TOTTENHAM host Newcastle in the Premier League to cap off an epic Super Sunday.
Spurs are hoping to put an end to their dogged run of form after only picking up one point in their last five games.
Meanwhile, Newcastle will be aiming to recover from their 3-0 plummeting away at Everton in midweek.
- Kick off time: 4.30pm GMT
- TV channel: Sky Sports Main Event/Premier League
- Live stream: NOW
- Tottenham team: Vicario, Porro, Romero, Davies, Udogie, Sarr, Bissouma, Johnson, Kulusevski, Richarlison, Son
- Newcastle team: Dubravka, Trippier, Schar, Lascelles, Livramento, Miley, Guimaraes, Joelinton, Almiron, Gordon, Isak
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Everton 2 Chelsea 0
Spurs fans will also be able to afford themselves a smile at the Chelsea result.
The Blues, as Newcastle did on Thursday, went down to a convincing defeat at Everton.
Abdoulaye Doucoure put the Toffees in front before academy graduate Lewis Dobbin netted his first goal for the club.
Fulham 5 West Ham 0
West Ham claimed bragging rights with a 2-1 win here in North London on Thursday night, but Spurs fans will be pleased to know the Hammers team came crashing down to earth at Craven Cottage.
And in a more literal crash, a set of West Ham fans were delayed getting to the ground after their boat across the Thames collided with Hammersmith Bridge.
They’ll be pleased not to have missed too much from David Moyes men though, as Fulham ran out 5-0 winners with five different scorers netting.
Full time around the grounds
It’s been a fascinating afternoon of 2pm kick-offs and we’re hoping to see something similar here at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Results are as follows:
Everton 2 Chelsea 0
Fulham 5 West Ham 0
Luton 1 Man City 2
The teams are out
Son Heung-min leads Spurs out for the warm-up to applause from the home crowd.
Jamal Lascelles and Newcastle have also taken to the field for what we’re hoping will be a cracker.
Vicar not blessed
Tottenham were beaten 2-1 by West Ham on Thursday but goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario could have prevented that from happening had he not appeared to have been in two minds about the backpass rule.
In the face of a short backpass from Destiny Udogie, the Italian rushed out of his goal and punched the ball away from Jarrod Bowen, gifting James Ward-Prowse a simple tap-in.
One reason for that may have been a concern about getting sent off for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity.
However, Fifa rules state that when a goalkeeper picks up a backpass in his penalty box, regardless of the circumstances, the punishment is an indirect free kick and no card.
Son arrives
Son Heung-min has been deemed fit enough to start this afternoon despite suffering a back problem against West Ham on Thursday night.
Richarlison will be involved in the Spurs forward line after replacing Giovani Lo Celso in the starting line-up.
Credit: GETTY Newcastle team
Newcastle: Dubravka, Trippier, Schar, Lascelles, Livramento, Miley, Guimaraes, Joelinton, Almiron, Gordon, Isak
Subs: Karius, Gillespie, Dummett, Wilson, Ritchie, Krafth, Hall, Longstaff, Murphy
Tottenham team
Tottenham: Vicario, Porro, Romero, Davies, Udogie, Sarr, Bissouma, Johnson, Kulusevski, Richarlison, Son
Subs: Forster, Skipp, Hojbjerg, Gil, Royal, Lo Celso, Veliz, Donley, Dorrington
More of the same
Eddie Howe has called on Newcastle to deliver a repeat of last year’s display when they won 2-1 if they want to secure a victory at Spurs.
He said: “I think it would need a very similar performance to last year, where we were excellent.
“We were at our best defensively, we were at our best in attack as well.
“That was a memorable day and that gave us a really big lift for what was ahead. It came at a key stage of the season, so we certainly know the importance of this match.”
‘Totally different’
Eddie Howe has pointed out the main change that he has noticed in Tottenham’s style of play this season.
The Newcastle boss said: “Tottenham have certainly changed a lot of their build-up patterns.
“Their formation and the way they play is totally different. I’ve enjoyed watching them play. [They were] free-scoring early season, with a lot of interesting movements.
“He [Ange Postecoglou] has done very well in a short period of time to implement his philosophy.”
Credit: getty Howe about that
Ange Postecoglou has revealed that Eddie Howe is the biggest reason he has ended up as Spurs manager.
That’s because of a fateful day two and a half years ago when Howe decided to turn down the Celtic job.
Howe’s decision led to former Australia manager Postecoglou getting a shot in Glasgow and grasping the opportunity with both hands, as he delivered five trophies in two seasons – a record that led to him getting the job at Spurs.
The Aussie said of Howe’s decision: “Sliding doors moment.
“There’s probably been no bigger decision in me being here today than Eddie knocking back the Celtic job.
“I haven’t thanked him, I probably should.”
Credit: getty Head-to-head
The recent head-to-head stats between the two sides are very even.
Last season it was Eddie Howe’s Newcastle who triumphed home and away.
The Toon won 2-1 in North London before thumping Spurs 6-1 at St James’ Park – a result which saw Christian Stellini sacked as INTERIM manager.
However, the previous season, Spurs were 5-1 winners at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and triumphed 3-2 on Tyneside in the Saudi owners first game at the Newcastle helm.
And the previous year, the teams drew 1-1 in the North East and 2-2 in London.
London calling
Tottenham are taking on Newcastle in a Super Sunday clash between two teams who will be hoping for a drastic improvement on their midweek results.
Spurs are on a run as bizarre as it has been dismal, having picked up just one point from their past five games – all of which they scored the first goal in.
That run makes Ange Postecoglou’s men the first team in Premier League history to score first and fail to win in five straight matches.
The last of those was a 2-1 loss at home to West Ham on Thursday night, which was particularly disappointing after Spurs picked up an impressive 3-3 draw at champions Man City on Sunday.
However, there remains a lot of belief in Postecoglou’s methods and attacking style of football in this corner of North London with the mood completely different to a year ago under Antonio Conte.
Newcastle, meanwhile, thought they were heading decisively in the right direction with a 1-0 win over Man Utd in which they were far more dominant than the scoreline suggested.
However, Eddie Howe’s injury-hit side were brought back down to earth when they were outbattled at Everton on Thursday night and went down 3-0.
The Toon will also have one eye on Wednesday’s huge Champions League clash at home to AC Milan, where they must win to have any chance of progression to the knockout stages.
Despite turbulent recent runs, both teams will have an eye on a Champions League spot.
Tottenham, in fifth, are currently three points behind fourth placed Man City with Newcastle a further point back in seventh.
And fifth place could even be enough to qualify for the Champions League next season if Premier League teams’ average results in Europe are among the two best.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
