Nottingham × Tottenham · Premier League

Nottingham host Tottenham in the Premier League on Saturday 5 September at 15:00 BST, the most traditional slot in the English week. Forest have the City Ground and a Midlands crowd behind them, while Spurs make the trip down from north London. The fixture list rarely hands either club a quiet afternoon, and this one lands with the season still taking its shape.

What is at stake is the currency the competition deals in, points that look identical whoever collects them and wherever they are collected. A home win would reward Forest for making visitors uncomfortable, an away win would say something about how well Tottenham travel. The thread worth following is the tempo, because these meetings usually turn on which side sets it and how long the other tolerates it.