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Discover how AI analysis sees Newcastle United’s trip to Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League playing out.

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Like it or loathe it, we live a world where AI - or artificial intelligence - is creeping into every corner of society.

Long gone are the days of predictive text or autocorrect being your only daily dalliance with an industry that was formerly resigned to the big screen or fiction.

Now, it’s in everything, and can do virtually everything, too - including, it seems, predict Premier League football results.

So, we asked X’s own AI, Grok, to get its crystal ball out and predict what would happen as Newcastle United travel to North London to take on Tottenham Hotspur. And here’s what it said.

The context

Quite rightly, the AI takes note of what seems to be a tricky situation for Ange Postecoglou, with Spurs not only in the midst of an injury crisis, but also having to deal with a sickness bug ripping through the squad ahead of the clash (kick-off 12.30pm).

It states: “Tottenham Hotspur will host Newcastle United at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on January 4, 2025. Tottenham has been struggling with form and injuries, while Newcastle comes into the game with a strong recent run of form. “

Nothing out of the ordinary, there. Newcastle have won their last five, four of which have been in the Premier League. In that quartet of victories, they’re yet to concede a goal, too.

And the home side have a whole host of key players either out injured, banned or potentially ill.

It goes on: “Tottenham Hotspur are facing a significant injury crisis, with key players like Destiny Udogie, Cristian Romero, and Micky van de Ven doubtful or out. Their recent performances have been inconsistent, with only one win in their last five matches. The absence of their first-choice goalkeeper, Guglielmo Vicario, along with several defenders, adds to their woes. However, their attack, led by Son Heung-min, remains a threat.”

On the Magpies, who currently sit fifth in the top flight, it says: “Newcastle United are in better shape, especially after securing four wins in their last five Premier League games. Despite missing some players like Fabian Schar due to suspension and doubts over Kieran Trippier's fitness, their squad depth seems to be holding up. Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon have been in fine form, contributing significantly to their recent victories. Newcastle's defence has also been solid, conceding the fourth-fewest goals in the league up to this point.”

The prediction: THFC ? NUFC ?

Despite taking into consideration Newcastle have lost two of their last three games in this neck of the woods, conceding nine goals in the process under Eddie Howe, Grok fancies the Magpies to keep up their recent form with yet another impressive win on the road, just days after ending their Old Trafford hoodoo.

It says: “Newcastle United to win 2-1.”

Reasons for the result?

“Newcastle's superior form with recent victories over strong teams like Manchester United. Tottenham's defensive vulnerabilities due to injuries, which might be exploited by Newcastle's potent attack. While Tottenham's home advantage and attacking prowess could see them score, their defensive issues are likely to cost them the match.

“This prediction considers both teams' current states, with an acknowledgment that football can be unpredictable, and one moment can change the game's outcome. However, based on available data, Newcastle seems to have a slight edge.”

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Ange Postecoglou has confirmed Tottenham Hotspur are walking wounded ahead of Newcastle United’s trip to North London.

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As well as an eight-man injury list and Rodrigo Bentancur suspended, Spurs have been rocked with an illness bug in midweek. Stars like Guglielmo Vicario, Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, Destiny Udogie and Richarlison are all sidelined.

Postecoglou was already up against it, with Newcastle one of the Premier League’s in-form sides. Eddie Howe’s men are aiming for their sixth consecutive win across all competitions when they head to the capital tomorrow.

As for Tottenham, however, they are desperate for three points after slipping to 11th in the table. The pressure is beginning to ramp up on Postecoglou for a perceived naivety from the dugout.

His ultra-attacking style has come under fire but the 59-year-old is vowing to fight on. Newcastle appear to have Spurs on the ropes before a ball is kicked following Postecoglou’s injury update.

A bout of flu has wiped out the Londoners - with no saving grace coming from the treatment table. As well as those mentioned, Ben Davies and Wilson Odobert are ruled out.

“Destiny (injured) his hamstring,” Postecoglou told reporters. “(It) looks (like it will be) around six weeks for him. We lose (Rodrigo) Bentancur suspended. None of the injured ones are back yet. We've had a bit of an illness bug with a few not training.

“At this stage, Richy (Richarlison) and Mikey Moore are the next cabs off the rank, we're hoping next week. Ben (Davies), Micky (Van de Ven) and (Cristian) Romero all kind of around the same time, (they will return at) the back end of January.”

