Inside Futbol

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Fixture: Newcastle United vs Tottenham Hotspur

Competition: EFL Cup

Kick-off: 20:00 UK time

Eddie Howe has picked his Newcastle United side and substitutes to welcome Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur to St James’ Park this evening.

The Magpies won the EFL Cup last season in what was a famous achievement that delighted the faithful and Howe will be determined to progress under the lights tonight.

Newcastle grabbed a much needed 2-1 win over Fulham in the Premier League at the weekend and victory this evening would mean three wins on the bounce across all competitions.

During the win over Fulham, defender Sven Botman was forced off with a head injury, but it was later confirmed it was not a concussion. – he is on the bench tonight.

Howe has admitted the competition means a lot to Newcastle, but in Tottenham, they have a hugely tough test to overcome.

Newcastle did beat Tottenham both home and away in the Premier League last term however, which will give them further encouragement.

In goal for Newcastle tonight is summer signing Aaron Ramsdale, while at the back, Emil Kraft, Fabian Schar, Malick Thiaw and Dan Burn line up and will look to keep things tight.

In the engine room, Howe looks towards Joe Willock, Sandro Tonali and Jacob Ramsey to dominate the ball, while Anthony Elanga and Harvey Barnes support Nick Woltemade in the final third.

If changes are needed to try to shake things up against Spurs tonight then the Newcastle boss has a host of options on the bench to call for and they include Lewis Miley and Joelinton.

Newcastle UnitedLineup vs Tottenham Hotspur

Ramsdale; Krafth, Schar, Thiaw, Burn; Willock, Tonali, Ramsey; Elanga, Barnes; Woltemade

Substitutes: Pope, Trippier, Botman, Joelinton, Gordon, Osula, Murphy, Guimaraes, Miley

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Rangers legend Barry Ferguson has defended Tottenham Hotspur loan star Mikey Moore amidst criticism and has insisted that the forward has looked brighter in the last couple of games.

The 18-year-old has continued to get game time at Ibrox, even if off the bench, irrespective of the managerial merry-go-round they have been going through.

Moore though has not lived up to his billing and there have been questions over why he is getting selected over one of the club’s own in Findlay Curtis.

Ross McCormack recently suggested that Moore has shown nothing to be picked ahead of Curtis and he would trust the Rangers talent.

Now it is for Danny Rohl to decide how much game time the Tottenham talent gets over the coming months.

For Ferguson, Moore needs to be cut some slack due to the fact he is just 18 years old.

The Rangers legend also thinks in Rohl’s two games so far, against Brann and Kilmarnock, Moore has looked brighter, which is an encouraging sign.

Loanee Max Aarons Nasser Djiga Derek Cornelius Jayden Meghoma Mikey Moore Players on loan at Rangers

“In the last couple of games he has come on, he has looked brighter”, Ferguson said on the Go Radio football show (1.32.40).

“There has been a lot made of him, you have to remember he is still only 18 as well.

“I would like to see our own homegrown players get the opportunity.

“But he definitely showed signs where he was desperate to make an impact.

“And he certainly made an impact when he came on, the young man.”

With Rangers going through a difficult moment and having huge matches ahead, all eyes will be on how much Rohl trusts Moore to deliver.

In 13 matches he has played for Rangers, the Tottenham loanee has helped set up two goals, but is yet to open his goalscoring account for the Gers.

Tottenham will be keeping a close eye on what happens with Moore and could potentially look to bring him back in January if they are unhappy with his situation north of the border.

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Ross McCormack has not seen anything from Tottenham Hotspur‘s Mikey Moore to suggest Rangers should be giving him game time ahead of Findlay Curtis.

The Gers snapped up the Tottenham academy graduate on loan in the summer in what was considered to be a coup and have given him more than a few opportunities to make his presence felt.

Despite poor performances, Moore continued the get the nod under Russell Martin and former Ger Andy Halliday suggested the possibility of Rangers having to pay Tottenham more if they failed to play him in a certain number of games.

Now Danny Rohl is at the helm and the question is again raised about just how much game time Moore will get.

There have been calls for Rangers to play their own talent, Curtis, instead of Moore when the chance arises.

McCormack insists he could understand Moore getting picked if he was turning on the style for Rangers, but that is not the case and Curtis should play.

“I have been saying for a while that I would like to see him get some game time”, McCormack said about Curtis on Clyde 1’s Superscoreboard (2.18.41).

Loanee Max Aarons Nasser Djiga Derek Cornelius Jayden Meghoma Mikey Moore Players on loan at Rangers

“Because I can understand if he is not getting game time because someone like Mikey Moore has come up and he is ripping the place up, he is looking unbelievable.

“But for me, Mikey Moore hasn’t shown me anything that tells me that Rangers should be developing a young Spurs player rather than developing their own in the shape of Findlay Curtis.

“So, I would love to see Findlay Curtis get some minutes.”

Curtis has so far played only 42 Scottish Premiership minutes, while Moore has enjoyed 283 minutes in the Scottish top flight.

The Rangers talent has also got a goal to his name for his exploits on the pitch, while Moore is yet to open his account.

