The Independent

There are moments when Harry Kane is watching younger players conduct a modern finishing session and starts to get irritated.

“The ball comes to you, you take a touch and finish… it’s not really realistic,” he says. “I try and do realistic training where it’s game scenarios, bobbly ball, half a second to swivel and hit, crosses that have been whipped in at fast tempo. It helps separate the good players and the top players.”

Such realistic sessions have also helped lead to what Kane himself calls “unrealistic” targets.

One of those was 100 caps for England, which the 31-year-old will celebrate when he starts Tuesday’s Nations League match against Finland at Wembley. That’s the reason he is sitting down with media at England’s base this week, the Tottenham Hotspur Training Centre, but he’s reflecting on a lot more than the route here. That’s because the early doubts about him were much stronger than whether he would get even a handful of caps, let alone become England’s 10th centurion.

A theme of his career has been proving people wrong, mostly through the precision of finishing he has worked so hard on. Kane talks about being released by Arsenal, never being considered “the next big thing”, some bad loans, initially being dismissed as a one-season wonder and now the idea he is physically waning.

Kane’s stance on the last point is illustrated by the fact he is now targeting 100 England goals.

“It’s possible, it’s there,” he says. “What is it, 34 [more] goals? I feel like I am in a good place and these are good targets to try and reach. Some people may see them as unrealistic but I would rather go for something unrealistic and not quite make it.”

While he again talks about looking to Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and, of course, his favourite NFL player Tom Brady, it is worth remembering that he first spoke about their example as a young player at Tottenham Hotspur. People scoffed then, as they have always done.

“Probably throughout my whole career, really,” Kane says of people doubting him. “Starting from when I was eight years old being released from Arsenal. That might have built a bit of desire to prove them wrong when I was that age. And even when I first came to Spurs … I was close to being released. I was never the guy that everyone thought was going to go on and do what I’ve done.

“I think that desire to improve, just step by step in my career... I went on loan, had a couple of good loans, a couple of not so good but still had to fight for my place, fight for the opportunity to show that I could play at the level I wanted to, in the Premier League at that time and England. Throughout my career, there have always been people who doubted me.”

Far from speaking about this with any kind of vindication, though, Kane is much more philosophical.

“It almost motivates me to get even better,” he says. “It helps me be consistent. Tom Brady was a big inspiration of mine.

“He is a prime example of this and he went on to become the greatest in his sport. But, when he was 42, 43, he was still having to prove people wrong and prove to himself he was good enough. I think that until I stop playing, I will always have that attitude and I think deep down that motivates me to be better when I’m training, when I’m doing the finishing sessions on my own, stuff that I probably might not have to do still but I want to do it and I want to prove that there’s room for improvement.”

This is where Kane gets into one of those rare sessions with an elite professional where they really engage in their craft. He feels he did have a natural talent for finishing but it needed honing.

“I’ve always been someone able to score goals, even when I was six, seven years old,” Kane explains. “I think part of it is just instinct, knowing where the ball is going to be, getting into areas where you know it’s going to drop, but I had to work extremely hard at my finishing, especially the early years at Spurs where I wasn’t the player I am now.

“I saw Bradley Allen [Tottenham academy coach] today, and he was a big part of when I started to change. I did a lot of sessions with Brad at under-15 level.

“Even now, I’m still doing finishing sessions. You’ve got the data more, you can see what goals are scored from what position in the box, so you can start to have your movements in that aspect change a little bit. Ultimately, I really enjoy being out there working on my finishing. It’s kind of my happy place.”

You can see the smile as he talks about Allen working him through “early finishes, one-touch finishes” and how he was made to work on his left foot a lot – the “realistic” scenarios. It’s also made him a role model for younger teammates. “Sometimes you’ll do a group finishing session but I might go away on my own, set up more of a specific one for me, then players will come over and join in my sessions,” he says.

The quirk is that many of the players looking to learn are now forward-winger hybrids rather than Kane’s type of striker. He feels Messi, Ronaldo and Pep Guardiola have influenced that evolution.

“Maybe just the way football is going, as well, being able to drop into different areas. It might come back around, and someone like Pep might come out with an out-and-out nine and everyone will play that way again. He’s got one now [Erling Haaland] and it’s working pretty well! Who knows, it’s just the way football evolves but I think, definitely, just a generation watching some of the best wingers in the world motivated them to be more that type.”

