🏏 Sat, 29 Aug 2026 17:30 BST
Tottenham Hotspur
vs
Newcastle United
4-2-3-1 vs 4-2-3-1
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- Tottenham begin this one in 17th place with no points and a minus-three goal difference after a 3-0 opening-day defeat away at Brentford. Newcastle sit 11th on a single point, having drawn 2-2 at home with Liverpool. Manchester City already have six points from two games, so neither side can afford to fall further behind this early.
- The dominant storyline is Sandro Tonali, 26, anchoring Tottenham's midfield against the club he left. The Italy international, who came through Brescia and AC Milan before his time at Newcastle, is dubbed the new Pirlo for his range of passing and vision from deep, and he combines that with genuine ball-winning ability. How he outmanoeuvres his former team-mates will shape the whole contest.
- Newcastle rebuilt their midfield in the wake of Tonali's departure, and the symbol of that project sits on their bench: 18-year-old Sean Steur, signed from Ajax on a five-year deal for around 23 million pounds. The Dutch central midfielder is prized for two-footed technique and sharp game intelligence, and he already made 25 senior appearances for Ajax in 2024-25. His potential introduction against the man he was bought to succeed adds a neat subplot.
- There is a second reunion on the Tottenham bench. Martin Dubravka, 37 and 191cm, spent years as Newcastle's first-choice goalkeeper before this move, and the Slovakia international remains a sharp shot-stopper who commands his box, with Euro 2024 experience plus spells at Burnley and on loan at Manchester United behind him.
- The starting goalkeepers happen to be a pair of Czechs. Tottenham field 23-year-old Antonin Kinsky, a 190cm signing from Slavia Prague in January 2025 known for his positioning and reach. Newcastle counter with 198cm Lukas Hornicek, 24, who joined from Braga after leaving Pardubice for a club-record fee. After conceding three on the opening weekend, Spurs badly need Kinsky's side of the pitch to settle.
- Tottenham's shape carries a twist. Pedro Porro, 26, a Spain international whose natural role is right-back, has been pushed up into the attacking three, while Archie Gray, a 20-year-old 187cm central midfielder from the Leeds United academy, drops into the back four. It is a way of getting Porro's crossing and cutting-in higher up the pitch, and it sets up a duel with Newcastle left-back Lewis Hall, 21, a Chelsea academy graduate.
- The centre-back match-up is a battle of giants. Micky van de Ven, 25, is a 193cm left-footed Netherlands international with genuinely elite recovery pace, partnered by 189cm Jan Paul van Hecke, 26, who arrived from Brighton. Newcastle answer with 193cm left-footer Sven Botman, 26, a Ligue 1 champion with Lille, and 194cm Germany international Malick Thiaw, 25, formerly of AC Milan. Three of the four stand above 190cm.
- Newcastle lead the line with Yoane Wissa, 29, of DR Congo, the striker who set Brentford's all-time Premier League scoring record. He is quick, agile and able to finish with either foot. Given that Tottenham's season opened with a 3-0 loss at Brentford, containing that club's record marksman carries a certain irony. Flanking him are former Leicester winger Harvey Barnes and Sweden international Anthony Elanga, 24, signed from Nottingham Forest for a club-record fee in the summer of 2025.
- Both benches can change a game. Tottenham hold back Dominic Solanke, 28, who scored 19 goals at Bournemouth before a club-record move, England midfielder Conor Gallagher, recruited from Atletico Madrid in January 2026, and 19-year-old Mikey Moore, who scored seven times on loan at Rangers and was voted PFA Scotland Young Player of the Year. Newcastle counter with 198cm Nick Woltemade, 24, a 17-goal Bundesliga scorer at Stuttgart, Aston Villa academy graduate Jacob Ramsey and crossing specialist Jacob Murphy, 31.