Can Tottenham Hotspur turn things around vs. Newcastle United?

If there’s one team that has been a consistent thorn in Tottenham Hotspur’s side, it’s Newcastle United. Since October 2022, the Magpies have 7W, 2D and 1L against Spurs.

Acrimonious History

After winning back-to-back fixtures against the North London side (including a 6-1 thrashing at St. James’ Park) Newcastle were finally humbled in a 4-1 defeat on December 10, 2023. The Magpies bounced back in stellar fashion with a 4-0 win, followed by 2-1 victories in the Premier League and a 2-0 win in the EFL Cup.

Spurs narrowly avoided defeat in their following encounter, with Cristian Romero scoring two late goals to erase two deficits in a 2-2 draw, but they would succumb to a 2-1 defeat in February 2026. Six months later, they will take the field on Saturday in what will be the 176th matchup between the two sides.

The last time these two faced off, Eddie Howe and Thomas Frank presided over the touchline. But Frank was replaced shortly after by Roberto De Zerbi, who guided Spurs to safety on the final day of the season. Howe departed after five years at the helm this summer and was replaced by Matthias Jaissle.

Last Week’s Results

Newcastle appeared to be headed for an opening day win until the 9th and final minute of extra time, as Dominik Szoboszlai equalized from the penalty spot for Liverpool. They would rebound by beating West Bromwich Albion 3-2 in the EFL Cup.

Tottenham, meanwhile, were demolished 3-0 by Brentford before bouncing back with a 5-1 thrashing of Charlton Athletic in their EFL Cup tie.

Spurs Outlook

De Zerbi is no stranger to facing Newcastle, having won twice, drawn once and lost once during his tenure at Brighton & Hove Albion, but he’s going to have a tall task ahead of him at the weekend as he looks to lead Spurs to victory against the Magpies.

Spurs have splurged heavily in the summer window, adding Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali to their midfield ranks and replenishing their backline with Andrew Robertson, Marcos Senesi, and Jan Paul van Hecke. The latter three started in defense vs. Brentford alongside Archie Gray, but Gray could be set to be replaced by newly crowned World Cup winner Pedro Porro at right back, while Robertson could be dropped for Destiny Udogie.

De Zerbi could be looking to unleash Fernandes in midfield alongside Tonali, who will be taking on his former employers at his new ground. His biggest headache, however, could be in attack. Sávinho is in line for a full debut after a supersub display that saw him score a goal and an assist off the bench vs. Charlton, with the Brazilian set to displace Mikey Moore from the right side.

It remains to be seen whether Sávinho will be joined by Omar Marmoush, who has also joined from Manchester City in a lucrative late-window deal. The Egyptian forward is competing with Dominic Solanke and Richarlison for a starting spot up top alongside Sávinho, Conor Gallagher, and Mathys Tel. Meanwhile, Antonín Kinský should continue between the sticks.

But winning the transfer window does not equal winning the football match, and it will take time for these signings to fully adjust to De Zerbi’s system.

Some Possible Changes

There will likely be a handful of changes to Spurs’ line-up vs. Charlton, with new club captain Mickey van de Ven set to return at the expense of Ben Davies. Having suffered a minor muscular injury in preseason in Australia/New Zealand, Van de Ven will be looking to establish himself as the new leader of Spurs’ backline following Romero’s departure. But it remains unclear whether he’ll be partnering Van Hecke or Senesi at the back.

Spurs have ample choices in midfield, with Lucas Bergvall, Rodrigo Bentancur competing for places alongside Fernandes, Tonali, and Gallagher. The same cannot be said about their options in attack, especially with Xavi Simons, James Maddison, Wilson Odobert and Dejan Kulusevski nursing long-term injuries.

There is a dearth of creativity amongst Tottenham’s attacking options, and it’s why Mohammed Kudus can’t come back soon enough. The Ghanaian was the team’s best player before suffering a thigh injury in January and missing the second half of the season. Kudus looks set to make his return on Saturday, and he could provide a real source of unpredictability and dynamism off the bench.

Spurs aren’t done yet in the transfer market, as demonstrated by their recent pursuit of Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo, but they’re going to have to make do with their current options as they seek to come away with a win vs. Newcastle.

Newcastle’s Outlook

Whilst Tottenham have enjoyed one of the most exciting transfer windows in England, Newcastle have been forced to sell a number of integral figures like Bruno Guimarães, Anthony Gordon, and Tonali for lucrative fees. As a result, there will be a number of new faces amongst the Newcastle starting XI, with Lukáš Horníček looking to build on his Man of the Match display vs. Liverpool and impress in goal again.

Amar Dedić should continue at right back alongside Malick Thiaw, Sven Botman, and Lewis Hall, whilst Dutch teenager Sean Steur will be looking to maintain his place in the double pivot. However, with Jacob Ramsey, Lewis Miley, and new arrival Nico González chomping at the bit, Jaissle will certainly have a couple of tough decisions to make.

Newcastle look set to reshuffle their attack with William Osula ruled out. Yoane Wissa is likely to lead the line after Nick Woltemade failed to convince vs. West Brom. Behind him should be Anthony Elanga, Joe Willock, and Harvey Barnes, with Jacob Murphy and Bazoumana Touré waiting in the wings and seeking to make an impact against tired legs.

Pre-Match Thoughts

Newcastle have undoubtedly gotten weaker this summer, but they’re still more than capable of continuing their victorious pattern vs. Tottenham. Spending over $460 million in one summer doesn’t change the fact that Spurs narrowly avoided relegation in back-to-back years, and there are various areas that De Zerbi will need to fix before Spurs can get serious about challenging for Europe.

Chiefly, he must address his team’s poor defensive organization, lack of physical fight, and passive mentality, and he must instill a completely different competitive spirit to match a fast, energetic Newcastle side. Brentford easily disrupted Tottenham’s passing lanes and suffocated their possession on opening day, and De Zerbi must fine-tune Spurs’ ability to navigate the opposition press safely.

“I think we have to play better, much better. We have to fight in a different way, and we need to make results,” said De Zerbi before the match. “We don’t need time to win the game. Maybe we are not ready yet to play our best in terms of physical condition, in terms of style of play, quality of play, but, anyway, we have enough quality right now to win the game and to play much better – it’s normal to play better than we did in Brentford.”

Can Tottenham turn the tide in North London and get their season up and running? Or will Newcastle come away with their first Premier League victory of the Jaissle era? Stay tuned for what promises to be a captivating match-up in the capital.

Predicted line-ups:

Tottenham: Kinský; Porro, Van Hecke, Van de Ven, Robertson; Tonali, Bentancur; Sávio, Fernandes, Tel; Solanke

Newcastle: Horníček; Dedić, Thiaw, Botman, Hall; Miley, González; Elanga, Willock, Barnes; Wissa