Newcastle’s first challenge of the season 2018/2019 is a big one. They’re taking on Tottenham this Sunday, a side that’s one of the biggest favorites for winning the Premier League trophy. The Magpies are hoping that the support from the stands of St. James’ Park will help them get a good result. But do they have the right to hope for such a scenario? Find out in this Newcastle vs Tottenham match preview!
Newcastle
Newcastle ended the season 2017/2018 on the pretty respectable 10th place and are hoping to achieve something similar this season as well. The backbone of their team is still very much the same, although they did make a couple of signings this summer.
Newcastle have strengthened their attack quite a lot by signing Yoshinori Muto from Mainz and getting Salomon Rondon from WBA on a loan. They also brought Fabian Schar from Deportivo La Coruna, a Swiss center back, who has a wonderful season in La Liga behind him.
Now their team seems pretty powerful and, who knows, maybe they even have what it takes to compete for a place in the Europa League next season. The bad news for them is that many other Premier League teams also look powerful, so even staying in the league for another season might be a tough job.
That’s why Rafa Benitez’ team will have to work hard from the very beginning. What this means is that they’ll have to take the game against the Spurs very serious and try to beat them, or at least get a draw on Saturday. Unfortunately for the Magpies’ fans, Tottenham are a big favorites here for a reason – their team is superb!
Tottenham
As always, the aspirations of Tottenham are high. They’re aiming for the title once again, but the competition seems to have never been tougher. They do have a number of amazing players in the team, but what worries their fans is that they had a pretty quiet summer, without signing any major player. The obvious question is whether the current squad has the quality to achieve more than did the last season when they finished on the third spot.
Well, we’ll have to wait and see. But, one thing is certain – the key players of Tottenham are still young and developing, so they’ll probably play even better than they did the last season. I’m talking about Harry Kane (25 years), Christian Eriksen (26 years), Dele Alli (22 years), Kieran Trippier (27 years), and many, many others who still have several years of playing top-class football ahead of them.
Many of these players played amazing for their national teams at the World Cup, so their confidence is probably sky-high at the moment. I’m certain that they’re looking forward to the weekend, traveling to Newcastle with all three points on their minds!
Team News
Newcastle
- Florian Lejeune (injury)
Tottenham
- Harry Winks (injury)
Possible Lineups
Newcastle
Dubravka – Lascelles, Schar, Yedlin, Dummett – Diame, Shelvey, Ritchie, Murphy, Kenedy – Rondon
Tottenham
Lloris – Vertonghen, Sanchez, Trippier, Davies – Dembele, Eriksen, Alli, Moura, Heung-Min – Kane
Newcastle vs Tottenham Match Prediction
According to the bookies, Tottenham are the 4th biggest favorite for winning the Premier League trophy this season. They have a sensational squad, made of players have been playing together for years. They’ve faced Newcastle many times, beating them both times last season.
In fact, their first game last season was the one against Newcastle at St. James’ Park, which they won 2-0. I can’t see why they wouldn’t be able to do the same this time as well.
Newcastle vs Tottenham Betting Tips
- Tottenham @2.04 (bet365)
- Tottenham AH -1.5 @4.10 (Unibet)