Prediction: Newcastle vs Tottenham

Verdict: Under 2.5 goals

Best Odds: 10/11

Bookmaker: Unibet

Desperate to build off of their derby day victory over the weekend, Tottenham will make the trip to an empty St. James’ Park on Wednesday evening.

Newcastle

Starting with the hosts, throwing away the lead against relegation scrappers Watford in the capital over the weekend, Newcastle have failed to fully build off of their stunning South Coast victory when opening July. Despite their 4-1 win away at Bournemouth earlier in the month, the Magpies have collected just a single point over their last three Premier League appearances. Completely blown away in what turned out to be a 5-0 drumming away at now-former champions Manchester City last week, Steve Bruce’s side appear to have seen any chance of landing a top-10 finish go up in smoke. If Wednesday’s hosts are to end their recent sluggish patch, then there is no doubt that the one-time Sunderland boss will be calling on his side to make some alteration on home soil. Despite battling from behind twice to snatch a point off of West Ham last time out at St. James’, Newcastle’s 3-0 romp against Sheffield United last month is their sole victory in the North East since January 18th.

Team News

After limping off against Watford over the weekend, Newcastle look set to be without defender Jamaal Lascelles.

Elsewhere, the Magpies will also be unlikely to call upon Isaac Hayden and Sean Longstaff who are both major doubts.

Tottenham

As for the visitors, while many might have felt that they were lucky to have picked up three points and North London bragging rights over the weekend, Tottenham will be desperate to build off of their 2-1 win on Sunday afternoon. Leapfrogging their bitter rivals and now sat just three points adrift from the top-six, Jose Mourinho’s side have reignited their European dreams. However, while on paper it might show that Spurs have lost just a single matchup since returning from football’s enforced break, that does not tell the full story. Watching Arsenal create a string of clear-cut chances in Sunday’s derby, the former Manchester United boss saw his side completely blown away in what was a dreadful 3-1 defeat at Bramall Lane earlier in the month. With a Tottenham player bagging just a single goal from open play over their last three Premier League contests, Mourinho will be demanding his side end their worrying record on the road. Including that hammering at the hands of Sheffield United, Spurs have remarkably won just one of their last 11 away fixtures across all competitions.

Team News

Tottenham are still without Eric Dier, who serves the third match of a four-game ban for confronting a fan during the FA Cup tie against Norwich City.

Dele Alli is expected to miss a fourth game with a hamstring injury.

Key Factors to Consider

• When the two sides faced off earlier in the season, Newcastle picked up a 1-0 win in North London.
• Four of the last five meetings between the two sides have seen under 2.5 goals by full-time.
• Tottenham have managed to win just one of their last 11 away matchups across all competitions.
• Newcastle have managed to land just a single victory at St. James Park since January 18th.
• Spurs have managed to score more than a single goal in just one of their last seven Premier League away fixtures.

Conclusion

While Spurs might make the trip to St. James’ still boosted by their derby day victory on Sunday, Jose Mourinho’s side have continued on what has been a woeful record outside of North London. Remarkably managing to land just a single away victory across all competitions in their last 11 attempts, we could be in for a cagey encounter in the North East this week. With the Magpies also showing some recent issues on home soil, the two sides also have a habit of producing low-scoring encounters. With four of the last five meetings ending with under 2.5 goals by the final whistle, we’re backing a similar outcome on Wednesday evening.

Verdict: Under 2.5 goals

Best Odds: 10/11

Bookmaker: Unibet