Kane plans on hanging around a while yet, despite the questions about his physical condition from Euro 2024. He feels part of it is “perception” from a wider team drop-off.

“It was like, ‘Why is he not scoring goals?’ but in the tournament, I felt good. Just as a team, I felt we were not quite clicking. Quite a few of the lads, if we talk honestly, we did not perform as well as we have done in other tournaments. At 31, I am in a good place both mentally and physically and some of the players ahead of me like Ronaldo have helped prove to me I can be at this level for a long time.”

The ability to win silverware is that last remaining doubt, of course, but he thinks only final touches are needed. They might come under Lee Carsley. Such discussion feels a different world to that first international against Lithuania under Roy Hodgson back in 2015. Typically, Kane was made to wait that bit more, to make his debut as a substitute.

“I think the ball didn’t go out for about four or five minutes and I was just, like, someone make a foul or something!” he remembers. “There was a lot of talk in the build-up to that camp because I was playing well for Spurs. I got a great reception and within a couple of minutes, I scored a goal… I don’t think I could have dreamed it any better.”

It was the first of 66 goals, so far. His favourites are the strike against Germany in the last 16 of Euro 2020 and the stoppage-time match-winning header in the 2-1 victory over Tunisia at the 2018 World Cup. The favourite in terms of technique, however, is the long-range strike away to Poland in 2021.

“There’s been a few good ones,” he laughs. It isn’t said with cockiness but simply Kane’s assurance. That is what has got him this far.

There are moments when Harry Kane is watching younger players conduct a modern finishing session and starts to get irritated.

“The ball comes to you, you take a touch and finish… it’s not really realistic,” he says. “I try and do realistic training where it’s game scenarios, bobbly ball, half a second to swivel and hit, crosses that have been whipped in at fast tempo. It helps separate the good players and the top players.”

Such realistic sessions have also helped lead to what Kane himself calls “unrealistic” targets.

One of those was 100 caps for England, which the 31-year-old will celebrate when he starts Tuesday’s Nations League match against Finland at Wembley. That’s the reason he is sitting down with media at England’s base this week, the Tottenham Hotspur Training Centre, but he’s reflecting on a lot more than the route here. That’s because the early doubts about him were much stronger than whether he would get even a handful of caps, let alone become England’s 10th centurion.

A theme of his career has been proving people wrong, mostly through the precision of finishing he has worked so hard on. Kane talks about being released by Arsenal, never being considered “the next big thing”, some bad loans, initially being dismissed as a one-season wonder and now the idea he is physically waning.

Kane’s stance on the last point is illustrated by the fact he is now targeting 100 England goals.

“It’s possible, it’s there,” he says. “What is it, 34 [more] goals? I feel like I am in a good place and these are good targets to try and reach. Some people may see them as unrealistic but I would rather go for something unrealistic and not quite make it.”

While he again talks about looking to Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and, of course, his favourite NFL player Tom Brady, it is worth remembering that he first spoke about their example as a young player at Tottenham Hotspur. People scoffed then, as they have always done.

“Probably throughout my whole career, really,” Kane says of people doubting him. “Starting from when I was eight years old being released from Arsenal. That might have built a bit of desire to prove them wrong when I was that age. And even when I first came to Spurs … I was close to being released. I was never the guy that everyone thought was going to go on and do what I’ve done.

“I think that desire to improve, just step by step in my career... I went on loan, had a couple of good loans, a couple of not so good but still had to fight for my place, fight for the opportunity to show that I could play at the level I wanted to, in the Premier League at that time and England. Throughout my career, there have always been people who doubted me.”

Far from speaking about this with any kind of vindication, though, Kane is much more philosophical.

“It almost motivates me to get even better,” he says. “It helps me be consistent. Tom Brady was a big inspiration of mine.

“He is a prime example of this and he went on to become the greatest in his sport. But, when he was 42, 43, he was still having to prove people wrong and prove to himself he was good enough. I think that until I stop playing, I will always have that attitude and I think deep down that motivates me to be better when I’m training, when I’m doing the finishing sessions on my own, stuff that I probably might not have to do still but I want to do it and I want to prove that there’s room for improvement.”

