The Sports Bank

“It’s hard to say at the moment, it’s a tweak in his groin,” Spurs boss Ange Postecoglu said on Friday, ahead of the North London Derby loss yesterday.

“The initial reports are it’s not serious which means there is a chance for Sunday, which tells me it’s nothing significant. If he doesn’t make Sunday, then I’ll assume he’ll be right for after that. At the same time, he’s just come off a long flight, you never feel great anyway, we’ll see how he trains tomorrow and that will give the best indication.”

Regarding Richarlison, the big Australian said: “Still a while, mate, yeah. He’s in rehab and we are going to take it a bit conservative with him.”

If there is a chance for Spurs to really pick off Arsenal FC, it’s now. The Gunners currently have a lot of walking wounded, and Tottenham Hotspur are pretty fit, overall, as a squad right now. While the North London Derby has been more going the way of Arsenal lately, Sunday is a great chance to turn the beat around.

Spurs will be at home, and White Hart Lane will be rocking for the Sunday matinee.

North London Derby FYIs

Kickoff: Sun. Sept. 15, 2024 at 2pm UK at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Injury Reports: Tottenham Arsenal FC

Team News: Tottenham Arsenal FC

Starting XI Prediction: Arsenal FC Tottenham

Google Result Probability: Arsenal 41% Draw 27% Tottenham 32%

PL Position, Form Guide: Arsenal 4th, 7 pts, WWD Tottenham 10th, 4 pts, LWDWL

Manager Postecoglu has a great opportunity to pick a very strong lineup for this one, and this is what we think it will look like.

Tottenham Hotspur Starting XI Prediction vs Arsenal FC

Gugliemo Vicario; Pedro Porro, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Destiny Udogie; Pape Matar Sarr, Yves Bissouma, James Maddison; Dejan Kulusevski, Heung-Min Son, Dominic Solanke

Match Prediction: Spurs 1-0

Look for the home side to pull the mild upset.

Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”

He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.

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Tottenham Hotspur experienced a double fitness boost on Friday, ahead of the North London Derby on Sunday. According to manager Ange Postecoglu, both speedy central defender Micky van de Ven and pricy striker Dominic Solanke will be passed fit to be available for selection here.

As for Yves Bissouma, the defensive stalwart in the midfield, he’ll be touch and go; most likely a game time decision.

North London Derby FYIs

Kickoff: Sun. Sept. 15, 2024 at 2pm UK at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Injury Reports: Tottenham Arsenal

Team News: Tottenham Arsenal FC

Starting XI Prediction: Arsenal FC Tottenham

Google Result Probability: Arsenal 41% Draw 27% Tottenham 32%

PL Position, Form Guide: Arsenal 4th, 7 pts, WWD Tottenham 10th, 4 pts, LWDWL

Spurs Team News

‘Micky’s good, he’s trained all the way through the international break and it was good for him to stay with us to build him back up so he’s ready to go,’ Postecoglou said of Van de Ven to the club’s in-house media.

On Solanke, he said: “Dom’s improved as well and trained the back half of this week. We still have two days to go with those guys so hopefully they get through training OK and are available.”

Regarding Bissouma, the second year Australian said: “He’s got a bit of an issue, but we’ll have a look at him over the next couple of days and see how it settles.”

There are no other changes to the team news situation at this time.

Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”

He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.

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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, despite his attempts to be covert about it in the media, is in full blown selection crisis mode right now. Midfield meastro Declan Rice is suspended, and he has an injury crisis on his hands. The Spaniard will have limited options in both defense and midfield when his side travels to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.

Despite all the guaranteed absentees, the Gunners are still favored here, in the next edition of the North London derby.

North London Derby FYIs

Kickoff: Sun. Sept. 15, 2024 at 2pm UK at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Injury Reports: Tottenham Arsenal

Team News: Tottenham Arsenal FC

Starting XI Prediction: Arsenal FC Tottenham

Google Result Probability: Arsenal 41% Draw 27% Tottenham Hotspur 32%

PL Position, Form Guide: Arsenal 4th, 7 pts, WWD Tottenham Hotspur 10th, 4 pts, LWDWL

Maybe that’s because Arsenal have performed so well in this series, as of late. Especially so during the Arteta era, Arsenal have taken control of this series. Plus, despite all the missing key players, Arsenal are well understood to have superior overall talent, quality and depth on Tottenham.

