Tottenham Hotspur resume their Premier League duties on Sunday with a trip to St James’ Park to face Newcastle United.
The north Londoners signed off October’s international break with a narrow 2-1 win over Aston Villa, thereby, arresting a run of three straight losses in the Premier League.
Nuno Espirito Santo will expect a better performance from his boys against a lowly Newcastle United, who are yet to win a single game so far this season.
Team News
Tottenham have received a double injury boost with Steven Bergwijn and Ben Davies recovering from their respective injuries and returning to training earlier this week.
Emerson Royal, Giovani Lo Celso, Cristian Romero and Davinson Sanchez will join the Spurs team today following their international commitments in South America. Nuno says the quartet will be assessed before a decision will be taken regarding their involvement against Newcastle.
Youngster Ryan Sessegnon remains out after sustaining an injury during the September international break.
Meanwhile, the north London club have been rocked by the news that two of their players have tested positive for Covid-19. The player identities are yet to be disclosed but the Evening Standard claims that Heung-Min Son is ‘not expected to feature’ this weekend. Bryan Gil could be the other Spurs player.
Predicted Tottenham Lineup vs Newcastle United (4-2-3-1)
Goalkeeper
Hugo Lloris will be in full confidence having helped France beat Spain in the UEFA Nations League final last weekend. The experienced shot-stopper will keep his place in Nuno’s starting XI.
Defence
Davinson Sanchez was an unused substitute in both of Colombia’s World Cup Qualifiers against Brazil and Ecuador, so, he will be fresh to partner Eric Dier at the heart of Spurs’ defence on Sunday.
Emerson Royal started at right-back in Brazil’s 4-1 win over Uruguay in the World Cup Qualifiers, and as he is due to return to England today, Nuno could go with Japhet Tanganga against Newcastle. Sergio Reguilon should keep his place at left-back.
Midfield
Pierre-Emile Højbjerg is one of the first names on Nuno’s team sheet. The Dane will start alongside Oliver Skipp in the middle of the park and the duo will aim to take control of the game at St James’ Park as quickly as possible.
Tanguy Ndombele could be handed an advanced role on Sunday, just like the game against Aston Villa where he linked play well with the forwards. With his flair and ability to spot a pass, the Frenchman will be key in unlocking the Newcastle backline.
Attack
With Son reportedly testing positive for Covid-19, Nuno might hand Dele Alli a start on the left flank. The England international needs to up his game and deliver the goods on Sunday, if selected, to enjoy a sustained run in the starting XI.
Off the right, Lucas Moura’s pace and directness could cause the fragile Newcastle backline a lot of problems. Harry Kane is yet to open his account in the Premier League this term but looking at the current state of Steve Bruce’s defence, he’ll fancy his chances to break the duck.
