Tottenham aim to open new stadium with match against Crystal Palace

Tottenham's new stadium has faced delays and complications for the past year, but it finally seems as though it will be opening in March.

According to The Sun, Tottenham are aiming to have their first game in their new stadium against London rivals Crystal Palace on March 16.

However, if Spurs continue to progress in the FA Cup after their 7-0 thrashing of Tranmere, the first game could be pushed back to April because of fixture clash.

There will be a meeting on Sunday with contractors Mace to discuss the progress of the project.

One report says an optimistic target for the opening of the stadium is as early as February, however a March opening seems more likely after all of the delays the stadium has seen so far.

Both Spurs vs Newcastle and their match against Leicester in February are due to be televised, which led to more rumours about an earlier opening. With those dates looming through, the project, which has already costed upwards of £850million, would face a race against time.

Tottenham will also play arch rivals Arsenal in March, however police will reportedly oppose plans to open the stadium with that fixture. They'd also oppose a midweek opening of the stadium with Spurs' Champions League match against Borussia Dortmund in February.

So the Crystal Palace match may be the next best option. Beyond that, the home game against Brighton on April 6 would be next on the agenda.

Recent reports have said Tottenham are in talks with NFL team the Oakland Raiders to share the new stadium for the Raiders' home games next season.

The Raiders will be without a home ahead of their move to Las Vegas, and Spurs' new stadium has a fully functional NFL pitch beneath the retractable grass football pitch.