Let’s see what kind of patch work, best of what’s around lineup Arteta can come up with for this one.

Arsenal FC Starting XI Prediction at Tottenham Hotspur

David Raya; Ben White, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Jurrien Timber; Kai Havertz, Thomas Partey, Jorginho; Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli

Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”

He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.

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As another tediously slow international break continues to drag along, we start to look ahead to the North London Derby on Sunday. The hosts, Tottenham Hotspur, are in a much better place right now, fitness wise, than the visitors. We already covered Arsenal, at this link, yesterday. Spurs do have to worry about the likes of Richarlison, Dominic Solanke and Micky van de Ven. We’ll cover all of it here.

As always, click where highlighted for more on the aforementioned player.

Richarlison

The Brazilian striker has had a very troubled year or so, but when he’s fit, and when he’s on, Richarlison is top class. You really kind of have to feel for him, given all he’s been struggling with. He’ll probably miss the NLD, as he’s still battling a muscular injury. But he should be back not long after that.

Dominic Solanke

The club’s all-time most expensive player will deliver the ROI, eventually, but he may not be involved here. He’s a doubt here due to an ankle problem.

Micky van de Ven

The fastest player in the Premier League should be fit to feature here, having recovered from the knee problem that had been plaguing him.

Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”

He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.

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Newcastle United hosts Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday in one of the more interesting fixtures of the Premier League weekend. It’s a battle of 5th versus 6th place in the table, as two big money clubs will clash, ahead of the first international break of the season.

Let’s run through all the need to knows here, and then try and predict the two first teams.

Tottenham Hotspur at Newcastle United FYIs

Kick: Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024 12:30 PM Local Time, St. James Park, Newcastle, UK

Team News: Tottenham Newcastle

Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK

PL Standing: Tottenham Hotspur 5th, 4 pts Newcastle United 6th, 4 pts

Form Guide: Tottenham DW Newcastle WD

Google Result Probability: Tottenham Hotspur 38% Newcastle United 38% Draw 24%

What does the strongest possible selected by Eddie Howe and Ange Postecoglu look like? We’re guessing below….

Starting XI Predictions

Tottenham Hotspur

Gugliemo Vicario; Pedro Porro, Cristian Romero, Radu Dragusin, Destiny Udogie; Pape Matar Sarr, Yves Bissouma, James Maddison; Dejan Kulusevski, Heung-Min Son, Brennan Johnson

Newcastle United

Nick Pope; Tino Livramento, Dan Burn, Emil Krafth, Lewis Hall; Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimaraes, Joelinton; Jacob Murphy, Alexander Isak, Harvey Barnes

Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”

He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.

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Joe Willock suffered a thigh injury in Newcastle United’s League Cup win over Nottingham Forest in midweek. Although he scored the Magpies only goal, just a few minutes in, but had to be subbed off after just 15 minutes. According to manager Eddie Howe, the Willock situation is “a huge blow for him and for us.”

He went on to say that it doesn’t look good.

Tottenham Hotspur at Newcastle United FYIs

Kick: Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024 12:30 PM Local Time, St. James Park, Newcastle, UK

Team News: Tottenham Newcastle

Starting XI Predictions: Tottenham Newcastle

Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK

PL Standing: Tottenham 5th, 4 pts Newcastle 6th, 4 pts

Form Guide: Tottenham DW Newcastle WD

Google Result Probability: Tottenham 38% Newcastle 38% Draw 24%

Newcastle United Team News

Otherwise the rest of the injury situation tells a very different story.

The international break comes at a good time for Newcastle United, who have several players out injured right now, but could Callum Wilson (lower back) and Martin Dubravka (head/face) could return in the next match after the Sept. internationals.

