Tottenham failed to capitalise on the momentum from their heroic draw with Manchester City in North London, as they went back to old habits at the weekend, thus heaping the pressure on Thomas Frank ahead of the visit of Newcastle United. Spurs are desperate to rise above their current position and probably challenge for one of the European spots, as a Champions League place is already being ruled out.
The weekend saw them fall further behind a top-four place following their loss at Old Trafford. Fourth-placed Manchester United ensured that they extended their lead over Spurs to an incredible 15 points, as a first-half red card for Cristian Romero cost Thomas Frank’s men a crucial result away from home.
Tottenham are steadily going out of relevance, and so is Frank’s role as their manager, as further negative results could see the Dane depart. The North Londoners do have a chance of redemption as they take on another one of their fellow strugglers in the league in Newcastle United, with the home fans now in desperate territory to see their team win.
Eddie Howe is the latest Premier League manager to come under the scanner following a torrid run for Newcastle United of late. Since narrowly beating Leeds United at home, the Magpies have failed to win their subsequent four games in the Premier League, which includes a draw against a hapless Wolves side as well as a heavy defeat to Liverpool at Anfield, while losing their last two home games to Aston Villa and Brentford respectively.
The result against the latter happened at the weekend, as the Magpies had no answer for their relentless visitors, who are theoretically in a position where Howe would have ideally wanted to be. Following the loss at the weekend, Newcastle United find themselves in 12th spot, with 11 points separating them from fourth-placed Manchester United.
In recent times, there are concerns over their form following the manner of their exit from the Carabao Cup semi-finals. There is still some time for redemption, but given the injury issues lingering around St. James’ Park and some tough games ahead, it is difficult to see the Magpies making a run for the top four or any form of glory this season.
Adding to the numerous defensive injuries that Thomas Frank has to deal with, the Spurs boss has been handed another major headache and setback. Skipper Cristian Romero’s red card, which was his second this season in the Premier League, will see him miss the North London derby among four games.
The Argentine joins James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Mohammed Kudus, Rodrigo Bentancur, Ben Davies, Lucas Bergvall, Richarlison, Pedro Porro, and Kevin Danso on the sidelines. Frank might have some relief from his long injury list, as Djed Spence might be assessed before deciding on his place in the squad, while Souza could make his full Premier League debut in a left wing-back role.
The defensive woes are not at an end, as the young Brazilian is about to replace Destiny Udugoe, who suffered another injury, with his latest hamstring problem set to keep him out for 4-5 weeks. The lineup might look similar to it was at the weekend apart from some tweaks, such as Souza for Udogie and Radu Dragusin for Romero.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Vicario; Palhinha, Dragusin, van de Ven; Gray, Sarr, Gallagher, Souza; Odobert, Simons; Solanke
Eddie Howe has his own share of big injury issues with the squad, which has seen many of their players receive plenty of minutes and, in turn, suffer from fitness issues. For instance, Anthony Gordon suffered an issue in the EFL Cup semi-final second leg. That forced him to miss the Brentford clash, and he will sit out the visit to Spurs. Joelinton and Emil Krafth are the other absentees, while Lewis Miley is also not expected to make it.
Tino Livramento remains a big loss for the Magpies, while experienced defender Fabian Schar is also missing. Bruno Guimaraes returned at the weekend, but there will be a sense of caution about playing him again so soon; however, Howe might not have a choice on this one. Jacob Ramsey and Sandro Tonali will assume their roles alongside the Brazilian in Newcastle United’s midfield.
At the back, Malick Thiaw and Sven Botman will resume their partnership at the heart of the defence, with Kieran Tripper and Lewis Hall set to continue in the full-back roles. Similarly, in the frontline, Jacob Murphy and Harvey Barnes will continue in the front three, where Howe could put Nick Woltemade in place of the out-of-sorts Yoane Wissa.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Pope; Trippier, Thiaw, Botman, Hall; Ramsey, Guimaraes, Tonali, Ramsey; Murphy, Woltemade, Barnes
A striker like Solanke must push himself to put in performances like the one against Manchester City every week. While he shone that week, the England international faltered this past weekend, and Thomas Frank must get the tune of his fit-again star to get the best for the team.
Interestingly, Solanke has scored 13 goals in his last 19 home Premier League starts (4 in 6 for Bournemouth, 9 in 13 for Spurs). Additionally, the Englishman has netted in his last three appearances against Newcastle (4 goals).
Spurs are in a desperate situation, like Frank alluded to in his press conference, and he would need players like Solanke to perform at the highest levels alongside other players. Now, it is upon those stars to get results on board, as their home supporters are in desperate need to get a win and move out of a possible relegation talk.
Newcastle United are in a precarious state with their form, as they are also one of the teams heavily impacted by injuries. However, Eddie Howe still has a decent enough squad to choose from, although in recent games, results have not shown much to cheer for; the Magpies could suffer another big blow this midweek.
Meanwhile, Spurs have not been half as bad in recent weeks as their position on the table suggests, as the circumstances around the game affected the results. The North Londoners are probably the team with the highest number of first-team injuries, but in this clash against Newcastle United, they are expected to take three points at home.
