The Football Faithful

Tottenham make the trip to the Newcastle this weekend and will be hoping for better fortunes than their last two visits to St James’ Park.

Last season, Spurs were thrashed 4-0 by Eddie Howe’s men, a result that followed a 6-1 defeat at Newcastle in 2022/23 that saw the Lilywhites 5-0 down inside 21 minutes.

Newcastle haven’t looked at their best this season but remain unbeaten in the Premier League. Fabian Schar will serve the final game of his suspension for the Magpies and Sven Botman, Callum Wilson and Jamaal Lascelles remain sidelined. However, the return of Italian midfielder Sandro Tonali is a boost after he made his first appearance for 10 months against Nottingham Forest in midweek.

Form

Newcastle: WD

Four points from their first two games and progression into the third round of the Carabao Cup is not a start to be scoffed at. Newcastle showed character to beat newly-promoted Southampton on opening day, despite having a numerical disadvantage as Fabian Schar was sent off. VAR then came to their rescue last weekend at the Vitality Stadium against Bournemouth, as Dango Outtara’s stoppage-time winner was controversially disallowed for handball.

Their midweek exploits saw them secure a place in the next round of the Carabao Cup with a penalty shootout victory over Nottingham Forest at the City Ground. Sean Longstaff netted the decisive kick after Taiwo Awoniyi and Ibrahim Sangare had missed for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side.

Tottenham: DW

Spurs looked sharp in their first home game as they put four past an Everton team that looked fragile defensively. Yves Bissouma marked his reinstatement into the team with a spectacular goal to begin the rout, Cristian Romero towered highest to nod home and Tottenham skipper Heung-min Son bagged a brace.

That comprehensive win made amends for their draw against Leicester City, a game which Postecoglou’s side completely dominated.

Last Meeting: Newcastle 4-0 Tottenham, Premier League, 13th April 2024

Newcastle tore Tottenham apart on Tyneside last April with Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon in particular running riot.

The Swede scored a brace in consecutive home games against Spurs, and Gordon doubled Newcastle’s lead less than ninety seconds after Isak’s opener.

Fabian Schar got their fourth in the latter stages of the game, rising highest from a corner to put the finishing touch on an excellent showing from the Magpies.

It was an uncharacteristic performance from Spurs, as they failed to lay a glove on their opponents and their failure to score marked only the second time that had happened in 44 matches.

Predicted Lineups

Newcastle: Pope; Livramento, Krafth, Burn, Kelly; Joelinton, Guimaraes, Willock; Gordon, Isak, Barnes.

Tottenham: Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Bissouma, Sarr; Odobert, Maddison, Kulusevski; Son.

Who is the referee?

Robert Jones.

What channel is Newcastle vs Tottenham on?

Newcastle vs Tottenham is available to watch on Sky Sports Premier League.

What time is kick-off?

Kick-off at St. James’ Park is at 13:30 BST on Sunday 1st September.

Odds

Newcastle – 29/20

Draw – 29/10

Tottenham – 3/2

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Spurs return to North London this weekend as they welcome Everton to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, looking to bounce back from a disappointing result on the opening weekend.

Both sides are searching for their first win of the campaign. The hosts played out a

draw at Leicester on Monday night, while Everton were on the wrong end of a 3-0

hammering to Brighton and Hove Albion.

Ange Postecoglou will be without Rodrigo Bentancur following the head injury he sustained

at the King Power Stadium, whilst club-record signing Dominic Solanke is also out. Everton boss Sean Dyche will have to do without the experienced Ashley Young after his red card against Brighton.

Tottenham Hotspur vs Everton – Match Preview

Form

Tottenham Hotspur: D

A frustrating Monday night performance meant Spurs had to settle for a point against newly promoted Leicester City.

The first half was attractive viewing for the neutral with Spurs playing the flowing brand of football that has become synonymous with the team since the arrival of Ange Postecoglou.

They got the opening goal their play deserved, with former Leicester playmaker James Maddison the architect. The 27-year-old floated an inviting ball into the box which found the head of the onrushing Pedro Porro, who delicately found the bottom corner.

They spurned several other chances in the first half with multiple byline cutbacks begging

for contact, but a telling touch proved elusive. Midway through the second period, Spurs’ defensive frailties reared their ugly head once more and their failure to capitalise on their countless chances was punished. Jamie Vardy found himself in a yard of space to head home and the Foxes could’ve easily gone on to win the game had the 37-year-old not missed a glorious chance ten minutes later.

In the end, a draw seemed a fair result, but Tottenham will be baffled as to how the game wasn’t beyond doubt before halftime. The Lilywhites will be looking to put that poor form in front of goal behind them immediately.

Everton: L

It was a disastrous beginning to the season for Sean Dyche and his players as the Toffees fell to a 3-0 home defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion, with experienced veteran Ashley Young sent off to compound their misery.

Kaoru Mitoma tapped in from a pinpoint cross from Yankuba Minteh in the first half, before Danny Welbeck was allowed to waltz through to double the deficit in the second period.

