Newcastle United can take a major step towards UEFA Champions League qualification when they welcome struggling top-four rivals Tottenham Hotspur to St. James’ Park on Sunday.
There is a colossal meeting between two Champions League contenders this Sunday when Newcastle United entertain Tottenham. Both of these teams will be looking to bounce back from disappointing defeats last weekend. And with the home comforts of St. James’ Park behind them, it is Newcastle who will head into this one as the favourites to secure all three points.
The Magpies were brought right down to earth after a five-game winning streak came to an end last time out as high-flying Aston Villa stormed past them 3-0 in the early kickoff. Ollie Watkins once again inspired Unai Emery’s side to a thumping win.
That result, coupled with Manchester United’s subsequent 2-0 success at Nottingham Forest, means that Newcastle are now occupying the fourth spot in the standings, three points behind the Red Devils. Eddie Howe’s side will now turn their focus to tightening their grip on the final Champions League spot when fifth-placed Tottenham heads up north.
In many ways, the Magpies were let off the hook when Tottenham lost spectacularly later on the same day. The Lilywhites were underwhelming in their 3-2 home defeat to Bournemouth last weekend. Having said that, Cristian Stellini’s side remain firmly in the hunt for a much-coveted place in the top four. And a win here would see them draw level on points with their hosts.
With Spurs fans growing restless, playing away from home could be somewhat of a relief. But they are facing an uphill task against a team who were starting to stroll again prior to their 3-0 defeat at Aston Villa, beating Manchester United 2-0 in their last home game.
The reverse fixture, played in October last year, saw Newcastle come away with the three points. The Toon went 2-0 up in the first half itself, thanks to goals from Callum Wilson and Miguel Almiron. Spurs battled their way back into the second half as Harry Kane found the back of the net. But some stout Newcastle defending ensured they could not find an equaliser. And ahead of their latest meeting this weekend, The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams.
Team News & Tactics
Newcastle United
🗣 "Training has been good, the lads have been focused and I think they're ready for what's ahead rather than looking backwards." pic.twitter.com/nnEU2TLMQr
— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) April 21, 2023
Eddie Howe has confirmed Allan Saint-Maximin remains a doubt following a thigh injury. But Sean Longstaff has recovered from an illness. Emil Krafth has made progress in his recovery from ACL surgery, but he is still a long way from returning to training.
After the game last weekend, Howe admitted that Newcastle United produced their ‘worst performance of the season’ as they crashed to a 3-0 defeat at Aston Villa. But the Toon boss insists there will be no knee-jerk reaction ahead of a potentially season-defining game against Tottenham; however, we expect him to make a few tweaks in his starting XI.
Newcastle have a very settled back four in front of goalkeeper Nick Pope this season, comprising Kieran Trippier, Fabian Schar, Sven Botman, and Dan Burn. However, while Burn has enjoyed an excellent season, he has looked a bit leggy in recent weeks and is sure to have his hands full with Dejan Kulusevski likely to be attacking his channel. So to prevent the situation, Howe may recall Matt Targett back into his starting XI after a long while.
Up ahead in midfield, Longstaff could return to the starting XI after only featuring as a substitute against Aston Villa following a bout of tonsillitis. The Magpies missed his presence last weekend as he covers a lot of ground to mark opposition midfield runners, which often goes unnoticed alongside flashy, skillful footballers in Joelinton, Joe Willock, and Bruno Guimaraes after the trio had a torrid afternoon at Villa Park last time out.
Fit-again Miguel Almiron is also in contention to start. Alexander Isak has been a real danger man for Newcastle, scoring five goals in his last six league games since returning from injury. He may continue to lead the line for the Magpies.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Pope; Trippier, Schar, Botman, Targett; Longstaff, Guimaraes, Willock; Almiron, Isak, Joelinton
Tottenham Hotspur
Clement Lenglet, who was pulled during the first half of last week’s loss to Bournemouth, should be fit to start, according to interim manager Cristian Stellini. Ben Davies has resumed light training but is unavailable for selection. Long-term absentees, Yves Bissouma, Ryan Sessegnon, Emerson Royal, and Rodrigo Bentancur remain sidelined, while Lucas Moura is serving the last game of his suspension.
