blog below:
Tottenham vs Leicester
-
Tottenham host Leicester City in the Premier League
-
33′ GOAL! Richarlison nods Spurs into the lead (TOT 1-0 LEI)
-
15′ SAVE! Stolarczyk denies Porro’s long-ranged effort (TOT 0-0 LEI)
-
10′ CHANCE! Ayew is fed the ball but his effort is blocked (TOT 0-0 LEI)
-
James Maddison not in Tottenham squad to face former club
Tottenham Hotspur FC 1 – 0 Leicester City FC
Tottenham 1-0 Leicester
14:38 , Mike Jones
36 mins: James Justin takes a shot from the edge of the box and his effort is deflected behind for a corner.
The corner ball comes into the middle and Richarlison leaps up to head the ball away once more.
Decent response to the goal from Leicester.
GOAL! Tottenham 1-0 Leicester (Richarlison, 33′)
14:35 , Mike Jones
Tottenham strike first!
Pedro Porro gets forward on the right wing and hooks a cross ino the box.
Richarlison spins away from Wout Faes and darts past James Justin.
He meets the ball in the air and nods it into the back of the net.
Tottenham 0-0 Leicester
14:34 , Mike Jones
30 mins: Dejan Kulusevski pumps the ball up to Richarlison but the Brazilian is caught offside again.
Tottenham 0-0 Leicester
14:29 , Mike Jones
27 mins: There hasn’t been much attacking flow from Spurs but they’ve had a few moments in this game.
Son recovers the ball and gives it to Gray who is sandwiched between two defenders and loses possession.
Leicester break quickly and send the ball up to Jamie Vardy. The forward sweeps down the right and lifts a cross into the area only for Antonin Kinsky to pluck the ball out of the air.
Tottenham 0-0 Leicester
14:28 , Mike Jones
24 mins: There’s a lot of space over on Tottenham’s right side and Leicester are targeting that to come forward.
Pedro Porro looks to shield the ball but is pushed over by Victor Kristiansen.
Spurs win a free kick.
Tottenham 0-0 Leicester
14:22 , Mike Jones
21 mins: Richarlison makes a run in behind and collects a pass that comes over the top.
He drops into the box and shoots. Stolarczyk makes another sharp save but the offside flag goes up anyway.
Tottenham 0-0 Leicester
14:20 , Mike Jones
18 mins: Son Heung-Min takes a shot at goal from the edge of the box. It’s low and bobbly and heading for goal.
The Leicester goalkeeper drops to the left and pushes it wide of the target.
From the resultant corner Leicester manage to clear without a whole lot of trouble.
Tottenham 0-0 Leicester
14:17 , Mike Jones
15 mins: SAVE!
Jakub Stolarczyk keeps Leicester in this contest with a sharp stop.
Archie Gray sweeps a pass into the box from the left and finds Lucas Bergvall. He pokes the ball to the edge of the box to Pedro Porro.
Porro runs onto the ball and strikes it first time. He connects with it well and almost scores only for Stolarczyk to palm the ball behind.
Tottenham 0-0 Leicester
14:12 , Mike Jones
12 mins: Close!
Leicester sweep forward after a storming run from Victor Kristiansen.
The defender hooks a pass back into the middle of the box where Jordan Ayew arrives.
He shoots first time but his effort is blocked and cleared by the Tottenham centre-backs.
Tottenham 0-0 Leicester
14:10 , Mike Jones
9 mins: Son takes the free kick and lifts the ball into the far side of the box.
Jakub Stolarczyk comes out and slaps the ball away from the back post.
That’s a decent clearance.
Tottenham 0-0 Leicester
14:08 , Mike Jones
6 mins: Spurs send a cross into the box from the right side of the pitch but it gets dealt with by Yannik Vestergaard.
Tottenham come again and attack from the left side this time.
Heung-Min Son and Archie Gray combine on the wing with Gray looking to nip around James Justin. The Leicester defender grapples with him then brings Gray down for a free kick.
Tottenham 0-0 Leicester
14:04 , Mike Jones
3 mins: Both managers are under pressure today and will be given a boost if they can win.
Spurs give the ball away easily as Bilal El Khannouss nips forward and takes possession after a loose pass.
He feeds to ball to Jamie Vardy who slips it into the right side of the box for Jordan Ayew.
Ayew runs at Archie Gray but can’t find enough space to get off a shot.
Kick off! Tottenham 0-0 Leicester
14:02 , Mike Jones
Spurs get the ball rolling in London with the cheers of the home supporters echoing around the stadium.
The ball is worked over to the left and punted down the wing.
Leicester turn over possession and boot it long with Antonin Kinsky collecting the ball.
Tottenham vs Leicester
13:55 , Mike Jones
Here come the teams.
There’s no James Maddison for Spurs today as he’s been excluded from the squad by Ange Postecoglou.
Tottenham are in desperate need of a win and hope to sweep past Leicester who hope to move themselves out of the relegation zone.
Kick off is up next…
Closing in on kick-off
13:50 , Will Castle
Just under 10 minutes until we get things kicked off here at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Both Spurs and Leicester are in dire need of a positive result as they look to turn a corner in what has been an equally dismal season for both so far.
Stay right here for all the action.
Postecoglou hails his young stars for stepping up
13:45 , Will Castle
Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall have repeatedly stepped up for Spurs in recent weeks, filling in all over as injury woes continue to plague the squad.
“They’ve been fronting up and are doing the best for their club and I think they all sense the opportunity,” the 59-year-old reflected.
“We’re deep in one competition, we’re in the knock-out stages of another and further along in the FA Cup.
