Tottenham receive UCL boost and holds cards to decide Premier League title

Ange Postecoglou takes his Tottenham Hotspur side on a short trip across London this evening to face Fulham with a Champions League place in their grasp.

But with 11 games remaining in their Premier League campaign Spurs also look likely to play a defining role in the title race.

They are scheduled to face the three title contenders on consecutive weekends next month and will relish the opportunity to play a key role in who ends up being crowned champions in late May.

Spurs will host Manchester City on the weekend of April 20 before welcoming neighbours Arsenal for a highly-anticipated north London derby a week later. And if those results don’t sway the title in the favour of one side, Postecoglou’s men then travel to Anfield - having defeated Liverpool at home in memorable, controversial circumstances earlier in the season.

The Australian head coach will no doubt say his focus is solely on his team’s results and performances but those trio of fixtures will be earmarked as crucial for the wider race.

Spurs will be still battling for their European standing at the stage - though their task became expectedly easier in the past 48 hours.

West Ham's thrashing of Freiburg on Thursday evening brought good news for Spurs and the rest of the Premier League’s European hopefuls because it made it highly likely that fifth in the table will seal a Champions League spot next season. And with Tottenham currently occupying fifth spot, six points clear of Manchester United and 10 ahead of the Hammers, that should be music to their ears.

Their immediate task against Fulham, who are buried in a mid-table morass, will be made more difficult by Micky van de Ven’s absence through injury. But Postecoglou has confirmed that the defender hopes to be