Simon Adringra completed the rout with five minutes to go, which put an end to a torrid afternoon for their opponents. The Toffees didn’t lay a glove on the Seagulls, struggling to create any chance of real note. The biggest worry for Dyche was how open his team was, a cause of concern for this weekend against a Tottenham team who create chances aplenty.

The performance and result were pretty uninspiring and have filled a lot of Everton fans with the same feeling of dread they have become all too familiar with over the last few years.

Last Meeting: Everton 2-2 Tottenham Hotspur, Premier League, 3rd February 2024

Former Everton hero Richarlison haunted his old team in the last encounter, but Everton ended up having the last laugh with a last-minute equaliser from centre-half Jarrad Branthwaite.

Richarlison put his team ahead inside three minutes as he connected sweetly with a cutback from Destiny Udogie. Muted celebrations followed.

Everton restored parity from a corner on the stroke of the half-hour mark, with Jack Harrison getting the final touch in a goal-mouth scramble.

Tottenham’s number nine then put Spurs back ahead with his second, a sumptuous volley from outside the area which left the despairing Jordan Pickford with no chance.

Tottenham couldn’t find a third goal to kill the contest and they were made to rue their missed chances as their defence was unlocked again through a set piece. Branthwaite leapt the highest in the fourth minute of added time to power the ball past Gugliemo Vicario to snatch a point in the dying embers.

Predicted Lineups:

Tottenham Hotspur: Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogi; Bissouma, Gray, Son, Maddison, Kulusevski; Richarlison.

Everton: Pickford, Holgate, Tarkowski, O’Brien, Mykolenko; Harrison, Doucoure, Gueye, McNeil, Ndiaye; Calvert-Lewin.

Who is the referee?

Anthony Taylor.

What channel is Tottenham Hotspur vs Everton on?

Tottenham Hotspur vs Everton is not available to watch live in the UK.

What time is kick-off?

Odds

Tottenham Hotspur – 21/50

Draw – 15/4

Everton – 11/2

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Ange Postecoglou has had a season to settle in English football and the Australian will want improvement from Spurs. After a near miss in their top-four pursuit last season, the North Londoners need to go to the well again.

Tottenham – Premier League Season Preview 2024/25

Last season: 5th

Title odds: 25/1

TFF prediction: 4th

Tottenham Transfers 2024/25

In: Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall, Yang Min-hyuk, Dominic Solanke, Timo Werner (loan).

Out: Ryan Sessegnon, Eric Dier, Tanguy Ndombele, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Alejo Veliz (loan), Bryan Gil (loan), Dane Scarlett (loan), Joe Rodon, Troy Parrott, Emerson Royal, Yago Santiago.

Ange Postecoglou begins his second season as Spurs manager after a largely positive debut campaign in North London. Spurs stumbled during the run-in to miss out on a top-four finish but the club’s bold approach won over supporters who had become disillusioned with the pragmatism of past regimes.

Naivety remains an issue, however, particularly when defending set-pieces. Just five teams conceded more set-piece goals than Spurs last season with four of those making up the bottom four in the Premier League table.

Postecoglou’s mantra will remain that fortune favours the brave and the Australian is prepared to back his side to play high-risk football. Spurs have broken their transfer record to sign Dominic Solanke from Bournemouth and the 26-year-old looks a suitable stylistic fit to lead Postecoglou’s intensity, having led all Premier League forwards for pressures in 2023/24.

Spurs are quietly building a team of rich potential and in Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall the North Londoners believe they have added two stars of the future. Each have caught the eye in pre-season, alongside several members of Spurs’ successful Premier League 2-winning side from last season, including Will Lankshear and Mikey Moore.

The top four will be the expectation for Spurs this season though the club’s fans will want more in other competitions. Early exits from both domestic cups did not aid their pursuit of Champions League football last season and should not be discarded given the lack of silverware that has arrived in North London this century. The Europa League offers a genuine route to both Champions League football and silverware in 2024/25.

Key man: Micky van de Ven

The Dutch defender was one of the signings of the season last term after his £34m arrival from Wolfsburg. A phenomenal physical presence, Van de Ven set a new record as the fastest footballer ever recorded in the Premier League. For a central defender, his electric pace is unusual and is key to Spurs’ implementation of a high defensive line.

In Van de Ven and Cristian Romero, Spurs have one of the best centre-back pairings in the Premier League. The task for Postecoglou is to find balance and provide the duo with adequate protection.

One to watch: Archie Gray

Named as the EFL Championship’s Young Player of the Season for 2023/24, Gray’s breakthrough campaign at Leeds United has led to a £40m move to the Premier League this summer.

The 18-year-old offers an old head on young shoulders and has shown his versatility with composed performances in midfield and at right-back.

Though he lacks senior experience, his displays in pre-season have suggested that Gray is already capable of a regular role in Postecoglou’s side and an England call could beckon if he hits the ground running in the top-flight this season.

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