Tottenham Hotspur host Newcastle United with both clubs in desperate need of a morale boosting result. Losses at the weekend have left both teams in a spiral and eyeing each other as the perfect opportunity to get some positivity and momentum as we head toward the business end of the season. Can either team drag themselves to a much-needed win?
Here's everything you need to know about the match:
How to watch
The match will be broadcast on Tuesday on TNT Sports 3 in the UK, NBC in the U.S., Jio Hotstar in India and Stan Sport in Australia. You can also follow ESPN's live coverage here.
Key Details
Kick-off time: Tuesday, Feb. 10 at 7.30 p.m. GMT (2.30 p.m. ET; 1 a.m. IST and 6.30 a.m. AEDT, Wednesday)
Venue: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
Referee: Anthony Taylor
VAR: Nick Hopton
Injury News
Tottenham Hotspur
Cristian Romero, D: OUT, suspended
Dejan Kulusevski, M: OUT, knee
Destiny Udogie, D: OUT, muscle
Ben Davies, D: OUT, ankle
Kevin Danso, D: OUT, toe
Djed Spence, D: DOUBT, calf
Pedro Porro, D, OUT, hamstring
James Maddison, M: OUT, ACL
Lucas Bergvall: M: OUT, leg
Rodrigo Bentancur, M: OUT, hamstring
Mohammed Kudus, F: OUT, muscle
Richarlison, F: OUT, hamstring
Newcastle United
Emil Krafth, D: OUT, knee
Fabian Schär, D: OUT, ankle
Tino Livramento, D: OUT, hamstring
Joelinton, M: OUT, thigh
Anthony Gordon, F: OUT, hamstring
Lewis Miley, M/D: DOUBT, knee
Talking Points
Are Spurs in a relegation battle, really?
According to Wayne Rooney, yes. Speaking on BBC's Wayne Rooney Show: "You'd have to say they are [in a relegation battle] with their current form. West Ham have been in form; Nottingham Forest pick up results here and there. You can't think that they're not in a relegation battle where they are. I think they'll definitely be looking over their shoulders."
What they'll see over the shoulders is Leeds United tied with them on 29 points, Nottingham Forest who've had two wins and two draws in their last five and are just three points behind Spurs, and a resurgent West Ham (four wins out of their last five) only six points behind Spurs in 18th. For a team that have failed to win any of their last seven Premier League games and continues to go through one of the worst injury crises in their storied history (just look at that list above), all that amounts to bad news.
Unlike the Ange Postecoglou debacle last time around, there's at least one team in the relegation zone this season who look more than capable of staying up, and that should cause a flutter of worry amongst Spurs fans.
Newcastle need to reverse their momentum to salvage season
If 29 points in 25 games isn't a good enough showing, 33 in 25 isn't all that much better, is it? Eddie Howe's men have lumbered along all season, still adjusting to the loss of Alexander Isak. To make things worse, they are in the middle of quite a poor run of results that's seen them slide down: they've lost four of the past five matches in all competitions (the other being a 1-1 draw vs PSG) and look incapable of producing a consistent performance across 90 minutes at the moment.
The bright side to it all, though, is that with Bruno Guimarães back to full fitness, they are fully capable of finding some form out of nowhere and going on the sort of run that can close the mere six-point gap to the European spots. For that, they need a reversal of momentum, and as things stand in the league, they won't get a better fixture than this to get that shift going.
Romero's red will hurt Spurs now more than ever
Cristian Romero ended Spurs' hopes of getting anything from Old Trafford with his rash challenge on Casemiro and the resulting red card, but the ramifications are longer term. For one, this leaves a beleaguered squad (one that Romero himself complained about, re: inactivity in the transfer market) a fit player short for four games (three for violent conduct, one for this being his second red), for another, it robs Spurs of their best defender and their leader on the pitch.
For all his proclivity for throwing himself into needless challenges, his passing range from the back often helps set the tempo, his leadership at the back helps them maintain shape and his threat on set-pieces keeps opponents on their toes. At a time when all this was needed the most, he will be missing. For Spurs, that's simply inexcusable.
Guimaraes is key for Newcastle
Here's an unbelievable stat for you: Newcastle United are yet to win a league game without Bruno Guimaraes since he made his debut for the club in 2022.
In the games he missed over the past fortnight, you could see exactly why. Newcastle without their Brazilian midfielder simply seem unable to get things moving. After their tame loss to Aston Villa late in January, Eddie Howe said: "I just thought we missed Bruno's forward thinking. He always wants to pass forward and is always looking for a creative pass. You could see we missed that today. He always wants the ball and he's always demanding the ball from his team-mates. They're massive qualities, and then there's his never-say-die spirit and attitude, too."
He's back now and almost inspired a comeback point against Brentford this past weekend. Him staying fit and firing will be key to any Newcastle plan for resurgence.
What do the numbers say?
These are numbers that won't give Spurs fans much hope ahead of the match: Spurs have lost five of their last seven Premier League games against Newcastle (W1 D1); and against no team have Newcastle won more Prem games overall (27, level with Aston Villa) or away from home (12, level with West Ham) than Spurs
What makes it worse for Spurs fans is that they've won just four of their last 26 league games at the Tottenham Hotspur stadiums (D7 L15)
Here's one for the neutrals. These two teams have played each other 61 times in the Premier League: not once has it finished 0-0. It's also the fourth highest scoring fixture in the league (196 goals)
Spurs are winless in their last 11 midweek Prem games (D3 L8), while Newcastle have won six of their last eight such fixtures (D1 L1)
Eddie Howe has won six of his nine league meetings with Thomas Frank (D2 L1), garnering 2.22 points-per-game in the process. That's his best ratio against any manager he has faced more than five times.