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A tough midweek test is on the horizon for Thomas Frank's Tottenham, as they travel to St. James' Park and face holders Newcastle in the Carabao Cup fourth round.

A 3-0 victory over League One Doncaster Rovers last month saw us advance, but there's no denying that we were handed one of the shorter straws in the subsequent draw. Nuno Espírito Santo was the last Tottenham manager to win on Tyneside back in 2021, with Tanguy Ndombélé starring in a 3-2 victory.

Those were the days.

Spurs have since succumbed to 4-0 and 6-1 batterings at Newcastle's fortress, and the Magpies completed the double over Ange Postecoglou's Europa League winners last season.

Both teams enter this fixture off the back of Premier League victories at the weekend, with Frank's Lilywhites set-piecing their way to a 3-0 win at Everton, while Newcastle edged past Fulham thanks to a late Bruno Guimarães winner. They beat Bradford City in the previous round.

Here's our preview of Wednesday's Carabao Cup fourth-round tie.

Newcastle vs Tottenham: Preview, Prediction & Lineups

What time does Newcastle vs Tottenham kick off?

Newcastle vs Tottenham kicks off on Wednesday 29 October at 20:00 BST.

When is kick off? Wednesday 29 October 2025

What time is kick off? 20:00 BST

Where is it played? St. James' Park, Newcastle

Referee:Â Chris Kavanagh

Newcastle vs Tottenham head-to-head record (last five games)

How to watch Newcastle vs Tottenham on TV & live stream

Newcastle team news

Yoane Wissa has been sidelined with a knee injury since joining Newcastle towards the end of the summer transfer window, and Frank's former striker is expected to make his comeback next month.

Full-backs Valentino Livramento and Lewis Hall are also out for the hosts, while Sven Botman is a doubt due to the knock he took to the head against Fulham.

Fabian Schär is poised to replace Botman if he isn't deemed fit, and there could be recalls for the likes of Anthony Elanga, William Osula, Sandro Tonali and Harvey Barnes.

Newcastle predicted lineup vs Tottenham: Ramsdale; Krafth, Thiaw, Schär, Burn; Guimarães, Tonali, Ramsey; Elanga, Osula, Barnes.

Tottenham team news

There's not much change on the injury front for Spurs since Sunday's win on Merseyside. Frank has provided positive updates on the recoveries of Cristian Romero, Destiny Udogie and Dominic Solanke, but none will return to action in midweek.

There's hope that Romero and Udogie will be back for Saturday's London derby with Chelsea, but Kevin Danso performed superbly in the former's absence at the weekend.

I suspect the boss will make a few changes from Sunday's team, with the likes of Mohammed Kudus, Pedro Porro and Micky van de Ven earning rests. João Palhinha may start alongside Danso at centre-back, while Mathys Tel and Wilson Odobert could earn recalls.

Ben Davies, Kota Takai, James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski and Radu Drăgușin all remain sidelined.

Tottenham predicted lineup vs Newcastle: Kinsky; Spence, Danso, Palhinha, Gray; Bentancur, Bergvall; Johnson, Sarr, Odobert; Tel.

Newcastle vs Tottenham score prediction

I'd be lying if I said I was looking forward to this one.

While our newfound resilience means Newcastle are unlikely to run away with the cup tie, I can only enivsage misery on Tyneside. Perhaps I'm blinded by those recent drubbings, but it's going to be a big ask for Frank's boys to go up there and get a result on Wednesday night.

Win, and well, we can start planning another parade.

Tottenham Hotspur made quite the statement on Sunday afternoon to cap off the Premier League weekend, decimating a third opponent this season with a 3-0 scoreline. Coming into the game, Everton had one of the best attacks in the Premier League with veteran signing Jack Grealish, but Spurs completely neutralized it.

And they did so without captain Cristian Romero, one of the best in the Premier League, as he has been out since the previous weekend with a late scratch against Aston Villa. Micky van de Ven was the star of the night with two goals, but it was actually the third center back who stole Tottenham hearts.

Kevin Danso has proven to be quite the 20 million euro coup for Spurs since joining the Lilywhites in the January 2025 transfer window from Lens, because whenever he's been called upon to shore up the back, the Austrian international has risen to the challenge every time.

Tottenham manager Thomas Frank is certainly taking notice of Danso's performances and importance to the team, and a press conference ahead of Wednesday's huge League Cup clash against fellow Champions League side Newcastle, the Danish manager offered high praise for the third choice center back for Spurs.

