Tottenham Hotspur will aim to consign their midweek endeavours to history when they return to North London to face Newcastle United in Sunday’s Premier League clash.
The Lilywhites were put to the sword 2-0 by Manchester United on Wednesday, while Eddie Howe’s men ran out 1-0 winners over Everton.
Tottenham boss Antonio Conte emphatically ruled out any hopes his side had of competing for the Premier League title after their defeat at Old Trafford, as Man United put in one of their best performances of the season while Spurs put in one of their worst.
Hugo Lloris was Tottenham’s saviour in the first half as he single-handedly kept Man United at bay, but there was nothing that he could do about Fred’s deflected goal and Bruno Fernandes’s sublime curler in the second half, as the Lilywhites missed the chance to leapfrog Manchester City into second.
The Conte mind games did not pay dividends at Old Trafford, as the Spurs boss frequently voiced his desire to continue with a 3-4-3 formation in his pre-game press conference before setting his side up in a 3-5-2, but the Lilywhites offered little in the way of attacking incisiveness.
Tottenham remain four points adrift of leaders Arsenal following their midweek defeat and could fall seven behind their bitter rivals if results do not go their way this weekend, but the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has been incredibly kind to Conte’s side this term.
Indeed, the hosts have won all seven of their home matches in all competitions this season – scoring 20 goals in the process – and they are also on an eight-game Premier League winning streak at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but Newcastle will travel south feeling confident of breaking that streak.
If Fernandes’s goal for Man United against Tottenham was something special, Miguel Almiron’s effort for Newcastle against Everton was even more so, as the Paraguayan attacker scored the only goal of the game to propel the Magpies to victory on Wednesday night.
Midfield maestro Bruno Guimaraes turned provider for Almiron to lift a gorgeous curling effort over the head of Jordan Pickford into the far corner, and fans are dreaming the European dream as Eddie Howe’s side hit a rich vein of form.
After struggling for wins in the opening weeks of the season, Newcastle have taken 10 points from 12 on offer this month to storm to sixth place in the table – two points clear of Liverpool and two adrift of fourth-placed Chelsea, albeit having played a game more than both clubs.
The Magpies also arrive in North London with a six-game unbeaten run to try to preserve, during which time they have only conceded a total of three goals, but only one of their five away games in the top flight this season has ended in victory.
The Newcastle takeover was made official just before Tottenham arrived at St James’ Park last autumn, but Spurs spoiled the Tyneside party with a 3-2 win before triumphing 5-1 at home in April, although the current signs do not point towards another goal-laden performance from Conte’s men.
Tottenham Hotspur Premier League form:
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Tottenham Hotspur form (all competitions):
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Newcastle United Premier League form:
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We say: Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Newcastle United
Newcastle have been dealt a bitter blow with Joelinton’s injury, but the Magpies’ confidence levels are far higher than Tottenham’s after their midweek fixtures, and the Lilywhites will certainly be in trouble if Kulusevski cannot play any part in Sunday’s game.
However, Conte’s side have always put on a performance in front of their own fans this term, whereas Newcastle have not developed that winning habit away from home. While this is sure to be a tightly-fought encounter that could very well end level, we have faith in Conte’s side to just about get the job done.