“It’s not like it’s just the league and we have to get some results in the league to brighten us up. We need to get some results in the league because where we are is unacceptable, but there is still plenty to play for and it’s exciting.
“I think they all sense that as well and they want us to get through this period so we can tackle the exciting part of the season in the best shape possible.”
Andoni Iraola interview: The reluctant coach leading a post-Pep tactical revolution
13:40 , Will Castle
Andoni Iraola interview: The reluctant coach leading a post-Pep tactical revolution
Bournemouth face Nottingham Forest this afternoon in a meeting of two of the Premier League’s success stories. This week, Miguel Delaney went down to the south coast to meet the man at the heart of a tactical revolution – and find out what makes Andoni Iraola tick:
Andoni Iraola: The reluctant coach leading a post-Pep tactical revolution
Both managers calling for winter reinforcements
13:30 , Will Castle
Both Ange Postecoglou and Ruud van Nistelrooy have been vocal about their desire to bolster their respective squads going into the second half of the season.
Having seen his Tottenham squad plagued by fitness woes, Postecoglou said: “This playing group needs help, there’s no doubt about that.
“We’re sort of playing with fire by not bringing anyone in, but the flip side of that is the club is trying to change that situation.”
Meanwhile, Van Nistelrooy has indicated that Leicester are in need of further reinforcements as they look to alter their fate and escape relegation back to the Championship.
When asked about Woyo Coulibaly’s signing, Van Nistelrooy responded: “It’s a good start,” with the clear inference it shouldn’t be the end of the spending.
Van Nistelrooy insists Leicester can stay up this season
13:28 , Mike Jones
Leicester manager Ruud van Nistelrooy said: “We are trying to achieve something. Today is a new game.
“We prepared ourselves, we are motivated, we are eager to start and to prove what we can do. We showed it – also in the seven losses (in a row) – the levels we can reach but it’s consistency.
“That is the motivation. We are in a situation that we can still get out of and we are motivated to achieve that.”
Is this do or die for Ange?
13:15 , Will Castle
Ange Postecoglou hasn’t had it easy in North London this season and goes into today’s clash against Leicester under immense pressure.
Hampered by Tottenham’s unrelenting injury crisis, his side has plummeted to 15th in the Premier League – amid a run of five defeats from their last six fixtures in the division.
Another disappointing result against a struggling Foxes side this afternoon could be the final nail in the coffin for the Aussie boss.
James Maddison not in squad to face former club
12:53 , Jamie Braidwood
James Maddison is not in the Tottenham squad and will play no part against his former side, that’s despite returning to goalscoring form against Hoffenheim in midweek.
Not sure yet if Maddison is injured but it comes after Ange Postecoglou talked up the England international following the win over Hoffenheim in midweek.
Postecoglou said: “Madders was great, I think he enjoys having that responsibility.
“Again, it’s been a gripe for him as well, because with the team and the way it’s going at the moment, he’s another one I have tried to manage as best as I can, (rather than) him play every game.
“Creative players are always better when they are fresh. He’s still churning out really good performances. Against Everton (3-2 loss) he was really disappointed but he worked his socks off. It wasn’t for the want of trying.
“With Madders, it’s always moments. The moments (against Hoffenheim) – he was clinical. Against Everton, maybe there were moments when he wasn’t as clinical but that could be just because of the fatigue he feels.
“He’s another one that is pushing through. He is not making excuses, he’s taking on that responsibility.”
Odds for today’s clash
12:50 , Will Castle
Tottenham win 9/20
Draw 17/4
Leicester win 17/4
The Independent vets betting sites for useability, security and responsible gambling tools. You can claim free bets here to use across a range of sports. Please read the terms.
Confirmed line-ups
12:49 , Jamie Braidwood
Tottenham XI: Kinsky; Porro, Dragusin, Gray, Davies; Bergvall, Bentancur, Sarr; Kulusevski, Richarlison, Son.
Leicester XI: Stolarczyk; Justin, Faes, Vestergaard, Kristiansen; Winks, Soumare; Ayew, El Khannouss, De Cordova-Reid; Vardy.
Leicester team news
12:30 , Will Castle
Long-term absentees Ricardo Pereira and Wilfred Ndidi remain out, while goalkeeper Mads Hermansen is still a few weeks from returning.
New signing Woyo Coulibaly could make his debut for the Foxes.
Tottenham team news
12:15 , Will Castle
Tottenham’s injury crisis has deepened with Dominic Solanke ruled out for six weeks with a knee injury.
There are also concerns over the fitness of Spurs trio Djed Spence, Pape Sarr and Yves Bissouma.
It leaves Ange Postecoglou with a skeleton squad, though Cristian Romero is nearing a return.
Why is Tottenham vs Leicester not on TV?
12:00 , Will Castle
Today’s contest at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will not be shown live on TV in the United Kingdom having not been selected for coverage, with Sky Sports showing Crystal Palace vs Brentford in the 2pm timeslot.
Extended highlights will be shown on Match of the Day 2, which airs at 10.30pm GMT on BBC One.
Tottenham vs Leicester
Friday 24 January 2025 18:01 , Jack Rathborn
Good afternoon and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of Tottenham vs Leicester in the early offering in the Premier League clash at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Spurs look to build on a thrilling midweek Europa League win over Hoffenheim, while the Foxes hope to snap a run of seven successive Premier League defeats and capitalise on a midweek rest before the trip to north London.
Follow all the latest updates, team news and build-up ahead of this afternoon’s 2pm GMT kick-off.
Read the full article here
