Tottenham v Newcastle predictions: Slick Spurs can boost top four hopes

Free football tips, best bets and analysis for Tottenham Hotspur v Newcastle United in the Premier League on Sunday

Where to watch

Sky Sports Main Event & Premier League, 4.30pm Sunday

Best bet

Tottenham and over 2.5 goals
1pt 13-10 bet365, BoyleSports

Team news

Tottenham
Ryan Sessegnon, Oliver Skipp and Japhet Tanganga are injured but Ben Davies is available.

Newcastle
Callum Wilson, Isaac Hayden, Kieran Trippier and Jamal Lewis remain sidelined but Fabian Schar, Jonjo Shelvey and Martin Dubravka are back in contention.

Match preview

Tottenham are starting to show some consistency in their pursuit of a top-four place and can chalk up a fifth Premier League win in six by seeing off Newcastle in a high-scoring game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Sunday's match could be a significant moment for Spurs, who need a two-goal margin of victory to climb into the top four for the first time since September.

Antonio Conte's only concern will be to secure three points but his team have been happy to play on the front foot, accepting elements of risk, and goals have been piling up for and against.

Spurs were criticised for being overly defensive during the short reign of Nuno Espirito Santo, when they scored only nine goals in ten league matches.

There has been a massive change under Conte with the Londoners racking up 38 goals in 19 league games – averaging two-per-game – although they are sometimes getting exposed at the other end and have kept just one home clean sheet in seven since the turn of the year.

Tottenham will look to press high against Newcastle, who will probably look to keep a solid shape and maximise chances from counter-attacks and set-pieces.

The extent of Newcastle's counter-attacking threat may depend on how many minutes are afforded to their most dynamic forward, Allan Saint-Maximin.

The unpredictable Frenchman can be a real handful when at his best, although he has had issues with form and fitness and hasn't started since a mid-February 1-0 success at home to Aston Villa.

However, Eddie Howe has suggested that Saint-Maximin has benefited from the two-week-break and it must be tempting to use him against a Spurs side who are vulnerable to pace in behind.

Spurs have also had issues defending set-pieces and headed goals from Burnley's Ben Mee and Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo have condemned them to damaging defeats. They will be wary of the physical presence of Newcastle centre-forward Chris Wood even though the 30-year-old has scored just once since his January arrival.

Wood, Dan Burn, Matt Targett and Bruno Guimaraes are among the new faces who were not part of the Newcastle side who lost 3-2 at home to Spurs last October.

There can be little doubt that Newcastle have improved since their January shopping spree and a return of 20 points from ten games in 2022 has removed them from serious threat of relegation.

An exciting summer transfer window awaits Newcastle fans, but their team seems to have plateaued with recent losses 1-0 away to Chelsea and Everton, and another defeat could on the cards in north London, although there should be an increase in excitement and goals.

Key stat

Nine of Tottenham's last 11 home matches have featured at least three goals

Inside info

Tottenham

Penalty taker Harry Kane
Free-kick wizard Eric Dier
Set-piece aerial threat Harry Kane
Card magnet Cristian Romero

Newcastle

Penalty taker Chris Wood
Free-kick wizardJonjo Shelvey
Set-piece aerial threatChris Wood
Card magnetJonjo Shelvey

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