Tottenham Hotspur welcome Newcastle United at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday, hoping to bounce back to winning ways in the Premier League.
Spurs were comprehensively beaten 2-0 by Manchester United at Old Trafford on Wednesday, bringing an end to their two-game winning run. It was just their second defeat of the season but a painful one due to the manner in which they were dominated by Man United from start to finish.
Newcastle United, in contrast, continued their flying form with a 1-0 home win over Everton in midweek. This made it three wins out of their last five games for Eddie Howe’s men, who will head to Tottenham in high spirits.
On that note, here are the key battles that could determine the result of this game in north London.
#Harry Kane vs Sven Botman
Harry Kane continues to be Tottenham’s got-to-player for goals, with nine strikes already in 10 games this term. However, he barely had a kick in the defeat to Man United, as defenders Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane marshalled him well throughout the 90 minutes.
Thus, Kane must be raring to put in a better performance against Newcastle and guide his team back to winning ways. The England international is Spurs’ biggest goal threat, something the Newcastle defenders will be wary of.
Sven Botman has become a crucial member of the Magpies’ backline this term, and the onus will be on him and Fabian Schar to stop Kane. Strong in the air and tenacious in the tackle, the Dutch defender must produce a top performance to keep the Spurs talisman at bay.
Thus, it promises to be an engaging battle between Kane and Botman at the weekend.
#Bruno Guimaraes vs Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg
Bruno Guimaraes has been one of Newcastle’s standout players, catching the eye with his passing skills, tenacity, work rate, chance-creation and goal-scoring ability. He likes to drift into pockets of space behind the opposition and thread passes through the line or combine with the wide players.
Tottenham defend very compact and narrow, making them a tough nut to crack. This is where Bruno’s line-breaking passes and vision could be key in unlocking the Spurs’ door.
But Antonio Conte has the perfect solution in his squad in the form of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, who can sit just in front of the Spurs’ defensive line and limit the space for Bruno to influence the game. Hojbjerg’s reading of the game and positional awareness are good, and his ability to break play will provide a solution for Conte to prevent the Newcastle star from getting into open space in front of the Spurs rearguard.
This duel between Bruno and Hojbjerg in the middle of the park is one to keep an eye on.
#Miguel Almiron vs Ben Davies & Ryan Sessegnon
Miguel Almiron has been in superb form for Newcastle and scored his fifth goal of the season in the 1-0 win over Everton at St. James’ Park. He is enjoying a purple patch, and with the likes of Allan Saint-Maximin and Alexander Isak injured, the Paraguayan must shoulder the responsibility of providing creativity and goals for Eddie Howe’s side.
Thus, Ben Davies and most probably Ryan Sessegnon—Spurs’ left-hand side of the defence— will have to be extra cautious of the threat Almiron carries with his movement, directness and powerful shooting.
Stopping him from getting too much time and space on the ball would be on Davies’ mind throughout the game, and Conte could instruct Sessegnon to provide Davies with cover when defending against the Newcastle winger. And if the Spurs duo can nullify Almiron’s threat on and off the ball, the hosts’ chances of winning the game will become higher.
