St James Park will wave goodbye to Premier League football for at least one year as a relegated Newcastle United host Tottenham Hotspur on the final day.
The inevitable has been confirmed – the Toon will be playing against the likes of Burton Albion, Brentford and Preston North End in the Championship next season after Sunderland’s win over Everton sealed their fate. A somber atmosphere is expected on Tyneside, with the team playing for nothing but pride.
Since losing out on the title race, Tottenham have been in less than impressive form, without a win in three outings. They are, however, looking to finish above arch rivals Arsenal, something which they have not done since the 1994-95 season and will accomplish with a win over the Championship bound Magpies.
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Key Battle – Jamaal Lascelles vs Harry Kane
Despite Newcastle’s appalling season, young centre-back Jamaal Lascelles has shown maturity beyond his years, and looks set to be a key figure in their bid to make an immediate return to the Premier League. Before dropping down a division, Lascelles will be relishing a battle against the top-flight’s best striker in Harry Kane. The Englishman leads the Golden Boot standings by one strike and will be looking to finish off this campaign in style, before going to the Euro’s as England’s focal point up front.
Team news
Newcastle’s cleaner bill of health has come too late, with only Rob Elliot, Tim Krul, Fabricio Coloccini and Massadio Haidara sidelined. The only likely change to this team would see Aleksandar Mitrovic replace the misfiring Papiss Cisse.
Dele Alli and Moussa Dembele remain suspended for the Spurs, while Danny Rose, Toby Alderweireld and Nabil Bentaleb are in doubt with respective injuries. Other than that Mauricio Pochettino should name his best available XI as they look to finish in a respectable second place.
Head-to-head
Tottenham lead the head to head count with 66 wins to Newcastle’s 57 either side of 32 draws. The Londoners have also won on their two previous to St James’ Park, in a fixture that has seen the away side win on each of the last five occasions.
Previous meeting
When these two met back in December, things looked much better for Newcastle after a 2-1 win at White Hart Lane. Eric Dier put the hosts ahead, but a Mitrovic strike and a last gasp winner from Ayoze Perez lifted the Magpies out of the bottom three, which at the time looked like the beginning of a revival. For Spurs, it was one of those games which they will look back on with regret, as a loss at home to Newcastle never bodes well for a team chasing the title.
Prediction
Considering the Toon are officially down, it is hard to see the players putting in much of a shift, considering they hardly ever turned up when there was something to play for. Some of the ‘big’ names who will be off in the Summer will have their minds elsewhere, and with Tottenham needing a win to finish above Arsenal, expect the visitors to have no trouble in securing a comfortable win, to spell the end of Newcastle’s 6 year stay in the Premier League.
Newcastle United 0 Tottenham Hotspur 2
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