Newcastle return from the international break to begin their Premier League run-in away at top four chasers Tottenham on Sunday. Spurs go into the game in good form having won four of their five previous league fixtures and will be determined to carry it on as they attempt to chase down Arsenal, who occupy the final Champions League spot.
Newcastle will feel a string of good results will be enough to see them avoid the drop this season. They are in 14th, some nine points from the bottom three with nine games remaining. That said, two defeats to Chelsea and ten-man Everton in their last two Premier League matches demonstrate how astute the Magpies must remain to achieve their goal.
The reverse fixture in October saw Tottenham earn an empathic 3-2 win when three first-half goals from the visitors cancelled out Callum Wilson’s second-minute strike prior to Jonjo Shelvey’s red card and Eric’s Dier’s own goal in the second half. The match had to be halted after 40 minutes due to a medical emergency in the crowd.
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Both teams find themselves in different situations since their last meeting, with Newcastle now backed to beat the drop and Spurs pushing for the Champions League. The Magpies have tasted victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium since its construction, beating their hosts 1-0 in August 2019 thanks to a Joelinton strike.
In fact, they haven’t lost at the new-build having drawn 1-1 with Spurs last season. They will hope they can maintain their unbeaten record this weekend.
Going into Sunday’s contest, the hosts nearly have a fully fit squad with only two players unavailable. Oliver Skipp and Ryan Sessegnon miss out while Ben Davies is ready despite missing Wales’ friendly against the Czech Republic on Tuesday.
Given their recent form, Tottenham will almost certainly start with the 3-2-4-1 formation Antonio Conte has found successive with. And there’s every chance he will name the same starting XI too.
If so, staples in Harry Kane and Son Heung-min will be joined in attack by impressive January Juventus loanee Dejan Kulusevski, who has already scored two and assisted four in his first nine league outings. Rodrigo Bentancur, who also arrived from Juventus in January, will start next to Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in central midfield.
Matt Doherty and Sergio Reguilon - who exited training on Thursday with an issue but is expected to be fine for Sunday - are set to operate as wing-backs on either flank. Cristian Romero, Eric Dier and Davies make up the back three as Hugo Lloris takes up his customary role in between the sticks.
Expect Steven Bergwijn to feature at some point after the Dutchman scored three in his country’s two friendlies against Denmark and Germany during the international break. Emerson Royal could yet play a part too should Reguilon experience any difficulties during the game.
Predicted line-up (3-2-4-1): Lloris; Romero, Dier, Davies; Doherty, Bentancur, Hojbjerg, Reguilon; Kulusevski, Kane, Son.