A huge key to victory for Tottenham vs. Everton

Frank said, via The Spurs Web, "He deserves praise. Every coach will love him, great character and personality. He was good and calm on the ball. Some strong battles with Beto, from crosses and set pieces he had a magnet head. He did well."

Danso absolutely did well. He did more than well against Everton, completely neutralizing Beto from the game and taking the entire Everton attack out of the equation. The 27-year-old center half was totally no nonsense in his approach, shutting down passing lanes and scarcely needing to put a tackle in, such was the efficacy of his marking.

With Romero still returning from injury and unlikely to play against Newcastle while being questionable for the weekend clash against rivals Chelsea near the top of the Premier League table, Danso will remain crucial for Spurs and an expected starter.

Frank seems to trust Danso fully when needed in the starting lineup, and there's only been a drop off from an attacking perspective without Romero's progression. But even that gap was bridged a bit against Everton via better play from the midfield. Plus, Danso is a nifty passer in his own right and has the added weapon of Rory Delap-esque long throws.

Tottenham Hotspur finally had a great showing again, thoroughly dismantling an otherwise decent opponent Everton by a score of 3-0 to rectify two putrid performances after the October international break against Aston Villa and Monaco.

It was a defensive monsterclass by Tottenham, even without superstar center back Cristian Romero, and the midfield played much better than they did in previous games. While there are still attacking question marks to be answered by Thomas Frank, it was a decidedly better performance all around by Spurs on Sunday.

That said, one player in both the midfield and attack struggled a bit to make his imprint on the game, and it's now been a concerning run of games in which new star signing Xavi Simons has failed to make an impact on the team.

Even though manager Thomas Frank admitted that he continues to be a fan of Simons and backed the young Dutchman to find his best form in a Spurs shirt relatively soon, he was not shy to be a bit constructively critical of the former RB Leipzig standout.

Thomas Frank offers words of guidance

Frank said at the press conference prior to Wednesday's big fourth round League Cup battle against Newcastle United, via the official website, "I like Xavi. I think he found some good positions. Maybe the final top actions are still missing, but I think still there was good actions. He just needs to keep going, keep building and keep working on it."

Just 22 years old, Simons is expected to be one of the future building blocks of Tottenham Hotspur, who spent a record fee to bring him in over rivals Chelsea. Simons was one of the best players in the Bundesliga as a creator, scorer, progressive threat, and even winning ball winner for Leipzig.

But we've yet to see any of that for Spurs. Frank's comment about missing "final top actions" is honestly a very nice, diplomatic way - per Frank's usual - of admitted that Simons has been a bit of a ghost since joining Tottenham.

It's now been six starts and nearly ten total appearances between the Champions League and Premier League for Simons, who has mostly been able to start as a No. 10. But regardless of where he plays, Simons hasn't scored a goal or contributed to more than one assist.

The creative is there in glimpses, and the ball progression is absolutely there from a work rate perspective. But the quality of the final ball, the dribble, and the overall goal threat are still well below where Simons and Tottenham would like him to be at.

As per usual, Tottenham Hotspur have been ravaged by injuries to start the 2025/26 Premier League and Champions League seasons, and they actually came into the campaign with a trio of significant long-term absences in striker Dominic Solanke, winger Dejan Kulusevski, and attacking midfielder James Maddison.

Along the way, new signing Randal Kolo Muani was slow to get started with a dead leg, Cristian Romero recently picked up an injury, and star left back Destiny Udogie has been in and out with issues of his own, too.

Tottenham are still waiting for Solanke to round into form, while Romero missed both of the last two games against Monaco and Everton with a knock after pulling up with an injury in the pregame warmups last weekend before a horrid loss to Aston Villa.

According to Thomas Frank, via Spurs Global, all is improving on the injury front. Solanke and Romero are taking steps towards their returns, while Udogie is also making progress from his own recent injury woes that have forced Djes Spence back into the lineup.

Frank said, “Dom stepped forward, step by step. Cuti on the pitch today, not a timeframe. Destiny on the pitch as well today. Three steps forward.”

Tottenham need Destiny Udogie back

Tottenham will face Newcastle on Wednesday in the League Cup before a massive battle with Chelsea at the weekend in another fiery London derby between two teams that are darkhorse Premier League title contenders behind the likes of Arsenal and a suddenly struggling Liverpool.

