Match Result: Newcastle v Tottenham
According to the latest Premier League odds, Newcastle United have a roughly 60% chance of landing a Tuesday night victory against Tottenham Hotspur. The Magpies were excellent when beating Manchester City 2-1 and will feel confident that they can continue rising up the table here. It’s clear that there’s a gulf between home and away form for the campaign to date, with twelve of their first fifteen points coming at St James’ Park.
Newcastle have won four and lost two of their six home clashes. The two defeats suffered included a 3-2 defeat against Liverpool where they were comfortably the best team even when reduced to ten men. They were also a whisker away from holding Arsenal to a draw and actually took the lead against the Gunners.
The Magpies will feature on many a top-flight accumulator for this game. Harvey Barnes is finding the scoring touch right now and we could talk all day about that brilliant midfield that includes Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton. Interestingly, they were able to give up a lot of possession against City and still win with 33% of the ball.
Newcastle will have the ball a great deal more against a Tottenham side who will look to get back to winning ways on the road. They clearly offer a strong threat from set pieces and who can forget that Micky van de Ven was able to score from a couple of corners at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, with the London outfit certainly capable on the counter-attack.
However, this is a game where Thomas Frank might be feeling the pressure and St James’ Park is a daunting place to visit. We can probably the exclude the draw from our thinking considering that Newcastle haven’t had any home matches that have ended all square. Tottenham’s six aways have only seen one end all square too.
Goals Under/Over
The Overs is trading at a relatively short price for the Newcastle v Tottenham clash. The latest odds imply a greater than 60% chance of three goals or more being registered at St James’ Park. We know that the Magpies find the net in every home match. They scored in defeats against Liverpool and Arsenal, with a healthy ten on the board from their six encounters on home soil.
We can also point to the fact that Tottenham have found the net thirteen times on the road this season. Spurs scored twice against Paris Saint-Germain in the Super Cup before landing that 2-0 victory at Manchester City. In more recent times, there have been three consecutive games where we’ve seen the goal count go over 2.5 although a repeat of their tactics in the north London derby could see a cagier affair.
BTTS
There’s a general feeling that BTTS Yes is likely to happen and that is reflected in the Newcastle v Tottenham odds. Eddie Howe’s side are virtually a banker when it comes to finding the net at St James’ Park, even if Spurs have kept a few clean sheets on the road. They have plenty of attacking players despite the absence of Anthony Gordon and Yoann Wissa, with Harvey Barnes and Nick Woltemade in good form.
Spurs may struggle to find a way through if they deploy the same tactics that saw them only score at the Emirates Stadium by virtue of a brilliant Richarlison flighted lob which drifted over David Raya. In the main, the London outfit don’t create a huge amount from open play right now and instead depend on set pieces to experience some joy.
They did go to Monaco in the Champions League back in October and dig out a goalless draw before shutting out Everton when winning 3-0 there. However, there was a 2-0 defeat at Newcastle in the Carabao Cup, with both teams fielding a relatively strong side on that occasion. Interestingly, Spurs had twice as many shots on target (6) as their opponents (3).
First Goalscorer
Although the goals have dried up for Nick Woltemade after a fast start, the German remains an important focal point of the attack for Newcastle. The striker is on penalty duties for the Magpies and could well find a way to break the deadlock. However, it was Harvey Barnes who bagged a couple of goals to help the team beat Manchester City, with the winger potentially about to have a breakthrough season for the club.
Jacob Murphy recently scored in consecutive matches against Fulham and West Ham in the Premier League and will look to get the nod here, with Fabian Schar someone who is often able to find the ball in the air from set pieces. The same applies to Joelinton who can boost his team’s goal tally and there is also a midfield threat from Sandro Tonali.
Tottenham have a few scoring woes right now. Richarlison has been able to lead the line relatively well although the team lack firepower. Perhaps Mohammed Kudus is the player who can work in tight spaces to produce magic. The real value bet comes from siding with Micky van de Ven considering the Dutchman has real prowess from set pieces.