This is where Kane gets into one of those rare sessions with an elite professional where they really engage in their craft. He feels he did have a natural talent for finishing but it needed honing.

“I’ve always been someone able to score goals, even when I was six, seven years old,” Kane explains. “I think part of it is just instinct, knowing where the ball is going to be, getting into areas where you know it’s going to drop, but I had to work extremely hard at my finishing, especially the early years at Spurs where I wasn’t the player I am now.

“I saw Bradley Allen [Tottenham academy coach] today, and he was a big part of when I started to change. I did a lot of sessions with Brad at under-15 level.

“Even now, I’m still doing finishing sessions. You’ve got the data more, you can see what goals are scored from what position in the box, so you can start to have your movements in that aspect change a little bit. Ultimately, I really enjoy being out there working on my finishing. It’s kind of my happy place.”

You can see the smile as he talks about Allen working him through “early finishes, one-touch finishes” and how he was made to work on his left foot a lot – the “realistic” scenarios. It’s also made him a role model for younger teammates. “Sometimes you’ll do a group finishing session but I might go away on my own, set up more of a specific one for me, then players will come over and join in my sessions,” he says.

The quirk is that many of the players looking to learn are now forward-winger hybrids rather than Kane’s type of striker. He feels Messi, Ronaldo and Pep Guardiola have influenced that evolution.

“Maybe just the way football is going, as well, being able to drop into different areas. It might come back around, and someone like Pep might come out with an out-and-out nine and everyone will play that way again. He’s got one now [Erling Haaland] and it’s working pretty well! Who knows, it’s just the way football evolves but I think, definitely, just a generation watching some of the best wingers in the world motivated them to be more that type.”

Kane plans on hanging around a while yet, despite the questions about his physical condition from Euro 2024. He feels part of it is “perception” from a wider team drop-off.

“It was like, ‘Why is he not scoring goals?’ but in the tournament, I felt good. Just as a team, I felt we were not quite clicking. Quite a few of the lads, if we talk honestly, we did not perform as well as we have done in other tournaments. At 31, I am in a good place both mentally and physically and some of the players ahead of me like Ronaldo have helped prove to me I can be at this level for a long time.”

The ability to win silverware is that last remaining doubt, of course, but he thinks only final touches are needed. They might come under Lee Carsley. Such discussion feels a different world to that first international against Lithuania under Roy Hodgson back in 2015. Typically, Kane was made to wait that bit more, to make his debut as a substitute.

“I think the ball didn’t go out for about four or five minutes and I was just, like, someone make a foul or something!” he remembers. “There was a lot of talk in the build-up to that camp because I was playing well for Spurs. I got a great reception and within a couple of minutes, I scored a goal… I don’t think I could have dreamed it any better.”

It was the first of 66 goals, so far. His favourites are the strike against Germany in the last 16 of Euro 2020 and the stoppage-time match-winning header in the 2-1 victory over Tunisia at the 2018 World Cup. The favourite in terms of technique, however, is the long-range strike away to Poland in 2021.

“There’s been a few good ones,” he laughs. It isn’t said with cockiness but simply Kane’s assurance. That is what has got him this far.

Tottenham have left Djed Spence and Sergio Reguilon out of their squad for the Europa League group stage.

Ange Postecoglou’s team had to submit a maximum 25-man squad to UEFA by Wednesday night, but were only able to list 23 players due to a lack of club-trained options.

It means Spence, who has been reintegrated back into the first team this summer after loan spells at Leeds and Genoa last season, will miss out on European football during the first half of the campaign.

The absence of Reguilon is no surprise given the Spanish defender is deemed surplus to requirements and could still leave, with the Turkish transfer window open.

Spurs have allowed Alfie Devine to join Westerlo of the Belgian Pro League on a season-long loan.

Devine attracted plenty of interest this summer after spells with Port Vale and Plymouth last season, but no suitable domestic loan could be found before Friday’s 11pm transfer deadline in England.

Westerlo already have 17-year-old centre-back Luka Vuskovic, who will officially join Spurs in 2025, in their ranks and he will now have Devine for company after the Antwerp-based club moved for the midfielder before the Belgian transfer window shuts on Friday.

