Tottenham Hotspur tasted victory for the first time since early October over the weekend, using a Micky van de Ven brace to take home three points from Merseyside. The win over Everton was the seventh away fixture across all competitions this season, and all have yielded at least a point. On Wednesday, Thomas Frank will try to preserve this trend with a difficult tie against Newcastle United in the Fourth Round of the League Cup.
Newcastle is not quite enjoying the season it hoped to have, currently sitting 12th in the league table. Six points in the Champions League helps, though, and its prospects in the two main competitions are about level with those of Spurs (at least in terms of the betting markets). The same could be said for the League Cup at the moment, though that will obviously change this week, as only one top-four hopeful will advance in this cup.
League Cup Fourth Round
Date: Wednesday, October 29
Time: 4:00 pm ET, 8:00 pm UK
Location: St James’ Park, Newcastle upon Tyne
TV: Paramount+ (US), Sky Sports Main Event (UK)
Both contests between these clubs ended with 2-1 Newcastle victories last season. A September trip to St James’ Park was decided by an Alexander Isak winner after a Dan Burn own goal equaled the score in the second half. The reverse fixture featured two goals in the opening 10 minutes, with Dominic Solanke’s header instantly wiped out by Anthony Gordon, and Isak again scoring the deciding goal later in the first half.
Two Big Questions
Who feels more in form? Newcastle has won four of five across all competitions, outsourcing its opponents 12-3 in that stretch. Spurs are experiencing ups and downs but have kept back-to-back clean sheets and have been great on the road, scoring multiple goals in six of those seven matches. This is an opponent who has given Spurs plenty of issues in recent years, but Frank also has done well against the bigger clubs this season.
Call it overreacting, but I strangely feel good heading into this one. Newcastle can definitely score, but it is actually Spurs who are tied for first in goals, even if the play does not look pretty. If the overly defensive double pivot is back, there is every reason to think the visitors are ready to weather the storm. It might take another set piece goal, but the formula is there to take on these sort of fixtures.
How many fronts to fight? With Spurs back in the Champions League (and under a new manager), this season began with questions surrounding the importance and desire of competing in the cups. That unknown was punted for another month after Tottenham drew, and easily disposed of, Doncaster in the Third Round of the League Cup. Wednesday’s lineup should provide those answers.
I expect Frank to roll out his strongest side, even with Chelsea on the weekend and two more important fixtures next week. This is a difficult, but winnable match, and it feels like Spurs have the recipe to fend off bigger sides on the road. It still would be nice to figure out the front four, as Sunday’s quartet was far from impactful, but the trial-and-erroring must continue.