MOTD COMMENTATOR’S NOTES
Jonathan Pearce: Tottenham’s late goals to secure victory against Watford should turn their season in the right direction again after back-to-back cup defeats. The win opened up a seven-point gap to Arsenal below them in fourth place.
More importantly, it renewed belief that they can beat Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League this month.
The return of Son Heung-min from Asian Cup duty is equally crucial. He has eight goals in his last nine club games.
Newcastle’s shock win over Manchester City and the big-money signing of Miguel Almiron have renewed Tyneside hopes of staying up. The Paraguayan was brilliant in Lanus’ unlikely Argentine title win in 2016.
But this is tough. They’ve lost seven successive games at Wembley since the 1955 FA Cup final. I can’t see that trend changing.
VIEW FROM THE DUGOUT
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino on his side’s title chances: “We cannot put the excuse that we are not a real contender but we are going to try.
“We are going to dream because we are close, we are there in a very good position and we are going to try and fight until the end to be as high as we can.
“We have broken the record with wins away from home, our points record [at this stage]… but the dream is the dream – my dream is to win the Premier League or Champions League, to win the FA Cup or the Carabao Cup.”
Newcastle manager Rafael Benitez: “I am happier now than one week ago. Why? We beat Man City and we brought in two players.
“These offensive players [Miguel Almiron and Antonio Barreca] give us something we didn’t have. Now we are better than we were before… Hopefully they give us what we’re expecting.”
LAWRO’S PREDICTION
I think Spurs will find it tough going on Saturday.
That win over City was such a good one for Newcastle that it would not surprise me if they did something similar at Wembley, sitting in to nick a point.
Prediction: 1-1
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
- Tottenham beat Newcastle 2-1 at Wembley last season, ending a run of three consecutive Premier League home defeats against the Magpies.
- Spurs are chasing a fourth consecutive league win against Newcastle – they last did that between 2004 and 2005.
- None of Tottenham’s last 20 Premier League home games in this fixture have ended as a draw (W12, L8).
Tottenham Hotspur
- Victory or defeat would ensure Tottenham set a Premier League record for most consecutive matches without a draw. They have matched Bolton’s tally of 28 games, set in 2011.
- Spurs have lost just one of their past 26 home league games in February (W18, D7) – that was a 4-0 defeat by Manchester United in 2007.
- Tottenham have won successive Premier League games despite conceding the first goal. They have never won three in a row after conceding first.
- Spurs have won all 12 of their league matches this season against sides currently in the bottom half.
- Tottenham have scored a league-high 13 headed goals this season, while opponents Newcastle have conceded nine headers – more than any other side.
- Son Heung-min has scored eight goals in his past nine league and cup appearances for Spurs.
- Jan Vertonghen is one shy of 200 Premier League appearances.
Newcastle United
- The Magpies are looking for consecutive Premier League victories against sides from the established top six for the first time since 2015, when they won at home to Liverpool then away to Spurs.
- They have lost their last 10 away league games against the teams currently in the top six.
- Newcastle have collected 12 points in their last 21 Premier League games in London (W3, D3, L15), with half of those coming against Tottenham (W2, L1).
- They have lost all seven of their visits to Wembley since winning the 1955 FA Cup final against Manchester City. It is the longest losing run by any team at the stadium.
- Salomon Rondon, who netted against Manchester City on Tuesday, has not scored in consecutive top-flight appearances since September 2016.
Source: BBC News
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