Potentially on the brink of full-blown crisis mode, an ailing Tottenham Hotspur side commence proceedings for 2025 at home to Newcastle United in Saturday's early Premier League kickoff.
Ange Postecoglou's side could only take a point off of Wolverhampton Wanderers in their final game of 2024, while the Magpies made extremely light work of a meek Manchester United.
Match preview
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Barely a year on from taking the most points of any manager in their first 10 Premier League games, Postecoglou's job is under the most threat it has ever been, as the North London crop ended 2024 with a meagre three wins from their last 13 matches of the calendar year.
Since hitting Southampton for five without reply in mid-December, Spurs have accrued just one point from a possible nine in meetings with Liverpool, Nottingham Forest and Wolverhampton Wanderers, the latter of whom salvaged a 2-2 draw on December 29 courtesy of a late Jorgen Strand Larsen intervention.
After coming within two points of Champions League qualification last year, Tottenham are rank outsiders to even make it into the Conference League, residing in the bottom half of the Premier League table and mathematically closer to the relegation zone than the top four.
Defeat on Saturday is not expected to trigger Postecoglou's dismissal, but it is believed that an EFL Cup semi-final exit at the hands of Liverpool - which would severely dent the Australian's hopes of fulfilling his second-season trophy prophecy - could gave Daniel Levy serious food for thought.
Ahead of the first leg of that encounter with the Reds next week, Postecoglou endeavours to end Spurs' pitiful five-game winless sequence on home soil in the Premier League; not since 1994 have they experienced a longer run without a top-flight success in North London.
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Only a few years ago were Spurs competing for a spot at Europe's elite table while Newcastle languished in the bottom 10, but the roles are now reversed, and Eddie Howe's side are seriously threatening to upset the top-four apple cart amid a fabulous run of festive form.
One of just two teams to have won each of their last four Premier League matches - alongside surprise package Nottingham Forest - Newcastle followed up consecutive triumphs over Leicester City, Aston Villa and Ipswich Town with the most straightforward win they may ever march to at Old Trafford.
Alexander Isak and Joelinton flaunted their aerial dominance in the first half to conquer a feeble Man United side, thereby cementing Newcastle's fifth-placed standing in the Premier League table, and the gap to Chelsea in the final Champions League spot is now just three points.
After keeping a paltry three clean sheets in their first 15 Premier League matches of the season, the visitors have now registered four shut-outs in their last four victories, rediscovering the rearguard steel that initially made them such a force to be reckoned with a couple of years ago.
Also establishing a reputation as one of Tottenham's most feared opponents, Newcastle have beaten Saturday's hosts in four of their last five Premier League encounters, although the one aberration in that sequence was a 4-1 mauling in this exact fixture last season.
Team News
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The Tottenham medical team welcomed another new face into the already-packed infirmary on December 29, as Destiny Udogie sustained his second hamstring injury in the space of a month and is now expected to spend the next six weeks on the sidelines, ruling him out of some key fixtures.
Postecoglou will at least have Djed Spence - a like-for-like Udogie replacement - back from suspension, but Rodrigo Bentancur is now banned for his own accumulation of yellow cards, opening up a spot in midfield for Pape Sarr to fill.
Guglielmo Vicario (ankle), Micky van de Ven (hamstring), Mikey Moore (illness), Richarlison (hamstring), Cristian Romero (thigh), Wilson Odobert (hamstring) and Ben Davies (hamstring) remain out of contention too; the latter was initially on track to return around this time before suffering a setback.
Postecoglou and Howe can empathise with one another over losing key cogs to suspension, as Fabian Schar picked up his fifth yellow card of the season in the win at Old Trafford and will also sit on the naughty step on Saturday.
Schar is set to be one of at least four defensive absentees for the Magpies alongside Jamaal Lascelles (knee), Nick Pope (knee) and Emil Krafth (shoulder), but long-term absentee Sven Botman (knee) has been playing behind closed doors again and might make his eagerly-anticipated comeback here.
Kieran Trippier appeared to hurt his hamstring in the win over Man United as well and should therefore cede his place to Tino Livramento, while Callum Wilson is still several weeks away from returning from a hamstring issue.
Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:
Forster; Porro, Gray, Dragusin, Spence; Kulusevski, Sarr, Maddison; Johnson, Solanke, Son
Newcastle United possible starting lineup:
Dubravka; Livramento, Kelly, Burn, Hall; Guimaraes, Tonali, Joelinton; Murphy, Isak, Gordon
We say: Tottenham Hotspur 1-2 Newcastle United
Not one of the previous 59 Premier League meetings between Spurs and Newcastle has finished goalless, and that sequence should not be snapped at a ground where Tottenham have both scored and conceded in their last eight top-flight games.
While the Lilywhites are backed end the Magpies' stellar streak of clean sheets, the hosts' ravaged defence should be ruthlessly exposed by their bogey team Newcastle, who have our vote to prolong Postecoglou's misery and enhance their top-four credentials.
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Ben Knapton