It's entirely unclear if these three players will be back in time for the Chelsea game, but Spurs fans will cross their fingers that captain Romero and Udogie can both be out there. Funnily enough, with how well Micky van de Ven and Kevin Danso played last weekend in the 3-0 drubbing of Everton, Udogie may be the most important start of the three against the Blues and their electrifying right side of Reece James and Estevao Willian.

As for Solanke, we've yet to see him this season, and the all-around No. 9 figures to be an easy upgrade over Richarlison. But if Randal Kolo Muani balls out and draws the start in either the Newcastle or Chelsea game this week, then perhaps Solanke may not even get his job back as he works his way back from this injury.

Overall, these are three mildly encouraging updates on the injury front from Frank, who is getting more and more tight-lipped about returns. Which is, technically speaking, a good thing for Tottenham fans. You don't want to give it all away to Chelsea early.

Cristian Romero's absence at the Hill Dickinson Stadium didn't hurt Tottenham on Sunday afternoon thanks to the stellar performance of Kevin Danso alongside Micky van de Ven.

While the Dutchman garnered plenty of plaudits for his first-half brace, which put Thomas Frank's set-piece deviants into a commanding position, Danso's display shouldn't go under the radar.

Frank was once again without his captain due to a minor issue that the Dane believes will only sideline Romero for a brief period. Spurs suffered in his absence during the defeat to Aston Villa and the goalless draw with Monaco, but the difference in game state meant the drop-off in quality in possession wasn't so distinct on Merseyside.

Van de Ven nodded Spurs into a 19th-minute lead, which placed less onus on the visitors to take the game to an Everton team that were yet to be beaten at their impressive new stadium. The doubling of our advantage on the stroke of half-time thrust Frank's side into contain mode, and that's when Big Kev came to the fore for the Lilywhites.

Kevin Danso set a 2025/26 Premier League record in Everton win

While he's only played a sporadic role since joining the club earlier this year, Danso has emerged as a fan favourite in N17. A tremendous character with a smile capable of lighting up the London Borough of Enfield, the Austrian international is an excellent option to have when Romero is sidelined, even if no one can replace the Argentine's outstanding passing ability.

Danso, though, is an excellent recovery defender who excels when tasked with defending his box. Everton asked many questions of Spurs' defence on Sunday, forcing Guglielmo Vicario into two remarkable saves in the second half.

The full-backs had a few issues against the Toffees' dynamic operators out wide, but the centre-backs were brilliant. By the end of the game, Danso, according to Squawka, recorded a Premier League season-high 18 clearances in Sunday's win—the most in a single game by a Spurs defender since Jan Vertonghen's 21 against Burnley in 2016.

The former Lens defender also won all six of his duels and failed to commit a foul on Merseyside. It was an exemplary performance, and one that should reassert some faith within the fanbase that we won't collapse in Romero's absence.

Third centre-backs don't come much better than Danso, who's understanding of his role within the squad means he can function as the heart and soul of Frank's dressing room.

Sunday's 3-0 victory over Everton was one Thomas Frank desperately needed after a deflating week, although Spurs were once again reliant on set-pieces to get the job done.

The dead ball has seemingly never been so important in the Premier League. Arsenal's brilliance from such situations and their rise to the top of the division this season has seemingly placed a newfound emphasis and reliance on set plays. It's the new meta.

Frank has long been an set-piece advocate, unlike predecessor Ange Postecoglou, with his Brentford teams bridging the gap between themselves and the resource havens that surrounded them in the top flight by maximising every opportunity they got to wreak havoc in the opposition's box.

This was no spectacular Spurs performance, but there were positive changes from the Aston Villa defeat and Monaco draw. Randal Kolo Muani's first start was encouraging, and we saw Mohammed Kudus perform a slightly different role in tandem with Brennan Johnson.

Still, Spurs sought a unique route to victory at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Tottenham's unique route to comprehensive Everton victory

For the first time since March 2008, Spurs scored three headed goals in a Premier League match. Juande Ramos was in charge when we thumped West Ham 4-0 in our previous header-fest, with Dimitar Berbatov scoring twice against the ten-man Hammers.

Alan Hutton, Pascal Chimbonda and Didier Zokora were in Ramos’ starting XI that day, while club legend Gilberto scored his only goal in Lilywhite off the bench. We were a month removed from our Carling Cup final triumph over Chelsea at Wembley.

