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In their Premier League match on Sunday in North London, Champions League outsiders Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United will both be looking to make up for their blunders from midweek.
On Thursday night, the Lilywhites created unwelcome Premier League history when they lost 2-1 at home to West Ham United, while Everton, who are fighting for relegation, shocked their guests 3-0.
How quickly things can change in Premier League football – Ange Postecoglou’s fall from grace saw him set two unwanted competition records during Thursday’s London derby versus West Ham, despite having taken more points than any previous manager in his first 10 games.
Tottenham’s quick start would be rewarded with a looping header from Cristian Romero, but Jarrod Bowen would equalise the score in the second half after two unfortunate ricochets.
Then, Destiny Udogie would be held accountable for a poor back pass to Guglielmo Vicario, which would have allowed James Ward-Prowse to finish the comeback at the second attempt.
Not only have fifth-place Tottenham failed to close the gap on the Champions League spots, but they have also lost three straight home games after breaking the deadlock and are now the only team in Premier League history to go ahead 1-0 in five straight games without winning any of them.
Postecoglou bluntly dismissed the notion that his team is playing “good football” after they were penalised for failing to finish the game against West Ham.
Since the beginning of November, the Lilywhites’ only noteworthy result has been a draw against Manchester City. As a result, they are currently nine points behind Arsenal at the top of the competition.
The loss on Thursday was also the first for Tottenham to lose three straight Premier League home games since September 2008.
Spurs supporters have to go all the way back to November 2004 to find the last time their team lost four straight games at White Hart Lane in the top flight. However, Newcastle has their own mistakes to make this weekend.
When it comes to injury crises, Magpies manager Eddie Howe can relate to Postecoglou’s suffering.
However, in recent weeks, Newcastle has defeated Chelsea and Manchester United in addition to an unfair draw with Paris Saint-Germain, and the club has frequently emerged from games with a positive attitude.
But in the end, the loss of starting goalkeeper Nick Pope proved to be the final straw for the Magpies against Everton, who defeated Howe’s team on Thursday with three goals from Dwight McNeil, Abdoulaye Doucoure, and Beto starting in the 79th minute.
With the exception of their 8-0 demolition of Sheffield United, Newcastle has found it extremely difficult to pick up points away from home in the top division.
They have only seized two of the last 12 opportunities to do so, losing back-to-back games to Bournemouth and now Everton.
Despite their recent poor performance on the road, the seventh-placed visitors are still very much in the running for the continental title.
If they can subject the Lilywhites to a fourth straight home loss, they would surpass Tottenham.
In fact, the only clean sheet Newcastle has kept in their previous 16 away top-flight games has come against Sheffield United.
However, the Magpies defeated Tottenham in the 2022–2023 campaign, including that memorable 6–1 thumping at St. James’ Park that took place during Cristian Stellini’s dreadful tenure.
Tottenham Hotspur Premier League form:
W L L L D L
Newcastle United Premier League form:
D W L W W L
Newcastle United form (all competitions):
L L W D W L
Son Heung-min appeared to be in discomfort in the dying stages of Tottenham’s match against West Ham, adding more anguish to the team’s already terrible situation.
Although Postecoglou was unable to provide an update, the Spurs captain downplayed the seriousness of his problem.
Although Postecoglou has refused to use his team’s injury crisis as an excuse for their poor form, none of the injured players—Ivan Perisic (knee), Manor Solomon (knee), Ryan Sessegnon (hamstring), James Maddison (ankle), Micky van de Ven (thigh), Rodrigo Bentancur (ankle), Ashley Phillips (ankle), Eric Dier (groin), or Alfie Whiteman (ankle)—will soon return. Son, however, is expected to be fit.
Pape Sarr, who is now in line to replace Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg after recovering from a knock, was one player the Lilywhites welcomed back from the infirmary for the match against West Ham.
Read More: Son Heung-min Calm Amid Tottenham Injury Speculation
Additionally, Richarlison may pose a threat to Brennan Johnson’s starting spot in the starting lineup.
Since it became known that Pope would need surgery for the dislocated shoulder he suffered against Manchester United, there have been a lot of rumours floating around about a possible goalkeeper coming for Newcastle in January. Martin Dubravka will continue to fill in for Pope for the time being.
The visitors still have double figures of absentees for their trip south, even if Howe does not think his captain is dealing with anything more serious than a dead leg. Jamaal Lascelles was unable to finish the entire ninety at Goodison Park.
In addition to Sandro Tonali’s permanent suspension, the following players are still sidelined: Sven Botman (knee), Callum Wilson (thigh), Jacob Murphy (shoulder), Dan Burn (back), Elliot Anderson (back), Joe Willock (calf), Sean Longstaff (ankle), Harvey Barnes (toe), Matt Targett (thigh), and Javi Manquillo (groin).
Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:
Vicario; Porro, Romero, Davies, Udogie; Sarr, Bissouma; Kulusevski, Lo Celso, Richarlison; Son
Newcastle United possible starting lineup:
Dubravka; Trippier, Lascelles, Schar, Livramento; Joelinton, Guimaraes, Miley; Almiron, Isak, Gordon
Our Prediction for this match 3-1 won by Tottenham or 2-0 won by Tottenham
