Tottenham Hotspur vs. Newcastle United: Predicted lineups, team news and score prediction

In their last match against Wolverhampton Wanderers, Ange Postecoglou's Spurs dropped points after leading for the entirety of the second half — walking out of Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with one point when they seemed destined for three. They'll feel hard done by the result, given how it seemed things were going until Jørgen Strand Larsen dashed any hopes of victory with an 87th-minute goal. But on balance, a draw must be considered fair, as a result of the statistical parity of the teams.

Tottenham continue to be marred by inconsistency this season, with only one win in their last five matches. The defensive absence of Cristian Romero may have a lot to do with their inability to find some form, as backline exposure seems to always cancel out any offensive brilliance from the likes of Son, Maddison, Johnson, or — in the case of their game against Wolves — Rodrigo Bentancur.

While Radu Drăgușin has most often found himself in the crosshairs of disgruntled fans, it would be unfair to pin the blame solely on the shoulders of the Romanian centre-half when the much more likely culprit is the double-edged sword of expansive football that Postecoglou has become known for. It's certainly a joy to watch — but at what point do results become more important than style?

If European football is the goal, Spurs are well past that point already.

Can Newcastle make it five wins in five games?

For much of the first half of this Premier League season, Eddie Howe's revived Newcastle side were thought to have plateaued after the addition of Champions League obligations proved to be too much in the 2023-24 season. But a string of middling results through the fall has been disrupted by a recent run of red-hot form.

The Magpies have secured four wins in their last five games, all coming in succession, punctuated by a resounding victory against Manchester United at Old Trafford. Alexander Isak has led the line for Newcastle, with supplementary goals coming from all over the pitch. But what's propelled them to the fifth spot on the table is their strength in defense. Presently, they have conceded the fourth-fewest goals in the league — the only teams ahead of them currently occupying places one through three in the table. This patient style of defending manfully and capitalizing on opportunities to strike is a bit of a throwback in the modern game. And it might be something those in North London could take note of.

Despite what may seem like an ocean between these two teams in terms of league standing, a win would bring 11th-place Spurs within five points of Newcastle.

Tottenham Hotspur vs. Newcastle United news, predicted lineup and score

Spurs will be fielding a notably deficient squad, with serious injuries impacting goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, hit man Richarlison, and defenders Ben Davies, Destiny Udogie, and Cristian Romero. Match week 19 goal scorer Rodrigo Bentancur will be out on a suspension for an accumulation of yellow cards, but the energetic contributions of Djed Spence will once again be available with him having served the same suspension against Wolves.

Newcastle, meanwhile, will be happy not to have picked up any "new" injuries since their last outing, but it won't be until the end of January that they can expect to see returns from Callum Wilson, Nick Pope, Jamaal Lascelles, Emil Krafth, or Sven Botman. Kieran Trippier came off the field during Newcastle's win over Manchester United and is doubtful to start this weekend. Defensive fixture Fabian Schar will also be required to sit for an accumulation of yellow cards — it's that time of year.

Tottenham Hotspur predicted line up: Forster, Porro, Drăgușin, Gray, Spence, Bissouma, Sarr, Johnson, Kulesevski, Son, Solanke

Newcastle United predicted line up: Dúbravka, Livramento, Kelly, Burn, Hall, Guimarães, Tonali, Joelinton, Murphy, Isak, Gordon

Score prediction: Tottenham 2 - 2 Newcastle

How to watch Tottenham Hotspur vs. Newcastle United

• Date: Saturday, Jan. 4
• Start Time: 7:30 a.m. EST
• Location: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium — London , England
• Watch: USA Network

Kickoff for the match is 7:30 a.m. ET, on Saturday, Jan. 4. The game will be broadcast exclusively on USA Network.