Newcastle United had a rather positive opening to the season in their 2-2 draw against Liverpool at St James' Park, despite the agonising last minute penalty conceded (no, I'm still not over it).
That result will provide some encouragement going into this game against a Spurs side who the Magpies have a very impressive record against in recent seasons, but could see a slight shift in structure toward a more solid unit away from home.
Whether the personnel will be different is yet to be seen, but, given the starting XI against West Brom midweek, there is a suggestion we could see a couple of new faces come into Matthias Jaissle's trusted team.
So, without further ado, let's have a look at what the lineup could be against Spurs with our predicted starting XI for tomorrows fixture in London.
Newcastle United predicted starting lineup vs Spurs
GK: Lukas Hornicek
There doesn't seem to be much of a barrier to Lukas Hornicek once again lining up in between the sticks against Spurs, especially given that Ewen Jaouen started midweek, positioning him as the cup goalkeeper.
Hornicek put in a very handy performance on the opening day, including a couple of astute stops, and the Czech will be hoping to keep building momentum this weekend.
RB: Amar Dedic
Since joining from Benfica for a fee just shy of £30m, Amar Dedic has been a breath of fresh air in the Newcastle backline at right back.
Dedic put in a top performance against Liverpool and followed up with two pinpoint assists against West Brom midweek. Whilst Tino Livramento, who will be his competition for a starting spot, is still recovering from injury, there is no doubt Dedic will take to the pitch once again on Saturday evening.
CB: Malick Thiaw
Malick Thiaw has been trusted with the captain's armband in the absence of both Dan Burn and Joelinton at present and has filled the role exceptionally well thus far.
Given the mass of turnover this summer, Thiaw is actually one of the most experienced members of Jaissle's squad this season. Whilst the German will be eyeing up a clean sheet in the near future, especially given the four goals conceded in the last two games, he is yet to make any glaring mistakes during this campaign.
CB: Sven Botman
There were some very large question marks surrounding Sven Botman coming into this season, with the Dutch centre back looking very much shaky in his preseason outings, but his initial performance against Liverpool did a good job of putting those to rest.
Botman should once again see himself start here, with only Fabian Schar in with a chance of taking his place, although Schar is a centre back more suited to playing on the right side, hence Botman being the preferred.
LB: Lewis Hall
Lewis Hall has had a rather torrid time of this season thus far. Not because his performances have been poor, he's actually been very solid, but because he has managed to give away two penalties in as many games.
Even still, there is no way he doesn't start here - not least because there isn't actually anybody, other than academy talent, available at present to take his spot.
CM: Lewis Miley
The midfield is perhaps the most interesting of places to predict in this XI, mainly because Nico Gonzalez will likely come in to take one of these spots, as we'll talk about in a moment.
What that means is that either Sean Steur or Lewis Miley will be dropped for this game - I believe that will probably be Steur, especially away from home with Miley providing a more adept out of possession foundation.
CM: Nico Gonzalez
Now we get to the main event. New man Nico was only unveiled on Wednesday, but that shouldn't stop him from taking up a place in this XI.
Gonzalez is set to place perhaps the biggest part in Newcastle United's season, especially after the departure of the main midfield core this summer. Nico will likely come in here to provide a bit more calm, structure and foundation to the double pivot in an away fixture which will likely provide a tricky test for a somewhat naive squad.
CAM: Joe Willock
The number 10 position is a difficult one to predict. William Osula is injured which means that Wissa will likely have to step forward into the number 9, even more so due to Nick Woltemade not really impressing midweek against West Brom.
Jacob Ramsey could easily fil this spot, but given that he played a full 90 midweek and Willock was brought off after 64 minutes, that may suggest Willock's powerful running and high energy play will be favoured, especially if a more defensive pivot is deployed behind him.
RW: Anthony Elanga
Elanga looked very lively against Liverpool, scoring the Magpies opener inside 10 minutes. That alone almost guarantees him a start over Murphy here.
His unfathomable pace on the counter and ability to get in behind his full back will probably end up being more important here than it was against Liverpool, mainly because the fixture is away from home and the Magpies will need to break quickly under the expectation of having a low possession percentage.
It just so happens that Elanga is perfect for that playstyle.
ST: Yoane Wissa
Yoane Wissa put in a monumental performance in the 10 at St James' Park last weekend, but will likely be moved to the centre forward position here with Osula out with an injury.
There is the option to keep him in the position where he performed so well last week, but that would require Nick Woltemade to play away from home in a game that may require more running than he is capable of.
For that reason I think it only makes sense to move Wissa into the focal point, with his keen pressing and movement off the shoulder providing a very adept outlet for the sort of game Saturday will be.
LW: Harvey Barnes
Ooooh, Harvey Barnes.
Bazoumana Toure did score on his full competitive debut midweek, but came off at half time and is seemingly still recovering from a bit of a knock he took in preseason.
Plus, it was Barnes who replaced him to score twice and ultimately win Newcastle the game. Saturday could see chances few and far between, depending which version of Spurs we get of course, and with Barnes' innate ability to finish his dinner given any sniff of an opportunity, there is no doubt in my mind he will start here.
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