Tottenham Hotspur vs Newcastle United
Tottenham are off to an auspicious start under new head coach Thomas Frank, as they’re undefeated in his first four preseason games in charge. Following a 1-0 exhibition win against North London rivals Arsenal in Hong Kong, Tottenham will fly to the Seoul World Cup Stadium, where they’ll face Newcastle United in their next Club Friendly this Sunday evening.
In contrast, Newcastle United are dealing with problems on and off the pitch. Besides having to deal with several niggling injuries, Eddie Howe’s side also faces the dilemma of having to offload arguably their best player this summer, as Alexander Isak is reportedly keen on joining forces with Liverpool. After beating Carlisle 4-0 last month, the Magpies have lost three consecutive exhibition games against Celtic (4-0), Arsenal (3-2), and the K League XI (1-0).
With this said, the pregame Club Friendly 2025 odds back the Spurs to beat the Magpies. Either way, SBOTOP football fans are guaranteed to get their fair share of Club Friendly 2025 highlights.
Talking Points
Tottenham sweating on Solanke’s fitness
Tottenham won 1-0 against Arsenal yesterday, as Pape Matar Sarr scored from the halfway line after catching David Raya off his goal line right before halftime. From there, it was an impressive defencive showing from the Spurs, as they rebuffed the Gunners’ attempts at an equaliser in the second half.
The Spurs won despite not having Dominic Solanke in the rotation. The former Bournemouth striker was left out of the squad for the third straight contest, having not trained in an open session earlier this week. According to manager Thomas Frank, Solanke is “close” to returning from an ankle injury. We don’t expect him to play against Newcastle United, but if he does, he’ll likely come off the bench late in the match to get his wind.
As things stand, Richarlison should continue to start up front for the Spurs, with Mohammed Kudus, Wilson Odobert, and (maybe) Son Heung-Min in the final third. Meanwhile, James Maddison’s return from injury is a huge boon for the team.
Speaking of Kudus, the £65 million transfer fee Tottenham paid seems like money well spent. The former West Ham United winger produced another brilliant display yesterday, as he was strong on the ball and gave Myles Lewis-Skelly real problems. His work rate off the ball was also commendable, as he charged back to stop one counter from Declan Rice. And Tottenham were far less dangerous when he went off after an hour, with Brennan Johnson struggling to make an impact.
Newcastle United have a huge striker problem
Newcastle United also have their lineup problems, as Lewis Hall (ankle), Joe Willock (ankle), and Sven Botman (groin) are questionable to play against Tottenham due to injuries. However, their biggest lineup loss is Alexander Isak, who is reportedly training alone at Real Sociedad (his former club) amid transfer links to Liverpool.
With Isak likely on his way out of St. James Park soon, Newcastle United are eyeing up a new striker, with Yoane Wissa and Benjamin Sesko as their top targets. This summer, the Magpies have also parted ways with Sean Longstaff, Callum Wilson, Jamal Lewis, and Lloyd Kelly while bringing in Anthony Elanga from Nottingham Forest for £55 million.
In the meantime, Eddie Howe will likely continue with having Elanga, William Osula, and Anthony Gordon as their front three, with Harvey Barnes and Jacob Murphy as their options off the bench.
History
Sunday marks the 173rd competitive encounter between Tottenham and Newcastle United. Their first-ever meeting was a 1-1 stalemate in an FA Cup contest back in February 1905. The Spurs have the advantage in the overall head-to-heads with 74 wins, whereas the Magpies have 64 victories and 34 draws. Tottenham have lost their last three meetings against Newcastle United, including a league double for the Magpies last season via an aggregate tally of 4-2. The Spurs’ previous win in this matchup was a 4-1 result back in December 2023.
Tottenham finished 17th in the Premier League standings last term. However, the Spurs managed to secure a spot in the Champions League after they defeated Manchester United in the Europa League final. Despite ending their trophy drought, Ange Postecoglou was sacked by the North London club after two seasons.
Newcastle United are also in the Champions League after finishing fifth in the English top-flight standings with 66 points, level with sixth-seeded Aston Villa and seventh-seeded Nottingham Forest. Under Eddie Howe, the Magpies have qualified for the showpiece event in two of the last three campaigns after failing to do so in the 20 years before 2022-23.
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