Although they will miss Sunday’s clash with Tottenham. As will Fabian Schar, who is suspended here.

Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”

He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.

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Three players were notably absent from the most recent Tottenham Hotspur training session- Micky van de Ven, Richarlison and Dominic Solanke. Van de Ven apparently hurt his knee in the win over Everton last weekend, but may be fine to feature at Newcastle.

“It’s OK – we have to check it, but it feels OK,” manager Ange Postecoglu said of Van de Ven’s situation.

Tottenham Hotspur at Newcastle United FYIs

Kick: Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024 12:30 PM Local Time, St. James Park, Newcastle, UK

Team News: Tottenham Newcastle

Starting XI Predictions: Tottenham Newcastle

Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK

PL Standing: Tottenham 5th, 4 pts Newcastle 6th, 4 pts

Form Guide: Tottenham DW Newcastle WD

Result Probability: Tottenham 38% Newcastle 38% Draw 24%

Spurs Team News

The Dutch central defender would be a massive loss for Spurs, if he can’t go, but, right now, at least, it sounds like he should be available. Richarlison has been battling to get fully match fit again, and he has yet to go the full 90 thus far, this season.

In sticking with up, Dominic Solanke suffered an ankle injury in his debut, and missed out last weekend. He is a strong doubt here as well.

However, Destiny Udogie and Rodrigo Bentancur should, or at least could, be passed fit to feature here.

Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”

He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.

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Tottenham Hotspur will kick off their home slate of the 2024-24 season by welcoming in Everton FC on Saturday. As it stands after just one game, the Toffees are the bottom side of the table.

Yes, for what it is worth, the blue club on Mersey is in dead last place.

Everton FC at Tottenham Hotspur FYIs

Kick off: Sat. Aug. 24th, 3pm, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, UK

Tottenham Hotspur Preview Material: Team News Starting XI Prediction

Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK

Google Result Probability: Tottenham Hotspur 67% Everton FC 14% Draw 19%

PL Form, Position: Tottenham D, 1 pt,12th Everton FC L, 0 pts, 20th

In terms of our starting lineup prediction, we are not making too many changes here. We see manager Ange Postecoglu bringing Yves Bissouma back into the first team, after his having served his one match suspension.

While Richarlison is back fit again, we just don’t see him usurping Dominic Solanke, the club’s new all-time transfer fee record signing, in the lineup.

Tottenham Hotspur Starting XI Prediction vs Everton FC

Gugliemo Vicario; Pedro Porro, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Destiny Udogie; Archie Gray, Yves Bissouma James Maddison; Dejan Kulusevski, Heung-Min Son, Dominic Solanke

Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”

He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.

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While Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur will have to miss Saturday’s home opener, due to concussion protocol, there is some good news. According to his personal trainer, as reported in ESPN Uruguay, he’s responding well.

Bentancur was knocked unconscious in the season opener, after a clash of heads that led to his being stretchered off.

Everton FC at Tottenham Hotspur FYIs

Kick off: Sat. Aug. 24th, 3pm, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, UK

Tottenham Hotspur Preview Material: Team News Starting XI Prediction

Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK

Google Result Probability: Tottenham Hotspur 67% Everton FC 14% Draw 19%

PL Form, Position: Tottenham D, 1 pt,12th Everton FC L, 0 pts, 20th

Team News for Both Sides

Any time you see a situation like that, it’s just plain scary. It’s comforting to know that Bentancur is going to be alright, because honestly, the incident looked like it was going to be something much worse.

Elsewhere Richarlison is match fit again, after featuring off the bench in the season opening draw at Leicester.

Meanwhile Yves Bissouma is now fully reinstated to the team, having been suspended for one match, due to his taping himself doing laughing gas.

The Tottenham long-term injured players situation remains unchanged.

Shifting gears to the visitors, Manchester United summer transfer saga man Jarrad Branthwaite is reportedly back fit and available for selection once again. In sticking with United connections, Ashley Young is suspended here, after drawing red versus Brighton.

Meanwhile Seamus Coleman and James Garner remain out as long-term injury absentees.

Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”

He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.

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