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Sven Botman will be part of the Newcastle United squad that faces Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday afternoon (kick-off 12:30pm).

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The Magpies have been without the Dutchman for the past nine months because of an ACL injury. Eddie Howe will decide between Botman and summer signing Lloyd Kelly as to who replaces the suspended Fabian Schar at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

“I’ve always said with Sven, he’ll be sort of in and around Christmas games,” said Howe. “He’s worked incredibly hard to get himself in a good condition. He’s had, I think, three games and a lot of internal training as well.

“He’s certainly in and around my thoughts. I’ll have to make a decision on who I think best fits that position. But yeah, great to have Sven in and around available again.”

In the past month, Botman has resumed full training and built up his match fitness and sharpness by featuring in three under-21s matches.

When asked if it would be “a lot” for Botman to play against Spurs and then Arsenal on Tuesday night because of his lengthy spell on the sidelines, Howe replied: “No, because I think you go through a process with the type of injury Sven’s had, he’s done an incredible amount of work - it’s not like he’s not had that training time with us.

“We’ve taken longer than maybe normally we would have done through respect for the injury, he had to try and make sure he had the best chance of staying fit and when he comes back he’s able to hit the ground running, which is absolutely.

“So I’ve got a decision to make in terms of the team selection but if Sven is in the squad it’s because he is fit and available.”

Botman was restricted to 22 appearances last season having twice suffered with a knee injury.

The 24-year-old initially suffered a partial ACL tear in September last year but opted for a non-surgical rehabilitation plan. He resumed playing in December but looked way off his best, eventually resulting in surgery three months later.

Having been without Botman for so long and the chances of making a January signing low, Howe agreed the defender will be ‘like a new signing’.

“It is a cliché but it's a good one,” Howe said. “It was the same with Sandro when he came back from his ban, although he'd been training with us and had been with us for a season, he was like a new signing. It gave the lads a big lift to have Sandy back available for selection and Sven will be exactly the same.

“He's been a massive player for us and a player the lads all like and like to play with, they have got total trust in him. So when he comes back into the group, it gives everyone a great feeling so [a new signing] is the good way of looking at it.”

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Newcastle United are set to field a new partnership when they face Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday afternoon.

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The Magpies head to North London as one of the Premier League’s in-form teams having won four games in a row without conceding. That has seen Eddie Howe’s side climb to fifth in the top-flight table.

However, that defensive record will be tested against Spurs with Howe forced to change his centre-back pairing for the first time since the 2-0 defeat at home to West Ham United on November 25.

Only on three occasions in the Premier League this season have Fabian Schar and Dan Burn not played alongside each other. But Schar is suspended for the visit to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after picking up a fifth yellow card in Monday’s 2-0 win at Manchester United.

Schar was harshly sent off on the opening day of the season for an apparent headbutt on Southampton forward Ben Brereton-Diaz, equalling in a three-match ban. He sat out of two league games and one Carabao Cup match, with Emil Krafth called up in the Swiss’ place.

Krafth, however, has been sidelined for the past nine weeks with a broken collarbone, which leaves summer signing Lloyd Kelly or the returning Sven Botman to choose from.

With Botman yet to play a single first-team minute, or indeed be included in the matchday since returning from nine months out with an ACL injury, Kelly is expected to get the nod this weekend.

It is weirdly an unwritten rule not to play two left-footed centre-backs together but Howe doesn’t have a choice. And for Kelly, he must grasp his opportunity.

Kelly has only made three Premier League starts since joining on a free transfer from AFC Bournemouth in the summer. He was excellent in United’s Carabao Cup win over Chelsea in October but fell way below standard a month or so later when he came in for the suspended Burn against West Ham. He hasn’t featured in the starting XI since.

Facing Spurs is the 26-year-old’s chance to show his worth at a time when he’ll not only face competition from Burn, but Botman too.

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Tottenham Hotspur will be without Rodrigo Bentancur and Destiny Udogie when Newcastle United travel to the capital this weekend.

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A mammoth Premier League clash awaits for the Magpies as they aim to continue their recent upturn in form. Five consecutive wins since the 4-2 defeat to Brentford has shifted the mood around St James’ Park.

Newcastle sit fifth in the table and are a semi-final tie with Arsenal away from reaching the Carabao Cup final. Two of those wins were against Aston Villa and Manchester United, presumed rivals for a European spot at the start of the campaign.

