Thomas Frank accepts Tottenham cannot solve their 2025 problems fast, yet expects visible progress when Spurs visit Brentford in their first Premier League match of 2026. The trip takes Frank back to the Gtech
Stadium, where Frank oversaw 278 league matches, and comes with Spurs sitting 13th and under pressure to turn a difficult league run.
Spurs edged Crystal Palace 1-0 in their last Premier League outing, only their second win in nine league fixtures, and Frank wants that result to mark a shift. The earlier meeting this season ended 2-0 to Tottenham, but both teams now arrive in West London with contrasting confidence and very different recent performances.
Brentford are ninth and one point ahead of Tottenham, and the hosts are on a three-game unbeaten streak since losing that reverse fixture. Keith Andrews’ side have won two straight league games, including a 4-1 victory over Bournemouth, and the head coach has challenged the squad to respond strongly to the standard set on 6 December.
Andrews made clear that Brentford must raise standards across the pitch. "The close proximity of the two games means it's a nice opportunity to face them again and, more importantly, perform better," said Andrews. "In that game, we didn't hit the heights that we had previously done in the majority of our other games. We need to perform individually and collectively better than we did on that day; I've spoken about it publicly and privately. We need to own that and take absolute responsibility for it. "
For Frank, returning to Brentford adds another layer to an already important fixture for Tottenham. Frank left the Gtech Stadium earlier in 2025 after a long spell that included those 278 league matches, and now returns seeking stability at Spurs, who have taken 11 wins from 37 league games in 2025, a figure Frank openly says must improve.
Frank did not hide the scale of Tottenham’s task. "For a club of Tottenham's stature, we need to win more than 11 out of 37 [league] games [in 2025]," Frank said. "This is part of a longer journey; it's not a quick fix. We are doing everything we can to improve things, bit by bit. I think slowly, bit by bit, adding those layers. So, we are competitive in the games where not everything is perfect. That was a big step against Palace. It's definitely a quality you need to have if you want to achieve something big. One thing's for sure: you're not going to play 38 perfect games. You're going to play at least 10 s*** games. Can you win three or four of them 1-0 on a rainy day? That's a lot of quality in that. "
Starting 2026 with a trip to West London. @Castrol pic.twitter.com/RGubnd3P49Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) December 30, 2025
Brentford vs Tottenham key players to watch
Kevin Schade is central to Brentford’s recent momentum. Schade scored a hat-trick in that 4-1 win against Bournemouth, matching his total from the previous 18 Premier League appearances. Schade now has 13 league goals in 2025, more than any Brentford teammate, with seven giving Brentford the lead and six eventually deciding matches.
Richarlison leads Tottenham’s threat ahead of the Brentford vs Tottenham clash. The forward assisted Archie Gray’s winner against Crystal Palace and has 10 goal involvements from 15 league starts in 2025, with eight goals and two assists. Against Palace, Richarlison saw two finishes ruled out while still leading Spurs in attempts, touches in the box and chances created.
Brentford vs Tottenham match prediction and Opta odds
History at the Gtech Stadium favours Tottenham, who are unbeaten in four Premier League away trips to Brentford, drawing three before a 2-0 win last season. Yet current form strengthens Brentford’s case, as Andrews’ team have taken eight wins from their last 12 home league games, with two draws and two defeats, and four victories in their most recent five.
Tottenham’s broader record against Brentford in the Premier League is strong, with five wins, three draws and one defeat from nine meetings, that loss coming 3-1 in May 2023. However, Spurs have started recent calendar years poorly, losing their first league game in two of the last three, including a 2-1 home defeat against Newcastle in 2025, and have not dropped opening league fixtures in successive calendar years since 2008 and 2009.
January has also been difficult for Spurs. Tottenham lost every Premier League match in January last season, one of three clubs, with Wolves and Southampton also finishing that month pointless. Spurs have suffered 10 defeats in their last 16 January league games, winning five and drawing one, with their most recent January victory coming against Frank’s Brentford side in 2024.
Data supports Brentford as slight favourites for Brentford vs Tottenham. Opta’s model rates the hosts’ chances of winning higher than Spurs, although both teams have clear paths to victory in what could be a tight match, shaped by home form, Frank’s return and the contributions of Schade and Richarlison.
Brentford and Tottenham approach this match with different trends but similar ambitions, separated by one league position and one point. Brentford rely on strong home performances and Schade’s scoring run, while Tottenham look to build from the Palace result, manage a difficult January record and continue Frank’s gradual improvement plan against familiar opposition at the Gtech Stadium.