This will be the third loan of Devine’s fledgling career after he first signed for Tottenham in July 2020 and became the club’s youngest scorer six months later with an FA Cup goal on his debut at Marine.

Devine has a contract with Spurs until the summer of 2027 and has made 44 professional appearances.

The former owner of Tottenham Hotspur FC has moored his £250 million superyacht in the middle of a town in Devon, leaving locals baffled.

Billionaire Joe Lewis, who was recently sentenced for insider trading charges in the US, has moored his giant blue superyacht in Dartmouth for weeks after arriving in the UK tourist destination at the beginning of August.

The 322-foot (98m) luxury vessel Aviva, which the 87-year-old uses partly as a residence and partly as an office, arrived from Troon, Scotland, to the Devonshire coast around 5 August.

The yacht has been pictured dominating the entire landscape of Dartmouth, overshadowing smaller yachts that are docked in the harbour next to the small seaside that lines the shore.

The scenic coastal town of Dartmouth, situated on the banks of the River Dart, has a rich maritime heritage and boasts independent locally-owned boutiques as well as beaches such as Castle Cove and Sugary Cove that attract hundreds of visitors to the small town.

The town holds an annual regatta, one of the oldest events of its kind in the country, that invites yachts, keelboats, sports boats and dinghies to the sporting event held in its port. This year’s event took place on 29 to 31 August while Lewis’ yacht was also moored in the area.

The giant yacht is hard to miss, leaving some residents perplexed as to why such a huge boat would want to be moored in a small English town that does not offer the same tropical weather that most superyachts are spotted in.

“I love this town and I wouldn’t want to do it down but why does a billionaire want to stay here for the whole of August instead of the Caribbean or the Med?” one lifelong resident told The Sun.

"It’s just a huge floating gin palace, miles bigger than anything else in the harbour. We’ve seen his crew come and go in a tender but I don’t know if he’s even onboard – nobody’s heard anything,” they added.

It is unclear if Lewis is present on the superyacht while it is being anchored in Devon.

Aviva was built in 2017, can host 16 guests, 25 crew members, and also features an indoor padel tennis court, according to SuperYachtFan.

The superyacht had not been spotted around British waters until recently, as Aviva, along with the owner’s private jet, was put up as collateral for bail after the British billionaire’s arrest in July 2023 for insider trading charges in the US.

Lewis was not allowed to set foot on the vessel until he paid a $5m fine after his sentencing in April for sharing business secrets with friends, which also includes three years of prison.

After leaving its base in Malta following the sentencing, Aviva set sail to cities along Albania’s coast as well as the Greek island Zakynthos and Kalamata in southern Greece, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Along with the padel tennis court, the yacht also includes a helipad, spa and a cinema, and was ranked among the world’s 25-most valuable superyachts shortly after its launch, the outlet added.

Aviva is also home to one of the most expensive art collections in the world, with original works by Picasso and Matisse aboard the yacht.

Lewis made his fortune primarily in foreign exchange and investment before buying Tottenham Hotspur in 1991. He is ranked 38th among the UK’s wealthiest people, according to the Sunday Times Rich List, with a net worth of £5.3bn.

Alexander Isak’s first goal of the season handed Newcastle a priceless 2-1 Premier League victory over Tottenham on an eventful afternoon at St James’ Park.

The Swedish international struck 13 minutes from time to settle a pulsating encounter, which the visitors dominated for long periods but were unable to convert the pressure into goals.

Keeper Nick Pope, who was partially to blame for the Dan Burn own goal that cancelled out Harvey Barnes’ opener, atoned with a series of fine saves and was also grateful for the intervention of his crossbar and some less-than-accurate finishing.

However, Eddie Howe’s men, watched by chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan among a crowd of 52,211, many of them still questioning a relative lack of summer transfer activity, were once again far from their best despite the return to league football of Italy international Sandro Tonali as a second-half substitute following a 10-month ban.

Spurs found themselves under early pressure when Isak robbed Son Heung-min deep inside enemy territory and chipped an audacious fifth-minute attempt over keeper Guglielmo Vicario, which clipped the bar.