Tottenham are up next, another club vying for a continental football next season. But like the Red Devils, Spurs are also in a rut and struggling for consistency in 2024-25.

The pressure is beginning to ramp up on Ange Postecoglou, with criticism levelled at his style of play. While exciting for the neutral, a stubbornness to go all-in on his ultra-attacking style has resulted in Tottenham surrendering several leads this season.

Spurs are 11th, with seven defeats, three draws and nine defeats at the midway stage of the campaign. A win for Newcastle would see Eddie Howe’s men open up an 11-point cushion over their European rivals.

They will face a Tottenham team without Bentancur (suspended) or Udogie (hamstring) - two of their first-team starters. The pair will join Ben Davies (thigh), Guglielmo Vicario (ankle), Cristian Romero (foot) and Micky van de Ven (hamstring) on the sidelines.

Richarlison (hamstring) could return, as will Djed Spence following his suspension. Newcastle’s absentees include Callum Wilson (hamstring), Sven Botman, Jamaal Lascelles (both ACL), Emil Krafth (collar bone) and Fabian Schar (suspended).

Newcastle United will be without Fabian Schar for their London double-header against Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal.

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Schar picked up his fifth Premier League yellow card of the campaign in the 2-0 win at Manchester United on Monday night. As per league rules, any player cautioned five times in their team’s opening 19 matches is handed an automatic one-match suspension.

The frustration for Newcastle and Schar is the defender was just 10 minutes away from avoiding such scenario. The visit to Spurs on Saturday sees the disciplinary threshold increase to 10 yellow cards in 32 games.

Schar serves his second ban of the campaign having missed three games for an apparent headbutt on Southampton forward Ben Brereton Diaz on the opening day. Dan Burn and Joelinton are the other two players to serve bans this term.

In addition, the former Switzerland international will miss the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final against Arsenal three days later. As per EFL rules, any player booked twice in the competition before the semi-final stage is handed a one-match competition ban.

Reacting to Schar’s absence, United boss Eddie Howe told NewcastleWorld: "Yeah, the coincidence is he's going to miss two games, of course, because of the Carabao Cup game as well. So it's a big blow for us and for him that we're going to have to change our back line because it's been so stable for us in the middle of the pitch.

“Fab and Dan have built up a really good partnership, but that will give an opportunity to someone else and hopefully the team won't be adversely affected."

Lloyd Kelly is in line to take Schar’s place while Sven Botman could return to the matchday for the first time since his ACL injury in March.

Newcastle United pair Sandro Tonali and Fabian Schar are just 90 minutes away from avoiding a one-match ban.

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As per Premier League rules, any player cautioned five times in their team’s opening 19 league games must serve a one-match suspension. Both Tonali and Schar have been booked four times this campaign.

The Magpies travel to Manchester United on Monday night before the disciplinary threshold increases to 10 yellow cards in 32 matches. If either player is booked at Old Trafford, they will be forced to miss the visit to Tottenham Hotspur on January 4.

Schar has avoided a caution in his last eight games, while Tonali has gone four matches without a booking. Losing either player would be a major blow for Eddie Howe’s side as they look to cement their place in the race for European qualification.

Newcastle have lost both Joelinton and Dan Burn to the five yellow card rule this season.

Meanwhile, because Bruno Guimaraes and Lewis Hall avoided a booking in the 3-0 win over Aston Villa on Boxing Day, they can no longer reach the threshold.

Joe Willock, Sean Longstaff, Jacob Murphy, Lloyd Kelly and Nick Pope have been booked twice so far, while Kieran Trippier picked up his first caution of the campaign last time out.

Any player who accumulates 10 yellow cards in their club’s opening 32 matches is handed a two-match suspension. Reaching 15 bookings results in a three-match ban but no player has ever been cautioned that amount of times during a single Premier League season.

Tottenham Hotspur will be without several first-team players for their Premier League clash against Newcastle United on January 4.

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Spurs were held to a 2-2 draw at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday afternoon following a late equaliser from Jorgen Strand Larsen. As well as dropping two points, they have lost two players for the visit of Newcastle next weekend.

In the 50th minute, left-back Destiny Udogie was forced off with a hamstring injury.

Yeah, I think it was a hamstring,” Postecoglu said. “Again like I said, we've been relying on a core group of players because we just haven't had the ability to rotate so at some point it was going to catch up with us. Unfortunately it caught up with Destiny.”

