Revenge will be on the minds of Newcastle United when they host Champions League-chasing Tottenham Hotspur at St. James’ Park on Saturday lunchtime.
Newcastle United were put to the sword 4-1 by Tottenham Hotspur in the reverse fixture in North London four months ago. European hopefuls Newcastle will now welcome the Lilywhites to St. James’ Park this weekend, with Ange Postecoglou’s side hoping to solidify their place in the Premier League’s top four with a positive result here.
The Magpies extended their undefeated run to three league matches, winning two of them with a 1-0 victory against Fulham last week. While a late top-four push is out of the question, their present standing is impressive given their plethora of constant absentees this season.
While the Toon would be glad to clinch a UEFA Europa League berth at present, Spurs have much higher ambitions. They will be hoping to make a return to the Champions League next season and have a good chance of doing so, having finally edged past Aston Villa in the race for a top-four spot over the weekend.
Sunday’s 3-1 win over Nottingham Forest keeps them ahead of Unai Emery’s side on goal difference. But, most importantly, Spurs have a game in hand. Fifth place may still be enough to qualify for the Champions League should the Premier League sides get the job done in Europe. But head coach Ange Postecoglou will be keen to ensure his team are not relying on a co-efficient they have little control over.
Team News & Tactics
Newcastle United
The hosts have had a lengthy injury list all season, and that is showing no signs of slowing down as the campaign nears its conclusion. The Magpies currently have 12 first-team players that are missing or doubtful for this weekend, the most of any team in the Premier League.
They added Joe Willock (Achilles) to an injury list that already includes Joelinton (thigh), Sven Botman, Jamaal Lascelles (both ACL), Matt Targett (Achilles), Lewis Miley (back), Kieran Trippier (calf), Nick Pope (shoulder), Valentino Livramento (ankle), and Miguel Almiron (knee), while Sandro Tonali is suspended.
Due to the number of absentees, Eddie Howe is expected to name a similar team to the one that defeated Fulham last time out, though Elliot Anderson is the most likely candidate to start in central midfield in place of Willock, while Harvey Barnes could displace Jacob Murphy on the right-wing.
Botman, Trippier, and Livramento miss out, so Lewis Hall and Emil Krafth should operate at left and right-back, respectively, with Dan Burn partnering Fabian Schar at the heart of the defence in front of backup goalkeeper Martin Dubravka.
Although the Magpies tend to open the floodgates when they concede due to the makeshift backline, Howe’s side remain a force to be reckoned with in attack, particularly at St. James’ Park.
Alexander Isak has played a major role on that front, scoring in each of his last five league games at home, six goals in total. He also has a very capable supporting cast of goalscoring wingers in Harvey Barnes and Anthony Gordon.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Dubravka; Krafth, Schar, Burn, Hall; Longstaff, Guimaraes, Anderson; Barnes, Isak, Gordon
Tottenham Hotspur
Spurs have a much more manageable treatment room. Fraser Forster (foot), Ryan Sessegnon (hamstring), and Manor Solomon (knee) all remain sidelined, while a late call is set to be made on the fitness of Brazilian attacker Richarlison, who missed the victory over Forest with a knee issue.
Brennan Johnson shook off a knock to start Tottenham’s 3-1 win over former side Nottingham Forest last weekend, meaning he is a good go to start at right-wing here.
Playing in his preferred No. 10 role, flashy James Maddison will offer a flair of creativity alongside productive movement on and off the ball, retaining possession but carrying the team forward with excellent ball progression and threading eye-of-the-needle passes for dynamic runners in Timo Werner and captain Son Heung-min.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Rodrigo Bentancur impressed off the bench against Nottingham Forest, and the pair may replace the usual midfield duo Pape Sarr and Yves Bissouma in the middle of the park.
Destiny Udogie is a guaranteed starter at left-back, while Pedro Porro should keep Emerson Royal at bay on the opposite flank. Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven will form the central defensive pairing in front of goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Hojbjerg, Bentancur; Johnson, Maddison, Werner; Son
Key Stats
- Newcastle United won this fixture 6-1 last season, last winning consecutive home league games against Spurs between April 2006 and December 2008 (a run of four).
- Tottenham have scored at least once in each of their last 17 Premier League away games against Newcastle, since a 4-0 loss in December 2003.
- Following a run of six defeats in seven games, Newcastle have lost just two of their last 10 in the Premier League (W5 D3).
- Alongside Tottenham, Newcastle are one of just two teams to have scored in 100% of their Premier League home games this season.
- Having won four of their first six Premier League away games this season (D2), Tottenham have won just two of their subsequent nine on the road (D4 L3).
Player to Watch
Son Heung-min
Tottenham captain Son Heung-min has certainly played his part in making Ange Postecoglou’s side an entertaining watch, recording 24 goal involvements in his last 25 Premier League appearances (15 goals, nine assists).
With one more assist this season, he will become only the sixth Premier League player to have double-digit goals and assists in three separate seasons, joining the elite company of Wayne Rooney, Mohamed Salah, Frank Lampard, Eric Cantona, and Didier Drogba.
Prediction
Newcastle United 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur
Both of these clubs enter this contest in fine form and also have a lot to play for in the final stretch of the season, with European qualification their target. It has been a difficult season for Newcastle, with injuries and poor away form hampering their progression towards establishing themselves in the top six.
Despite taking advantage of Aston Villa’s recent wobbles to move up into fourth place in the Premier League, Tottenham’s away form is not the best in the Premier League lately, and this will be a difficult game for them on Tyneside, with the Magpies winning ten home league games this season.
The Hard Tackle back Newcastle United to get past their injury woes and come out on top of Tottenham in front of them home support with a nail-biting 2-1 victory.
