Tottenham Hotspur host Newcastle United at White Hart Lane this Sunday, with Newcastle hoping to capitalise on the confidence boost from their 2-0 victory over Liverpool.
Newcastle are currently in 18th place after thrashings from Crystal Palace and Leicester, who won 5-1 and 3-0. Their last win, prior to the success against the Reds dates back to 7 November, when they beat fellow strugglers Bournemouth.
Meanwhile, Spurs are still unbeaten since the opening day of the season. Their recent run of form has continued with three draws out of four games.
The two sides will be desperate for the win, with one hoping to lift itself out of the relegation zone and the other chasing a Champions League spot.
Tottenham also played on Thursday night in the Europa League, thrashing Monaco 4-1, leaving the side in high spirits as it qualified top of the group table. Erik Lamela netted a hat-trick in a performance that could kick-start his Premier League performances after a series of ineffective games, ending in substitutions.
While Spurs remain unbeaten, they will feel as though they missed out on securing three points against West Bromwich Albion and will be desperate to re-establish a winning run.
Key Battle – The midfield battle
In Tottenham’s last match against West Brom, its majority was played in the middle. Midfielders including Mousa Dembele and Christian Eriksen went a way to controlling the midfield for most of the game, keeping the Albion midfielders’ hands full. Eriksen tends to play in front of Dembele and alongside Dele Alli, so the Newcastle defence as well as the midfielders could well be given something to think about. Even if Dembele does not make the starting lineup, the presence of a lifted Lamela in the attacking midfield may also cause a problem.
Team News
There will likely be more change on the Spurs side of the coin. The good news for Spurs is that 26-year-old Nacer Chadli is set ti return from an injury that he picked up against Liverpool seven weeks ago. Nabil Bentaleb was also back for Thursday’s clash with Monaco and could be included in the starting XI.
There are issues for the hosts, however. Some problems for several players arose on Thursday night as Dembele was ruled out completely with a stomach bug while Harry Kane was rested.
Kane will be back in the starting lineup as will Dele Alli and Eriksen, who were also given the night off against the Principality club.
Newcastle goalkeeper Rob Elliot has been nursing a thigh injury, but insists that he still wants to play, so will most likely make the starting lineup for the visitors.
Head-to-Head
Newcastle are a bogey team for the Lilywhites, with a series of wins in recent seasons. The two sides have each won twice in the previous four league meetings, however Tottenham have won more impressively with 3-1 and 4-0 wins. Overall, dating back to 2005 in the Premier League, the ledger is very even, with Spurs just shading the Magpies with five wins to four, and one draw.
Previous Meeting
Spurs won 3-1 the last time out with goals from Chadli, Eriksen and Kane. Newcastle got a consolation goal through Jack Colback. In that match, Kane became the first player since 1992 to score 30 goals for Tottenham Hotspur in one season. The game also included a supported boycott, meaning there we thousands of empty seats around the stadium.
Prediction
Considering Tottenham’s performance in their recent match against Monaco, it will be difficult for Steve McClaren’s side to be victorious against the Lilywhites. However, Newcastle’s surprise win over Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool may have given the side a confidence boost they so desperately needed. While the Magpies will fight hard, Tottenham will prevail.
Tottenham Hotspur 3 Newcastle United 1
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