Vicario was sent sprawling across his goal three minutes later after Barnes cut inside from Anthony Gordon’s pass and fired just wide, although the visitors started to work their way into the game with Son, Yves Bissouma and James Maddison prominent and had a 12th-minute Cristian Romero header correctly ruled out for offside.

Emil Krafth and Lloyd Kelly went close from corners in quick succession at the other end, but Wilson Odobert replied in kind with a rising strike, which Pope was happy to see narrowly miss the target.

Pope had to get down well to beat away a 25th-minute Pape Sarr effort after Son and Dejan Kulusevski had opened up the Newcastle rearguard, and he denied the same player for a second time two minutes later with Spurs pushing hard.

However, it was the hosts who went ahead eight minutes before the break when Burn took a quick throw to Kelly and saw the full-back cross for Barnes to steer the ball first time across Vicario and inside the far post.

It took a well-timed challenge by Radu Dragusin to prevent Isak from making the most of Tino Livramento’s ball in behind the visitors’ rearguard two minutes after the restart, but Spurs continued to enjoy the lion’s share of the possession.

Odobert was unable to convert half-time substitute Brennan Johnson’s deflected 54th-minute cross from beyond the far post and Burn blocked Son’s attempt at the end of a determined solo run before Pedro Porro’s deflected cross looped onto the crossbar.

However, Pope was finally beaten with 56 minutes gone when he could only push Maddison’s shot out to Johnson, who turned it back across goal for Burn to turn the ball into his own net in a desperate attempt to clear the danger.

The momentum was firmly with the visitors, who were controlling the middle of the field, but Vicario had to save substitute Jacob Murphy’s stabbed attempt after Bruno Guimaraes, Isak and Gordon had linked.

Tonali arrived as a 68th-minute replacement for Sean Longstaff, but Odobert failed to capitalise on an error by Burn as Tottenham sniffed victory and Guimaraes only just managed to stab another Johnson cross wide of his own goal.

Pope saved brilliantly from Maddison and Porro in quick succession and Johnson shot wastefully over. They paid the price with 13 minutes remaining when Murphy broke clear onto Joelinton’s through-ball and timed his pass to perfection to allow Isak to score.

Follow live coverage as Newcastle United face Tottenham Hotspur today in the Premier League.

Newcastle make one change from their last Premier League match as Harvey Barnes comes in for Jacob Murphy, who drops to the bench. Midfielder Sandro Tonali played against Nottingham Forest in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday. That was his first appearance since a 10-month ban for breaching betting regulations, he is also among the substitutes. Joe Willock is out with a thigh injury. Defender Fabian Schar serves the final game of a three-match suspension.

Tottenham change two of the side that started in the 4-0 thrashing of Everton as Radu Dragusin and Pape Sarr come in for Micky van de Ven and Brennan Johnson. Johnson is among the substitutes, but Van de Ven is not in the squad, while forwards Dominic Solanke and Richarlison are both absent through injury. With his inclusion, Wilson Odobert is the first teenager to start back-to-back Premier League games for Tottenham since Ryan Sessegnon on New Year’s Day 2020.

The fixture dates for the new-look Europa League have been confirmed ahead of the 2024/25 season.

The draw for the 36-team league phase was made on Friday afternoon and threw up a number of intriguing ties, Manchester United facing Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce and Rangers, who also take on Tottenham Hotspur.

Changes to the format for European club competitions, designed to make the first phase more exciting and unpredictable, will see teams play eight fixtures against eight different rival clubs, as opposed to playing three teams both home and away in the old group stage.

The top eight sides in the league after the competition’s first phase will progress directly to the last-16.

Teams placed ninth to 24th will have to negotiate a play-off round, while teams that finish 25th or lower will be eliminated from all European competition.

Below are the full Champions League fixtures, with a club-by-club breakdown for Manchester United, Tottenham and Rangers included underneath

All times Central European Time (+1 BST)

Matchday 1: September 25-26, 2024

Wednesday 25 September

Thursday 26 September

Matchday 2: Thursday October 3, 2024

Matchday 3: October 23-24, 2024

Wednesday 23 October

Thursday 24 October

Matchday 4: November 6-7, 2024

Wednesday 6 November

Thursday 7 November

Matchday 5: Thursday November 28, 2024

Matchday 6: December 11-12, 2024

Wednesday 11 December

Thursday 12 December

Matchday 7: January 21-23, 2025

Tuesday 21 January

Wednesday 22 January

Thursday 23 January

Matchday 8: January 30, 2025

Rangers will face Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League this season.

