Both Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur have started the season with identical records, a win at home and a draw on the road, ahead of their meeting on Sunday lunchtime (1.30pm, Sky Sports Main Event).
Spurs secured their first win of the campaign last week with a 4-0 hammering of Everton as the hosts poured on the agony for the Toffees at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which included a Son Heung-min brace.
This emphatic win followed a 1-1 draw at Leicester, where Jamie Vardy cancelled out Pedro Porro’s opener as Ange Postecoglou’s men failed to make their dominance pay. They will be looking for a stronger road performance on Tyneside, where they have struggled in recent years.
Newcastle won their opener against Southampton despite playing more than an hour with 10 men. The Magpies then played out a controversial draw at Bournemouth when the hosts had what would have been a winning goal disallowed in injury time.
Eddie Howe’s men will count themselves lucky to be on four points but will want to go into the international break with another win at St. James’ Park.
Betting sites have installed the Tynesiders as favourites to win on home soil, although they’ve yet to click into gear and have not strengthened their squad to the satisfaction of many supporters. It could be an interesting afternoon.
Meeting between these sides have been fairly lopsided in recent years. Last season, the first match at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium resulted in a 4-1 victory for Spurs.
The return match on Tyneside was almost a complete reversal as the home side won 4-0 despite only having 27 per cent possession but two goals for Alexander Isak and strikes from Anthony Gordon and Fabian Schar earned them the win.
Newcastle also won the previous fixture at St. James’ Park in the 2022/23 campaign, thumping Spurs 6-1 and scoring five goals in the opening 21 minutes. It’s fair to say that there hasn’t been much fortune for the away side in recent meetings.
Last season saw Eddie Howe’s side finish with the fourth-best home record, winning 12 of their 19 games and losing just three. They also scored an impressive 47 goals and conceded just 22 at St James’ Park.
But, Spurs had the fifth-best away record, picking up 27 points from a possible 57, including seven wins and six draws.
The Magpies have not been at their best to start the season, and although Spurs put four past Everton, there are still concerns about their ability to kill off teams when on top.
We’re backing this game to buck the recent trend of lopsided results and end in draw, but pairing it with both teams to score to gain a little bit more value on football betting sites that would have paid out in eight of the last nine games between the two sides.
Newcastle vs Tottenham prediction 1 : BTTS and draw - 17/5 William Hill
Isak, who has yet to open his Premier League account for this season, will know this could be the perfect opportunity for him, having already scored four goals in his previous three appearances against Sunday’s opponents.
He bagged a brace in the 4-0 win last season and another two in the previous meeting between the two sides at St. James’ Park in April 2023. He scored two in two minutes in the latter on a memorable afternoon for the Magpies.
The Swedish striker is in his third season with Newcastle and has already gone a big way to paying off the £65m transfer fee, with 31 goals and four assists in his 54 league appearances.
Although he has yet to get off the mark in the Premier League this term, Isak did provide the assist for Joelinton in Newcastle’s triumph over Southampton. He also registered five attempts at goal against Bournemouth, including one effort on target.
The arrival of Spurs may just jolt one of the Premier League’s most dangerous marksmen into life. Betting apps have a price of 6/1 for Isak to emulate his performances from the past two seasons against Spurs for two goals or more on home soil.
Newcastle vs Tottenham prediction 2 : Alexander Isak to score two or more - 6/1 Bet365
If Spurs are to get anything on Sunday then they will need a good performance from captain Son, who kickstarted his campaign with two strikes against Everton.
He was gifted his opener following a mistake by Jordan Pickford, but was clinical with his second effort that bodes well for a trip to the North East.
The South Korean international is a pivotal player for Spurs both leading by example with his work rate and creating and scoring goals. Last season, his first without former strike partner Harry Kane, saw him finish with 17 goals and 10 assists from his 35 appearances - meaning he was directly involved in 36 per cent of all Spurs’ league goals.
In 16 appearances against Newcastle, Son has notched five goals and four assists. He scored and provided two goals in the 4-0 home win last term, although he and his team-mates were shut out on their last visit to St. James’ Park.
Given his importance to Spurs’ success, we’re backing him to make an impact with either a goal or an assist.
Newcastle vs Tottenham prediction 3 : Son Heung-min to score or assist - 4/5 Bet365
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