Newcastle United have a big chance to start 2025 in style against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.
The Magpies rounded out 2024 with five wins on the bounce, with Newcastle beating Manchester United 2-0 to end the year.
This upturn in form has seen Eddie Howe’s side climb up to fifth in the Premier League, while they also have a Carabao Cup semi-final on the horizon.
The same goes for Tottenham Hotspur, but the situation is very different in North London. Ange Postecoglou is desperately short of defensive options, while his unwillingness to change his approach has culminated in some disappointing results.
The Magpies will hope to hand them another disappointing result on Saturday, where Newcastle will be without Fabian Schar due to suspension.
Paul Merson predicts Tottenham vs Newcastle United
Despite that, pundit Paul Merson has told Sportskeeda that he thinks Newcastle United will beat Spurs at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this weekend.
“With the way both teams are playing, I have to go with a Newcastle win here,” he said.
“I know Manchester United aren’t great, but I thought Newcastle were brilliant in that 2-0 win. They are flying at the moment and I don’t expect this game to be any different.
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“When you look at Tottenham, they are still in the running to win a trophy. I know that some sort of silverware will be a huge relief for their fans. However, they look a million miles away from finishing in the top four and that’s a problem. They are 11 points behind Chelsea and all the six teams, including Newcastle, between them and the Blues have all looked better!
“The Spurs fans will not have complaints with the football they’re watching under Ange Postecoglou though. They wouldn’t want to go back to the old days under Antonio Conte or Jose Mourinho because this is at least positive football. And when you play this kind of expansive football, it really is difficult to keep it tight at the back. If I had to pick one team to watch purely for the sake of entertainment in the Premier League, that would be Spurs – no doubt.
“Newcastle have hit good form at the right moment. If they end up strengthening the squad in January, they can push Chelsea and Nottingham Forest to the end for third spot. But whether they dip into the market or not depends on Financial Fair Play (FFP) of course.
“It will be interesting to see if they receive an offer for Alexander Isak too. If I was Arsenal, I wouldn’t think twice and put in a massive bid to sign him in January. Isak is a real handful and is in terrific form. Even if Arsenal don’t win the league this season, they will definitely win it next season, if they have him in their line-up!”
Merson’s prediction: Tottenham Hotspur 1 Newcastle United 3
The last time Newcastle United did the double over Tottenham
As is always the case with pundits like Merson, there has been a needless comment about Alexander Isak leaving Newcastle United to join Arsenal. What has that got to do with this game against Spurs?
It is no wonder Newcastle are annoyed by all the Isak chat – it is annoying for us fans!
But Isak will hope to continue his good form on Saturday, with the 25-year-old boasting 12 goals in 13 games this season.
His first of the campaign came back in September when Newcastle beat Tottenham 2-1 at St James’ Park. That means that the Magpies can do the double over Spurs this season.
If they do, it will be a repeat of what they achieved during the 2022/23 campaign when Newcastle qualified for the Champions League.
The last time that Newcastle did the double over Spurs before that was 2015/16 season, which ended in relegation for the Magpies.