While Erik ten Hag’s side also face Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce, with the Portuguese manager welcoming his former side to Istanbul. The Red Devils also travel to Porto, with further trips to Viktoria Plzen and FCSB. While Paok, Bodo/Glimt and Twente will play at Old Trafford.

Ange Postecoglou’s side also travel to Turkey to play Galatasaray, Germany against Hoffenheim and Hungary against Ferencvaros, while Spurs will entertain Qarabag, AZ Alkmaar, Roma and Elfsborg at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Philippe Clement’s side face a tough set of away fixtures, including United, Olympiacos, Nice and Malmo. While Spurs, Lyon, Union Saint-Gilloise and FCSB must all play at Ibrox.

Rangers: Tottenham (h), Manchester United (a), Lyon (h), Olympiacos (a), Union Saint-Gilloise (h), Malmo (a), FCSB (h), Nice (a)

Manchester United: Rangers (h), Porto (a), PAOK (h), Fenerbache (a), Bodo/Glimt (h), Victoria Plzen (a), Twente (h), FCSB (a)

Tottenham Hotspur: Roma (h), Rangers (a), AZ Alkmaar (h), Ferencvaros (a), Qarabag (h), Galatasaray (a), Elfsborg (h), Hoffenheim (a)

Roma: Frankfurt (h), Tottenham (a), Braga (h), AZ Alkmaar (a), Kviv (h), Union Saint-Gilloise (a), Athletic Club (h), Elfsborg (a)

Frankfurt: Slavia Prague (h), Roma (a), Ferencvaros (h), Lyon (a), Victoria Plzen (h), Midtjylland (a), RFS (h), Besiktas

Porto: Manchester United (h), Lazio (a), Olympiacos (h), Macabi Tel-Aviv (a), Midtjylland (h), Bodo/Glimt (a), Hoffemheim (h), Anderlecht (a)

Ajax: Lazio (h), Slavia Prague (a), Macabi Tel-Aviv (h), Real Sociedad (a), Galatasaray (h), Qarabag (a), Besiktas (h), RFS (a)

Lazio: Porto (h), Ajax (a), Real Sociedad (h), Braga (a), Ludogorets (h), Kyiv (a), Nice (h), Twente (a)

Slavia Prague: Ajax (h), Frankfurt (a), Fenerbahce (h), PAOK (a), Malmo (h), Ludogorets (a), Anderlecht (h), Athletic Club (a)

The draws for the Europa League and Conference League take place this afternoon ahead of the start of a new era for European football.

Following on from the new-look Champions League draw yesterday, both the Europa League and Conference League will embrace new formats ahead of this season. The new competitions will look similar to the Champions League, as a 36-team league format replaces the previous group stage. As a result, the draw will look different too: teams will be handed fixtures, rather than being selected into groups.

Manchester United, Tottenham and Rangers will take their place in the Europa League. United qualified for Europe by winning the FA Cup while Spurs returned to European competition at the first attempt under Ange Postecoglou. Rangers were finalists in 2022 and are the only Scottish side in the Europa League this season.

In the Uefa Conference League, Chelsea are the only Premier League team in the hat - the Blues qualified through the play-offs after beating Servette on Thursday night. They are joined, though, by Hearts from Scotland, The New Saints from Wales, Larne from Northern Ireland and Shamrock Rovers from the Republic of Ireland.

Both Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur have started the season with identical records, a win at home and a draw on the road, ahead of their meeting on Sunday lunchtime (1.30pm, Sky Sports Main Event).

Spurs secured their first win of the campaign last week with a 4-0 hammering of Everton as the hosts poured on the agony for the Toffees at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which included a Son Heung-min brace.

This emphatic win followed a 1-1 draw at Leicester, where Jamie Vardy cancelled out Pedro Porro’s opener as Ange Postecoglou’s men failed to make their dominance pay. They will be looking for a stronger road performance on Tyneside, where they have struggled in recent years.

