Premier League | Gameweek 20

Jan 4, 2025 at 12.30pm UK

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Spurs vs Newcastle

Match preview

It's barely a year since he got the most points of any manager in their first 10 Premier League games, but Postecoglou's job is under the most threat it has ever been. The North London team ended 2024 with just three wins from their last 13 matches of the year.

Since thrashing Southampton 5-0 in mid-December, Spurs have only got one point out of nine from games against Liverpool, Nottingham Forest and Wolverhampton Wanderers. The latter got a 2-2 draw on 29 December thanks to a late Jorgen Strand Larsen goal.

After coming within two points of Champions League qualification last year, Tottenham are now rank outsiders to even make it into the Conference League. They're currently sitting in the bottom half of the Premier League table and are mathematically closer to the relegation zone than the top four.

Saturday's loss isn't expected to lead to Postecoglou's dismissal, but an EFL Cup semi-final exit at the hands of Liverpool, which would make it hard for the Australian to achieve his second-season trophy prediction, might make Daniel Levy think twice.

Before the first leg of their match against the Reds next week, Postecoglou is keen to end Spurs' barren run of five home games without a win in the Premier League. The last time they had a longer run without a top-flight success in North London was way back in 1994.

A few years ago, Spurs were fighting for a spot in Europe's top league while Newcastle were stuck in the bottom 10, but now the tables have turned. Eddie Howe's team is on a roll and could shake up the top four.

They're one of only two teams to have won each of their last four Premier League matches, the other being surprise package Nottingham Forest. Newcastle followed up wins against Leicester City, Aston Villa and Ipswich Town with the most straightforward win they may ever march to at Old Trafford.

Alexander Isak and Joelinton showed off their aerial dominance in the first half to beat a poor Man United side, which has secured Newcastle's fifth-placed spot in the Premier League table. The gap to Chelsea in the final Champions League spot is now just three points.

After keeping only three clean sheets in their first 15 Premier League matches of the season, the visitors have now got four shut-outs in their last four wins, showing the same defensive strength that made them such a force to be reckoned with a couple of years ago.

They're also one of Tottenham's most feared opponents, having beaten them in four of their last five Premier League games, although the one exception was a 4-1 defeat in this exact fixture last season.

Recent Performance

Tottenham Hotspur Premier League form:LLWLLD

Tottenham Hotspur form (all competitions):DWWLLD

Newcastle United Premier League form:DLWWWW

Newcastle United form (all competitions):LWWWWW

Team News

The Tottenham medical team had another new face in the already-packed infirmary on 29 December, as Destiny Udogie sustained his second hamstring injury in the space of a few weeks and will certainly be unavailable for the visit of the Magpies at the very least.

At least Postecoglou will have Djed Spence back from suspension – he's a like-for-like replacement for Udogie. But Rodrigo Bentancur is now banned because he's racked up too many yellow cards, so there's a spot in midfield for Pape Sarr to fill.

Guglielmo Vicario (ankle), Micky van de Ven (hamstring), Mikey Moore (illness), Richarlison (hamstring), Cristian Romero (thigh), Wilson Odobert (hamstring) and Ben Davies (hamstring) are still out of action too; the latter was initially on track to return around this time before suffering a setback.

Postecoglou and Howe can sympathise with each other over losing key players due to suspension, as Fabian Schar got his fifth yellow card of the season in the win at Old Trafford and will also miss Saturday's match.

Schar is set to be one of at least five defensive absentees for the Magpies alongside Jamaal Lascelles (knee), Nick Pope (knee), Emil Krafth (shoulder) and Sven Botman (knee), although the latter is now playing behind closed doors again and could make his long-awaited comeback imminently.

Kieran Trippier looked to have hurt his hamstring in the win over Man United, so Tino Livramento will probably take his place. Callum Wilson is still a few weeks away from returning from a hamstring issue.

Possible starting lineup

Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:

Forster; Porro, Gray, Dragusin, Spence; Kulusevski, Sarr, Maddison; Johnson, Solanke, Son

Newcastle United possible starting lineup:

Dubravka; Livramento, Kelly, Burn, Hall; Guimaraes, Tonali, Joelinton; Murphy, Isak, Gordon