Spurs' production on Merseyside didn't exclusively arrive from set-pieces, but Micky van de Ven's first-half brace came courtesy of two wicked dead-ball routines and deliveries. The Dutchman first headed home from Rodrigo Bentancur's back post win before outmuscling Jordan Pickford to finish a pinpoint Pedro Porro inswinger on the stroke of half-time.

After Guglielmo Vicario resisted Everton's second-half advances, Pape Matar Sarr completed Spurs' Sunday of headers (this time from open play) after some good work from Richarlison.

The poets and romantacists are currently weeping at the state of the English top-flight, but its one that Frank's Spurs are seemingly built to thrive in. Inflicting the first defeat upon Everton at their impressive new home means the Lilywhites are up to third with the joint-best scoring record in the division. Who'd have thunk it?!

Complaining over the nature of such victories feels somewhat entitled, especially when we were without our captain, most dynamic left-back and multiple creative bodies at the weekend. Let Frank's set-piece army roll on!

Thomas Frank is still figuring things out as Tottenham Hotspur manager, but even his detractors, who shouldn't really even exist in the first place, have to admit that this team is in a significantly better place than it was last season under Ange Postecoglou.

There have been predictable bumps in the road, but Spurs recent 3-0 win over Everton to bounce back from lousy performances against Aston Villa and Monaco is a reminder of how far this team has come from the plodding 17th placed outfit that couldn't win against any semi-competent Premier League opponent.

Even so, Frank still has some work to do when it comes to selecting his best XI, and Everton didn't exactly test Spurs much on Sunday afternoon. One of those players the Tottenham manager needs to stop snubbing is Pape Matar Sarr, who, again, spent the last game on the bench.

Now, Tottenham won handily this time, but that statement-making third goal scored by Spurs on the Toffees was registered by none other than Sarr himself. The Senegalese midfielder came onto the pitch at around the 78th minute, and not more than 10 minutes later, he finished like a striker by depositing a header from now backup striker Richarlison into the back of the net with the clinical touch and presence of mind that even Richy himself has been missing this season.

Tottenham are better with this midfielder

It was another lively cameo from Sarr, who continues to have the full support of Tottenham fans. These Spurs supporters are simply surprised that the club and its manager are not backing Sarr to start every game when he comes up in the big moments like he did with this goal and has been impressive in nearly all of his appearances.

Tottenham have been a better team with Sarr on the pitch and were at their best at the beginning of the 2025/26 season when Sarr was starting regularly. Whenever he is getting meaningful minutes - or simply making meaningful actions, like this goal vs. Everton - Tottenham are better off and more likely to score a blowout.

Sarr's goal off the bench to make it a real party against Everton was a shot across the bow of Frank's desk that he deserves to play more often and is a difference-maker for Spurs, even more than he is just a player who works very hard for the team and can do a bit of everything from the middle of the park.

Tottenham Hotspur got back to winning ways on Sunday afternoon in the Premier League, ripping a previously impressive Everton to shreds in 3-0 fashion, making it Thomas Frank's third 3-0 win of the season.

It couldn't have come at a better time, too, as Frank and Spurs were having some serious questions to answer after putrid attacking performances against both Aston Villa and Monaco up on their return from the October international break.

But while much of the conversation centered around Spurs themselves, Tottenham fans couldn't help but take notice of an Everton star who was likely already on their radar earlier this season as a possible transfer target.

No, that player isn't Jack Grealish, who was linked to Spurs for years but ended up joining Everton as a free agent this summer with little interest from Tottenham. Grealish has been a transformative signing for Everton, but, over the long term, he isn't even the most desirable winger on his own team.

Everton star on the Tottenham radar?

That distinction would belong to right winger Iliman Ndiaye, who would be shining on the left, which is Spurs area of need after signing Mohammed Kudus to man the right flank, if it weren't for the emerging presence of Grealish.

Ndiaye has been just as impressive, in many ways, to start the 2025/26 season with his dynamism and ball progression. He showed that quality as an out-and-out winger with his take-ons against a strong Tottenham defense, shining as one of the few real attacking threats for Everton in their shutout loss with four dribbles completed.

The 25-year-old Senegalese international has been tough to beat all season long with 1.4 key passes, 1.3 fouls drawn, and 2.7 dribbles completed per game for the Toffees. A rate of three goals in nine starts as a traditional right-footed right winger is also quite impressive.

Tottenham are going to need to sign a new winger in 2026, whether in the winter or summer transfer window. And while Antoine Semenyo will be the pipe dream, everyone will be after the Bournemouth superstar amidst a Premier League Player of the Season level start to the 2025/26 campaign.

