Newcastle United head to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, hoping to continue their fine recent form and keep their place in the Premier League’s top six.
The Toon Army defeat Everton 1-0 at St. James’ Park on Wednesday night thanks to a terrific curling strike from Miguel Almiron. Eddie Howe would have been pleased with his team’s performance but will want them to improve further.
With three wins in their last five games, the Magpies go into the weekend fixture in north London in buoyant mood.
Newcastle United Team News
Joelinton suffered a minor knee problem during the midweek win over Everton and even though he was spotted in team training on Friday morning, he remains a huge doubt.
Javier Manquillo will train with the team after overcoming an ankle injury.
Allan Saint-Maximin has suffered another minor setback in his recovery from a hamstring issue, joining the likes of Alexander Isak (ankle), Karl Darlow (ankle), Paul Dummett (calf), Emil Krafth (knee) and Matt Ritchie (calf) on the treatment table.
Predicted Newcastle Lineup vs Spurs (4-3-3)
Goalkeeper
Nick Pope is the club’s first-choice goalkeeper and should keep his place in between the sticks on Sunday.
Defence
Eddie Howe will stick to a 4-3-3 formation. The back four of Kieran Trippier, Fabian Schar, Sven Botman and Dan Burn are expected to start ahead of Pope in the Newcastle lineup.
Schar, who is fit to start, will resume his centre-back partnership with Botman, while Trippier and Burn provide width and attacking impetus from the full-back positions in the Newcastle lineup.
The Newcastle backline will need to be switched on for the entirety of the game to keep a counter-attacking Spurs side led by Harry Kane and Heung Min-Son at bay.
Midfield
Joelinton suffered a minor knee problem against Everton on Wednesday, and while he has trained with his teammates, Eddie Howe is unlikely to take a chance with the Brazilian ahead of a busy run of games.
This could see Joe Willock get the nod in central midfield alongside Bruno Guimaraes and Sean Longstaff in the Newcastle lineup.
The aforementioned trio of Bruno, Willock and Longstaff must work well in tandem to dominate Spurs in the middle of the park on Sunday.
Fit-again Jonjo Shelvey might again have to settle for a place on the bench.
Attack
There could be changes in attack for the Magpies.
Callum Wilson’s workload needs to be managed well due to his past injury record, which may see Howe opt for Chris Wood to lead the Newcastle attack against Antonio Conte’s Spurs.
Miguel Almiron is in great nick of late and is a shoo-in to start on the right flank in the Newcastle lineup, with Jacob Murphy hoping to enjoy a productive evening on the left flank. Ryan Fraser is also an option for this role.
Wilson might drop down to the bench and look to impact in the latter stages of the game if called upon by the gaffer.
