Eddie Howe has a big decision to make for Newcastle United’s game against Tottenham Hotspur.
Newcastle United kick 2025 off with a trip to North London, as they face Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham Hotspur side away from home.
The Magpies will be full of confidence on the back of five wins in a row, with Newcastle beating Manchester United 2-0 in their final game of 2024.
Eddie Howe’s side have found their stride, but face a major selection issue as they travel to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
They will be forced to make at least one change, and this is Geordie Boot Boys’ predicted Newcastle starting XI to face Tottenham on Saturday.
Fabian Schar suspended against Tottenham
There will definitely be one change to the Newcastle starting XI, with Fabian Schar suspended for the game against Tottenham.
That presents Howe with a problem, as he does not have a direct replacement for the 33-year-old.
Emil Krafth is working his way back to fitness after a shoulder injury, but it feels likely that this game will come too soon for the Swede. The same goes for Sven Botman, who is yet to make a senior appearance since recovering from an ACL injury.
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While Botman has played for the youth side, it would be a huge shock if Howe thrust the Dutchman back into the starting XI for a Premier League game.
With that in mind, Lloyd Kelly seems the most likely candidate to replace Schar and start alongside Dan Burn at centre-back. The 26-year-old has not played for the Magpies since a poor display in Newcastle’s 2-0 defeat to West Ham United.
Another change in defence for Newcastle
We are predicting that Newcastle will make another change in defence on Saturday, with Tino Livramento replacing Kieran Trippier at right-back.
The £12million defender was substituted early in the second half during the win at Old Trafford, and could make way for Livramento.
The 22-year-old is probably better suited to face the pacey Son Heung-min, while Howe will want to protect Trippier after two consecutive Premier League starts in a short space of time.
Eddie Howe’s Newcastle midfield decision
Given how well the midfield is functioning right now, Howe will be reluctant to change things against Tottenham. That means Bruno Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali and Joelinton starting again.
However, it will be interesting to see what Howe does with Bruno, who will be suspended for Newcastle’s next game – the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg against Arsenal.
The Newcastle United manager must decide whether to play Bruno for the full 90 minutes, in the knowledge that he will get a rest afterwards.
Alternatively, he could take Bruno off in the second half and deploy the midfield trio he is going to select for the cup clash with Arsenal. That would mean an appearance for Joe Willock or Sean Longstaff, who are on standby to replace the Toon skipper.
There should be no changes to the forward line, with Alexander Isak hoping to take his 2024 form into 2025.