Ndiaye is better than a mere consolation prize, though, and Tottenham would do well to sign him in his prime on the cheap. By shining in head-to-head competition with Tottenham even as the team around him completely flopped in a 3-0 loss, Ndiaye has placed himself squarely on Spurs transfer wishlist.

Tottenham Hotspur Guglielmo Vicario has been the man of the moment this week. Despite being one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League statistically, the acrobatic shot-stopper came under immense fire again from a bloodthirsty fanbase after a couple of soft goals conceded in a horrid loss to Aston Villa last weekend.

Well, Vicario went out and delivered one of the biggest goalkeeping masterclasses of the year 2025 in a 0-0 draw in Monaco, almost inexplicably delivering a Champions League point to Thomas Frank in a game that Spurs had no business getting a result better than a 3-0 blowout loss.

Vicario showed that was no fluke with another strong performance and a clean sheet over Everton at the weekend, making a statement to all those Tottenham fans who doubted him that they simply haven't got a clue what they are talking about.

Now, Vicario wasn't the only high-profile Tottenham player to make a statement to the fans on Sunday. Fellow Serie A recruit Rodrigo Bentancur, however, has been on the receiving end of some more deserved criticism, struggling mightily after receiving an arguably premature contract extension, drawing continued starts over better and younger midfielders.

But on Sunday against Everton, the good version of Bentancur popped up again, as the Uruguayan international was in full control of the pitch in the stellar 3-0 win for Tottenham, even directly involving himself in a goal with an assist to the good.

Bentancur finished the match with a key pass, dribble completed, blocked shot, and about 85 percent of his passes completed. He was a real rock in the deep midfield role alongside Joao Palhinha, as the duo looked a lot better than they did in recent weeks, hearkening back to the start of the 2025/26 season when they looked like the solution for Thomas Frank in the middle of the park during the Danish manager's earliest days at the helm of Spurs.

Of course, Bentancur is going to have to do more than just produce one good bounce-back game for Tottenham in order to convince fans that he's the man to start on this team every week. It takes consistency against all opponents to do that, especially when players like Lucas Bergvall and Pape Matar Sarr have shown more short and long-term ability to Tottenham.

But Bentancur can still be a useful rotational player and a quality starter in the right circumstances, and maybe Frank is getting closer to finding out when those circumstances are right or wrong. They were very right for Bentancur on Sunday, given Tottenham were the dominant side.

After two horrid performances against Aston Villa and Monaco following the October international break, Tottenham Hotspur were in need of a serious statement game on Sunday afternoon in the Premier League against Everton.

Well, Spurs did exactly that, blowing out one of the surprise teams of the 2025/26 season so far, cutting down the Toffees to size with a 3-0 win, reminiscent of 3-0 wins over Burnley and West Ham earlier this season.

But this 3-0 win was far more impressive, as it came without the services of captain and superstar center back Cristian Romero, who has been out injured. Plus, Everton are a much better team than either Burnley or West Ham.

Key to winning so big in the absence of Romero were the performances of the other starting center backs, Micky van de Ven and Kevin Danso. While VVD was the main hero of the afternoon with two goals from the center back position, Danso deserves just as much praise for his standout performance.

A majestic performance in defense

The Austrian international was quietly one of Europe's best overall center backs during his time with Lens, and the January 2025 transfer signing has been just as much of a stalwart at Tottenham - and with just as little fanfare.

An important player for Spurs en route to their Europa League title win, Danso has been exemplary with his no-fuss defending this season whenever called upon, including games like the one against Monaco in which the rest of his teammates do not show up.

Danso was majestic vs. Everton, shutting down a previously exciting attack while scarcely having to make an intervention. His marking is insanely good, and Danso finished the matchup with a jaw-dropping 18 clearances to go with a pair of blocked shots while completing around 90 percent of his passes.

The signings of Joao Palhinha and Mohammed Kudus have been more impactful this season, and Xavi Simons figiures to be a bigger superstar. But when you look at the fact that Danso cost just 25 million euros and is almost never spoken of, you have to say that the signing of the 27-year-old center back in his prime for such a reasonable fee was the shrewdest move of them all.

When he's on the pitch, Danso looks world-class in his own right. He's only overshadowed by Romero and Van de Ven, but that doesn't mean he isn't an excellent player in his own right. He'd be starting for most teams in the Premier League, and rivals like Chelsea would kill to have him as one of their own.