Newcastle United will be at St. James’ Park to host Tottenham for this round 33 clash in the Premier League. At this stage of the season, teams will be looking to finish the campaign strongly as we approach its final days. At the time of writing, the home side have not been at their best for most of the campaign but they can nick some valuable wins on their way to finishing in a decent position, while Spurs have their sights on one of the European spots.
Newcastle did great things in the Premier League last season and got themselves a place in the UEFA Champions League, but that was shortlived as they got bundled out in the group stages despite a strong start. Back in the league, it was quite difficult as the results were not forthcoming. Overall, the Magpies have been largely inconsistent and that affected them on the log and they are just hovering around mid-table with few weeks until the end of the season. In order to back last season’s fantastic performance, Newcastle went into the market and got a couple of decent signings like Harvey Barnes from Leicester City, Sandro Tonali, who would later be banned for betting, arrived from Milan while Lewis Hall came in from Chelsea. Defender Tino Livramento also joined the side from Southampton.
On the pitch, Eddie Howe’s side got things underway in convincing fashion as they dismantled Aston Villa 5-1 before losing narrowly to defending champions Man City at the Etihad and that result was followed by another 3-1 defeat to Brighton at the AMEX. The Magpies soon returned to winning ways against Brentford and that win was backed up by another win over Burnley and Crystal Palace on either side of a stalemate with West Ham.
At home, the Magpies continued to rack up wins as they defeated Chelsea, Arsenal, and Manchester United but they kept losing on the road to the likes of Everton, Spurs, Luton Town, and Liverpool. To end 2023, they lost at home to Nottingham Forest before defeats to Liverpool and Manchester City followed. However, they also failed to beat Luton Town and Bournemouth at home in February. It has been a season of mixed results and they need some kind of strong performance to finish well.
Tottenham Hotspur started the season like a house on fire and looked like a side that would compete for the Premier League title. At some point when injuries stuck, they still stayed competitive and are currently outside the top four by just four points as of the time of writing.
Spurs’ most prominent exit over the summer was prolific hitman Harry Kane who left the North London side for Bundesliga big boys Bayern München in search of a new challenge. Other notable exits include Harry Winks who left for relegated Leicester City, Davinson Sanchez and Tanguy Ndombele to Turkish giants Galatasaray, Lucas Moura to Sao Paulo on a free transfer. Sergio Reguilon, Japhet Tanganga, Djed Spence, and Joe Rondon secured loan moves away to Manchester United, FC Augsburg, and Leeds United respectively.
In terms of recruitment, Spurs, aside from getting a new manager, also acquired Brennan Johnson from Nottingham Forest, English midfielder James Maddison from Leicester City, Dutch center-back Micky van de Ven from VfL Wolfsburg, Pedro Porro from Sporting CP, Dejan Kulusevski from Italian giants Juventus, and current starting goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario from Empoli. Exciting winger Manor Solomon joined from Shakhtar Donetsk on a free transfer while Giovanni Lo Celso returned from his loan spell at Villarreal.
Tottenham Hotspur sat at the top of the Premier League table following their unbeaten run in their first ten games, but after a bad patch of form, they have struggled for consistency and have now lost out in the title race. They are simply focusing on a return to Europe at this point and if they can secure some fine results on the road, it is quite possible.
As of the time of writing, the Magpies have 37 points from 25 games and are 12 points away from the top-four spot. Meanwhile, the Whites sit just two points from the top-four spot after picking 47 points from the same amount of games.
Match tickets
The epic match at St. James’ Park in Newcastle kicks off on Saturday 13th April 2024, at 3 PM UK time.
The magnificent 52,305-capacity stadium is the place to be for this clash between two enterprising Premier League sides.
Getting tickets for the Newcastle United vs Tottenham tickets could take a lot of work given the standard of this game. Hence, you are advised to search ticket reselling sites should they be expectedly sold out on each club’s channels.
Team news
Line-ups
Newcastle, maybe due to a long list of injured players, have not been at their best since the turn of the year. Joelinton is not expected back until May, Pope is scheduled to return in April so this game might come too soon for him, while Joe Willock could make a return before this game. Other players like Harvey Barnes, Elliot Andersen, Matt Targett, and Jacob Murphy who have been out with minor injuries could make their return in this game. Meanwhile, midfielder Sandro Tonali remains out due to a betting ban. Manager Eddie Howe will be looking at Anthony Gordon and Miguel Almiron as his goalscoring options for this epic encounter.
Newcastle: Martin Dubravka; Kieran Trippier, Fabian Schar, Sven Botman, Dan Burn; Bruno Guimaraes, Sean Longstaff, Lewis Miley; Miguel Almiron, Alexander Isak, Anthony Gordon.
Postecoglou’s Tottenham Hotspur, known for their possession-heavy style of football, will be looking to control the game via the midfield with the experience and solidity of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, rejuvenated Bissouma and intelligent Lo Celso pulling the strings. Skipper Son Heung-Min and midfielder Pape Matar Sarr remain key to their play and will be keen to make a mark in this game. Most of the injured players are back but the Whites have lacked consistency and with the season conclusion on the horizon, a change could happen for them in these final days.
Tottenham: Vicario, Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie, Bissouma, Sarr, Son, Kulusevski, Johnson, Richarlison.
Prediction
Newcastle and Spurs have struggled to a great extent in the Premier League this season. The former looks way off last season’s achievement, while the latter is aiming to return to Europe after last season’s absence. On the balance of things, Newcastle can beat any team in the division, while Spurs are also capable, it will be down to who wants it more in this encounter.
Newcastle 1-1 Tottenham
