Newcastle Toons
Fansided

Unpredictable Magpies hope to rebound against Spurs

By Durim Halimi

LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 10: General view inside the stadium prior to the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on August 10, 2019 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 10: General view inside the stadium prior to the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on August 10, 2019 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images) /
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Newcastle United are in dire need of a positive result tomorrow, but Tottenham will be a tough test for Steve Bruce’s side.

Newcastle United will be in London tomorrow to take on last season’s Champions League finalists, Tottenham. The Magpies are coming off an embarrassing 3-1 loss against Norwich City and they are hoping to rebound with a positive performance tomorrow. Tottenham have claimed four points from their first two games to start the season, and after taking a point at the Etihad last weekend, the Magpies will be perceived as a much easier opponent.

Newcastle United were a busy bunch in training this week and Steve Bruce even cancelled the players’ day off to ensure they do not repeat last weekend’s performance. The Magpies have plenty of areas for improvement, and at the moment it is fair to say that Newcastle United are the most unpredictable side in the Top Flight.

What To Expect

Despite this team being unpredictable, Bruce did provide some insight for fans and pundits in his press conference yesterday. What we know for sure is that Newcastle United will, once again, play with a back-line comprised of three defenders, which means Bruce will stick with his 3-5-2 formation. Secondly, we know that Joelinton is expected to play tomorrow after picking up a minor hip injury at Carrow Road last weekend. The final update we received is that Allan Saint-Maximin has recovered from his hamstring injury and he could be a starter.

Tottenham have announced that their new signing Tanguy Ndombele will be sidelined tomorrow with a thigh injury, but they will get a boost from two other midfielders. Son Heung-min will be back in action now that his suspension is over, and Dele Alli has been training with the team all week. Whether both of these players will start tomorrow remains to be seen, but they are two dangerous midfielders who don’t need much time on the field to have an impact.

The Magpies enter this match as major underdogs. Most pundits across multiple media outlets have actually predicted 4-0 scorelines for tomorrow. The closest prediction I have seen is from BBC’s Mark Lawrenson, who thinks Tottenham will win 2-0. Newcastle United will definitely have their hands full tomorrow, but hopefully they look much better than they did last weekend.

Predictions

Durim Halimi: Tottenham 2-1 Newcastle United

Carson A. Merk: Tottenham 3-0 Newcastle United