The reluctance of Stellini to tweak the tactics and personnel used by his predecessor Antonio Conte only seems to have upped Tottenham’s stagnation. So expect a change in formation from him this weekend.
Spurs could line up in a 4-4-2 formation to fit most of the attacking talent at their disposal. Hugo Lloris will continue to operate in between the sticks for the visitors. The France shot-stopper would hope to put up a strong performance after leaking a lot of goals lately.
🎙️ “We have Ben Davies back in part training and we are confident Clement Lenglet can train for a full session tomorrow”
Cristian Stellini provides an update ahead of #NEWTOT ⤵️
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) April 21, 2023
Stelllini is expected to field the defensive duo of Christian Romero and Eric Dier at the heart of the Spurs’ backline, flanked by attacking full-backs Pedro Porro, and Ivan Perisic. Their main objective would be to track down and close down the potential openings the Newcastle frontmen might create.
Although Tottenham are not firing on all cylinders in terms of results at the moment, they are a team filled with goal-threatening talent. Richarlison came off the bench in the loss to Bournemouth and offers a fresh option. But he will have to contend with a place on the bench to start with.
Meanwhile, Arnaut Danjuma’s goal in that game may finally earn him a start on the left flank, with Dejan Kulusevski looking to create good scoring chances for the frontmen, Harry Kane and Son Heung-min, from the opposite flank. Elsewhere, Pierre Emile-Hojbjerg and Oliver Skipp will continue as the midfield double-pivot in Bentancur’s absence.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Lloris; Porro, Romero, Dier, Perisic; Kulusevski, Hojbjerg, Skipp, Danjuma; Kane, Son
Key Stats
- Tottenham Hotspur have won four of their last five games on the road against Newcastle United in the Premier League, with their only defeat during this period coming in 2016.
- Spurs’ poor away form in the Premier League means they have failed to win any of their last four matches, their longest such run in the competition since 2019.
- Alexander Isak is averaging a goal every 113 minutes in the league this season, second only to Manchester City’s Erling Braut Haaland (70 minutes) among players to score at least five times this term.
- Newcastle are looking to complete a league double against Tottenham for the first time since the 2015/16 season, in which the Magpies were demoted to the Championship.
- The Lilywhites have lost five of six league matches this season against sides currently in the top four, except for a 1-0 home victory against Manchester City back in February.
Player to Watch
Harry Kane
Tottenham’s prospects of coming away with anything from St. James’ Park could be dependent on Harry Kane. The England skipper has a fantastic scoring record at St. James’ Park, scoring five times against Newcastle in the last three meetings with Spurs on Tyneside. And he also found the back of the net in the reverse fixture.
Kane did not score against Bournemouth, although he had seven goals in his previous six outings for club and country. The Magpies have the best defensive record in the Premier League but have kept just one clean sheet in their last ten Premier League games. And the 29-year-old could exploit any defensive flaws on display by the hosts.
Prediction
Newcastle United 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur
On paper, Tottenham have superior attacking talent in the likes of Harry Kane, Dejan Kulusevski, and Son Heung-min, who is coming into form, but after many instances before, we are no longer backing them. Spurs have had a peculiar season, and inconsistency will ultimately be their undoing. Yet they find themselves still alive in the race to qualify for the Champions League from here.
This is a big one for Spurs’ top-four hopes. Newcastle, buoyed by the home crowd, will take the game to Tottenham. And we can see it being quite an open game with goal-mouth action.
The Magpies are a real force on home turf and a nightmare for the opposition. Expect Eddie Howe’s men to bounce back from their defeat at Aston Villa with a narrow victory over Spurs to pile more pressure on the sloppy north London outfit, whose Champions League aspirations are on the knife edge. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for the hosts.