Then in stoppage time, midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur picked up his fifth yellow card of the campaign in stoppage time. As per Premier League rules, any player who is cautioned five times in their team’s opening 19 matches is automatically handed a one-match ban.

Spurs are already without a host of first-team players, including first choice centre-backs Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven. Ben Davies is also sidelined, forcing 18-year-old Archie Gray to deputise alongside Radu Dragusin.

Former Newcastle goalkeeper Fraser Foster is also in between the sticks with Guglielmo Vicario injured for the foreseeable. In attack, Spurs have been without Richarlison and Wilson Odobert.

Spurs currently sit 11th in the Premier League but before their visit to North London, Newcastle face Manchester United on Monday night.

Amanda Staveley admitted she still misses Newcastle United when teasing a swift return to football - and the Premier League.

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Staveley and husband Mehrdad Ghodoussi bid an emotional farewell to the Magpies in July after their remaining shares were acquired by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia and RB Sports & Media at an 85%/15% split.

Not only did Staveley broker the £305m PIF-led takeover in October 2021, but the Ripon-born financer also took control of the day-to-day running of the football club and oversaw a huge transformation as United - under Eddie Howe - went from battling relegation to qualifying for the Champions League in just under two years.

Staveley departed just shy of celebrating her three-year anniversary and in the months since leaving has been linked with investing in Tottenham Hotspur amid reported. However, when asked about his next move, Staveley remained sheepishly tight-lipped.

“We’re actively, you know, we’re looking at a serious investment and we’ve been working very hard,” said Staveley, who spoke at the Bloomberg’s Women, Money and Power event in London earlier this week. “We miss football, we miss Newcastle a huge amount and we’re in the middle of doing quite a lot of work around that.

“I can’t say too much but what I can say is I’m a football mad. We’ve got some of the best football [clubs] in the Premier League, we’re very lucky to have such great clubs.

“We also shouldn’t be complacent about our league position because at the moment we attract huge broadcast rights and we must ensure we continue to look at attracting the next generation of fans.

“Whatever club we go to, what we’re trying to do is find a club where we can really give the investment that club needs, and we want to be able to invest in the community and the women’s team.”

Prior to taking Newcastle off Mike Ashley’s hands, Staveley played a key role in the Abu Dhabi-led takeover of Manchester City in 2008 before being part of several bids to buy Liverpool.

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The 64-time international has been linked with a shock January move to Newcastle United

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Former Tottenham Hotspur and Leeds United goalkeeper Paul Robinson has advised Newcastle United against making a move for a four-time Premier League winning striker in the January transfer window.

Newcastle are believed to be in the market to sign a replacement for injury-prone striker Callum Wilson, who is approaching the final months of his contract at St James’ Park.

The Magpies are reportedly keen to strengthen their attacking options to provide further competition to Isak and according to TeamTalk have identified Jesus as the type of striker that could help take the team forward.

The 64-time Brazil international was a hugely successful understudy to Sergio Aguero at Manchester City that was heavily praised by Pep Guardiola for his tremendous work rate both in and out of possession, his high press and his ability to influence the game in a variety of different positions.

At Manchester City, he scored an impressive 58 goals in 159 league matches, despite mainly playing as a substitute and formed part of a team which won four league titles, one FA Cup, three League Cups and two Community Shields.

Jesus’ consistency over a number of season prompted Arsenal to sign him for £45m in July 2022 and in his first season as the main man he impressed with 11 goals in 26 league appearances to help his side to a second place finish and Champions League qualification for the first time in six seasons.

However, in recent years Jesus has struggled with injury issues and his goal record has dried up. He is currently on an 18-match streak without a goal in the Premier League and it is for this reason that Robinson has warned Newcastle against signing the 27-year-old, who may be past his best.

Robinson told Football Insider: “He doesn’t score enough goals, it's as simple as that. He can play wide and in different positions but he’s a striker, that’s the issue Arsenal have had. Newcastle went into last season light with Isak and Wilson who are both susceptible to injuries.

So they’re light in that area as it is, and if you’re going to sign a striker then you want once who can provide a consistent source of goals. Arsenal are constantly linked with signing a new number nine because they haven’t got an out-and-out goalscorer in the team. Kai Havertz has done really well, but with a striker who scores regularly, they’d get better results.”