Predicted lineups, team news and scoring.

In his last game against Wolverhampton WanderersAnge Postecoglou’s Spurs dropped points after leading throughout the second half: they left Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with a point when they seemed destined for three. They will feel very bad about the result, given how things seemed to be going until Jørgen Strand Larsen ended any hope of victory with a goal in the 87th minute. But overall, a draw should be considered fair, as a result of the statistical parity of the teams.

Tottenham continue to be marked by inconsistency this season, with just one win in their last five games. Cristian Romero’s defensive absence may have a lot to do with his inability to find any form, as backline exposure always seems to negate any offensive brilliance from the likes of Son, Maddison, Johnson or, in the case of his game against Wolves – Rodrigo Bentancur.

While Radu Drăgușin has more often found himself in the crosshairs of disgruntled fans, it would be unfair to place the blame solely on the Romanian centre-half when the much more likely culprit is the double-edged sword of expansive football that Postecoglou has become known for. by. It’s certainly a pleasure to watch, but at what point do results become more important than style?

If European football is the goal, Spurs are already past that point.

For much of the first half of this Premier League season, Eddie Howe’s revived Newcastle were thought to have stagnated after the addition of Champions League obligations proved too much in the 2023-24 season. But a series of mediocre results during the autumn has been interrupted by a recent run of good form.

The Magpies have achieved four victories in their last five games, all of them consecutive, marked by a resounding victory. against manchester United at Old Trafford. Alexander Isak has led the line for Newcastle, with extra goals coming from all over the field. But what propelled them to fifth place in the table is their defensive strength. They have currently conceded the fourth fewest goals in the league – the only teams ahead of them currently occupy places one to third in the table. This patient style of defending bravely and seizing opportunities to attack is something of a throwback in modern football. And it could be something north Londoners could take note of.

Despite what may seem like an ocean between these two teams in terms of league standings, a win would put 11th-placed Spurs five points behind Newcastle.

Spurs will field a notably poor team, with serious injuries affecting goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, hitman Richarlison and defenders Ben Davies, Destiny Udogie and Cristian Romero. Matchday 19 goalscorer Rodrigo Bentancur will be suspended due to yellow card accumulation, but Djed Spence’s energetic contributions will be available again as he served the same suspension against Wolves.

Newcastle, meanwhile, will be happy not to have suffered any “new” injuries since their last outing, but it won’t be until late January that they can expect to see the return of Callum Wilson, Nick Pope, Jamaal Lascelles, Emil Krafth or Sven Botman. Kieran Trippier came off the field during Newcastle’s victory over Manchester United and is doubtful he will start this weekend. Defensive element Fabian Schar will also have to sit out due to an accumulation of yellow cards: it’s that time of year.

Tottenham Hotspur’s predicted lineup: Forster, Porro, Drăgușin, Gray, Spence, Bissouma, Sarr, Johnson, Kulesevski, Son, Solanke

Newcastle United predicted line-up: Dúbravka, Livramento, Kelly, Burn, Hall, Guimarães, Tonali, Joelinton, Murphy, Isak, Gordon

Score prediction: Tottenham 2 – 2 Newcastle

Kickoff will be Saturday, January 4 at 7:30 am Eastern Time. The game will air exclusively on USA Network.