Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United travel to face Tottenham Hotspur this weekend, where they will hope to overtake the hosts in the Premier League table. The Magpies did the double over the Lilywhites last season, including an astounding 6-1 victory last time out.
Tottenham
Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs have hit a brick wall since the dramatic, rather bizarre, 4-1 loss to Chelsea at the start of November. During that game they lost James Maddison and Micky van de Ven to long-term injuries, the catalyst to their downfall. The Lilywhites have failed to win in their last five, despite scoring first in each of them. This has put Tottenham in fifth place, winning eight games and picking up 27 points.
Spurs have been excellent in front of goal, scoring 1.93 goals per game on average, but they also shipped 1.47 per game. Their most recent frustrating game occurred on Thursday evening, as West Ham walked away from the Tottenham Hotspur stadium with three points. Spurs dominated the tie, racking up 75% possession and 23 shots, but they were undone by poor defending.
Newcastle
As each game passes, it seems that another injury is set to occur, and Eddie Howe can’t catch a break at the moment. Players are being forced to play with knocks and the extra European fixtures are beginning to take their toll on the Newcastle squad. After fifteen matches, they sit in seventh place on 26 points. The Magpies score over two goals per game on average, whilst only suffering 1.13 themselves, the third best average.
Last time out, fatigue clearly kicked in, with two lapses of concentration from Kieran Trippier costing his side the tie versus Everton. The score concluded 3-0 to the Toffees and they deservedly won the tie.
Verdict?
Spurs have picked up 75% of their losses at home this season, winning only four of their seven matches whilst hosting. The Magpies have lost their last two away matches in the Premier League without scoring a goal, and they’ve only won once on the road all season in seven attempts.
This game should see plenty of action at both ends of the field, and it could mirror the recent Spurs game versus Villa. Isak will find joy in behind the Spurs backline, with Trippier and Bruno Guimaraes feeding the Sweden international. If Son is unavailable, it’s difficult to see Spurs scoring more than a couple of goals, and most of their threat will come via the attacking fullback pairing of Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie.
The final prediction is Spurs 1-2 Newcastle.