Newcastle won their opener against Southampton despite playing more than an hour with 10 men. The Magpies then played out a controversial draw at Bournemouth when the hosts had what would have been a winning goal disallowed in injury time.

Eddie Howe’s men will count themselves lucky to be on four points but will want to go into the international break with another win at St. James’ Park.

Betting sites have installed the Tynesiders as favourites to win on home soil, although they’ve yet to click into gear and have not strengthened their squad to the satisfaction of many supporters. It could be an interesting afternoon.

Meeting between these sides have been fairly lopsided in recent years. Last season, the first match at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium resulted in a 4-1 victory for Spurs.

The return match on Tyneside was almost a complete reversal as the home side won 4-0 despite only having 27 per cent possession but two goals for Alexander Isak and strikes from Anthony Gordon and Fabian Schar earned them the win.

Newcastle also won the previous fixture at St. James’ Park in the 2022/23 campaign, thumping Spurs 6-1 and scoring five goals in the opening 21 minutes. It’s fair to say that there hasn’t been much fortune for the away side in recent meetings.

Last season saw Eddie Howe’s side finish with the fourth-best home record, winning 12 of their 19 games and losing just three. They also scored an impressive 47 goals and conceded just 22 at St James’ Park.

But, Spurs had the fifth-best away record, picking up 27 points from a possible 57, including seven wins and six draws.

The Magpies have not been at their best to start the season, and although Spurs put four past Everton, there are still concerns about their ability to kill off teams when on top.

We’re backing this game to buck the recent trend of lopsided results and end in draw, but pairing it with both teams to score to gain a little bit more value on football betting sites that would have paid out in eight of the last nine games between the two sides.

Newcastle vs Tottenham prediction 1 : BTTS and draw - 17/5 William Hill

Isak, who has yet to open his Premier League account for this season, will know this could be the perfect opportunity for him, having already scored four goals in his previous three appearances against Sunday’s opponents.

He bagged a brace in the 4-0 win last season and another two in the previous meeting between the two sides at St. James’ Park in April 2023. He scored two in two minutes in the latter on a memorable afternoon for the Magpies.

The Swedish striker is in his third season with Newcastle and has already gone a big way to paying off the £65m transfer fee, with 31 goals and four assists in his 54 league appearances.

Although he has yet to get off the mark in the Premier League this term, Isak did provide the assist for Joelinton in Newcastle’s triumph over Southampton. He also registered five attempts at goal against Bournemouth, including one effort on target.

The arrival of Spurs may just jolt one of the Premier League’s most dangerous marksmen into life. Betting apps have a price of 6/1 for Isak to emulate his performances from the past two seasons against Spurs for two goals or more on home soil.

Newcastle vs Tottenham prediction 2 : Alexander Isak to score two or more - 6/1 Bet365

If Spurs are to get anything on Sunday then they will need a good performance from captain Son, who kickstarted his campaign with two strikes against Everton.

He was gifted his opener following a mistake by Jordan Pickford, but was clinical with his second effort that bodes well for a trip to the North East.

The South Korean international is a pivotal player for Spurs both leading by example with his work rate and creating and scoring goals. Last season, his first without former strike partner Harry Kane, saw him finish with 17 goals and 10 assists from his 35 appearances - meaning he was directly involved in 36 per cent of all Spurs’ league goals.

In 16 appearances against Newcastle, Son has notched five goals and four assists. He scored and provided two goals in the 4-0 home win last term, although he and his team-mates were shut out on their last visit to St. James’ Park.

Given his importance to Spurs’ success, we’re backing him to make an impact with either a goal or an assist.

Newcastle vs Tottenham prediction 3 : Son Heung-min to score or assist - 4/5 Bet365

Always remain in control of your budget when betting online, even when using free bets. Remember that gambling should only be considered a form of entertainment and never a way to make money.

Following safe gambling practices will ensure that your betting experience remains enjoyable. Even bettors that are experienced and have a great deal of sporting knowledge can lose bets. Only stake an amount you’re comfortable losing.

Bookmakers have a range of support tools available for users that require assistance with safe gambling. These methods include deposit limits, time outs, reality checks, loss limits and self exclusion among others.

There are several charities and healthcare providers that also offer support if required. They can be found using the links below.