Tottenham vs. Newcastle United: EPL Match Preview, Odds & Prediction

On Saturday, at dawn, the Premier League season will begin with Tottenham Hotspur hosting Newcastle United, a team reportedly on the verge of full-blown crisis mode.

In their last game in 2024, Ange Postecoglou's squad could only manage a draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers, while Newcastle United quickly dispatched a weak Manchester United.

Previous Matches and Head-to-head

Just one year after finishing with more points than any other manager in the Premier League's opening ten games, North London's managers face more pressure than ever to stay in their positions. After 2024, they managed just three victories in their final thirteen matches.

Spurs have struggled to gain momentum since mid-December, when they thrashed Southampton 5-1 without responding. Since then, they have played three games against Liverpool, Nottingham Forest, and Wolverhampton Wanderers, with Wolverhampton Wanderers snatching a 2-2 draw on December 29 thanks to a late goal from Jorgen Strand Larsen.

Tottenham was just two points away from qualifying for the Champions League last season. Still, it is mathematically closer to the relegation zone than the top four in the Premier League. It is also a considerable underdog to even qualify for the Conference League.

Even if Saturday's loss won't be enough to fire Postecoglou, Daniel Levy may have some cause for concern if the team lost to Liverpool in the semi-finals of the English Football League Cup. This would end the Australian's dreams of achieving his prophecy of winning a trophy in his second season.

Prior to next week's first leg against the Reds, Postecoglou aims to end Spurs' embarrassing five-game losing streak at home in the Premier League. The club has not gone this long without a victory in North London since 1994.

Now that we're in a different era, Spurs are vying for a place in Europe's elite table while Newcastle sits in the bottom ten. However, Eddie Howe's squad is on a tear right now, and they threaten to derail the top four with a fantastic run of holiday form.

With a win over Old Trafford, Newcastle continued their winning streak at four games in a row in the Premier League, joining surprise package Nottingham Forest as one of just two teams to do so. Previously, they had beaten Leicester City, Aston Villa, and Ipswich Town.

Newcastle moved to fifth place in the Premier League thanks to goals from Alexander Isak and Joelinton, who showed off their aerial prowess in the first half to defeat a weak Man United side. The gap is closing quickly, with three points separating them from Chelsea for the final Champions League slot.

The away team has found the defensive tenacity that made them formidable a few years ago. They have recorded four shutouts in their previous four wins, up from a dismal three in their first fifteen Premier League matches.

Newcastle, who have become one of Tottenham's most dreaded opponents, have won four of their previous five Premier League meetings against Saturday's hosts. The last season's 4-1 thrashing was the lone loss in that run.

Tottenham Hotspur vs. Newcastle United Team News

With Destiny Udogie's second hamstring injury in as many weeks, the Tottenham medical staff added another player to their already-crowded injury list on December 29. Udogie will likely miss Tottenham's match against Newcastle.

Pape Sarr will be able to fill in for Rodrigo Bentancur in the middle of the field now that Postecoglou will have Djed Spence, a replacement for Udogie in every way, back from suspension.

Several players are still out with injuries; these include Guglielmo Vicario (ankle), Micky van de Ven (hamstring), Mikey Moore (illness), Richarlison (hamstring), Cristian Romero (thigh), Wilson Odobert (hamstring), and Ben Davies (hamstring). Davies was initially expected to return around this time but had a setback.

Since Fabian Schar received his fifth yellow card of the season in the win at Old Trafford and will also be sitting on the naughty step on Saturday, Postecoglou and Howe can relate to losing vital cogs to suspension.

In addition to Schar, the Magpies will be without at least five defensive players due to injury: Jamaal Lascelles (knee), Nick Pope (knee), Emil Krafth (shoulder), and Sven Botman (knee). However, Botman is currently practising behind closed doors again and may soon make his long-awaited return.

While Callum Wilson is still out for a few weeks with a hamstring injury, Kieran Trippier looked to injure his hamstring in the win over Manchester United and should give way to Tino Livramento.

Our predictions

Newcastle United to win @ 2.31 on Sky247.ng

There has never been a goalless draw between Spurs and Newcastle in the 59 Premier League meetings. It would be unfair to break that streak at a stadium where Tottenham have scored and let in goals in their last eight league games.

We predict that Newcastle will mercilessly expose the hosts' battered defence and add to Postecoglou's anguish, while the Lilywhites will benefit from the Magpies' impressive run of clean sheets.

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