Rohl played Moore for the second 45 minutes in the 3-1 win over Kilmarnock at Ibrox on Sunday, though Curtis remained an unused substitute.

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Everton loan star Harrison Armstrong has admitted that he is enjoying his loan spell at Preston North End, namechecking Tottenham Hotspur loanee Alfie Devine.

Liverpool-born central midfielder Harrison is seen as a top talent at the Toffees and he was in the conversation to be part of David Moyes’ first team squad this season.

However, in the summer transfer window, the teenage talent was loaned out to Preston North End, following his impressive loan spell at Derby County last season.

Armstrong took some time to bed in at Preston as he joined them in September, but he has started all of the last five Championship games for the Lilywhites.

Paul Heckingbottom’s side find themselves seventh in the league table and the Everton midfielder competes with the likes of Devine, Ben Whiteman and Stefan Thoradarson.

The 18-year-old stressed that he is enjoying competing with other players at the club to secure a starting spot for himself, namechecking Devine.

Armstrong also lauded Spurs loan star Devine for his performance against Sheffield United, a game which Preston won 3-2 at Deepdale.

Player On loan at Harrison Armstrong Preston North End Fraser Barnsley Marine Isaac Heath Accrington Stanley Tyler Onyango Stockport County Martin Sherif Rotherham United Francis Okonronkwo Lincoln City Everton’s out on loan talents

“Yes, it is really good competition – obviously, Ali [McCann] has picked up an injury, which is unfortunate”, the Everton talent told Preston’s in-house media (2:17) when he was asked about his time at the club.

“I am really enjoying playing with any team-mates that come in there.

“Whitey [Ben Whiteman] was obviously brilliant tonight, and so was Alfie [Devine], and Stef [Stefan Thoradarson] did well when he came on; they make it really easy.

“Playing with them is enjoyable, and you want to be on that starting team sheet every week because it’s moments like this that you live for.”

Armstrong’s ‘brilliant’ performance was hailed by the Spurs loanee when the Lilywhites beat Derby County last month.

It appears the respect is mutual and the pair will be hoping to come up against each other for their respective clubs in the Premier League at some point.

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Tottenham Hotspur talent Will Lankshear, who is on loan at Oxford United, has admitted that his scoring at the weekend was a ‘massive relief’ for him.

The Welwyn Garden City-born hitman began his youth career with Arsenal and then, after a year with Sheffield United’s academy, he moved to Spurs.

He kept impressing in Tottenham’s youth set-up, and last season, Lankshear clocked some game time for the north London club’s senior side.

Lankshear played in six senior games for Spurs, scoring a goal in the Europa League and in the second half of the campaign, he was loaned out to West Brom.

The teenage striker had a forgettable loan spell at the Baggies, and in the summer window, Championship side Oxford United loaned him in.

Lankshear scored three goals in his first five games, but until the weekend, he had not scored another goal in his loan spell for Gary Rowett’s side.

The U’s defeated Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday and Lankshear opened the scoring on the day, stressing that the goal meant a lot to him.

Club Years Tottenham Hotspur 2024- West Brom (loan) 2025 Oxford United (loan) 2025- Will Lankshear’s career history

He scored after almost one and a half months and the 20-year-old did not hide that he is hugely relieved to have scored the goal.

“Yes, it [the goal] did mean a lot to me”, the Spurs loan star told Oxford United’s media (4:54) when he was asked about the importance of scoring.

“As a striker, you go a few games without scoring and you think [gives the expression of getting worried].

“So, yes, now I’ve got that one, and it is a massive relief.

“It was a brilliant ball in [by Cameron Brannagan] and I have a few of them [chances], and I have missed or been offside.

“But today I put it in, so I am really happy with the finish.”

Ex-Championship hitman Sam Parkin recently praised the Spurs talent for being incredibly mature, even though he is only 20.

Now it remains to be seen if Lankshear will be able to follow up on his goal return when the U’s face Millwall on Saturday.

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Tottenham Hotspur boss Thomas Frank has given a quickfire blunt assessment of his side’s Premier League title chances after their 3-0 win at Everton.

Spurs have impressed at points this season under the former Brentford boss and with Manchester City and Liverpool struggling for consistency, eyes are being cast around for other possible challengers to Arsenal.

The comfortable victory at the Hill Dickinson Stadium pushed Tottenham up to third in the Premier League table, with nine games played.

Frank’s side are five points off league leaders Arsenal and have scored more goals than the Gunners, managing 17 to their rivals’ 16.

Despite that though, the Tottenham boss is not prepared to label his side title challengers.

Asked if Tottenham are title contenders, Frank needed no time to fire back at a press conference: “No.

“That I think is a big…I think there are probably a few teams ahead of us.

Game Competition Newcastle United (A) EFL Cup Chelsea (H) Premier League FC Copenhagen (H) Champions League Tottenham’s next three games

“I think it is fair to say I am only thinking of one game at a time and let’s see where we are in April.”

Tottenham managed to qualify for the Champions League last term by winning the Europa League, a route that is now closed to them this term.

As such, Frank will need to make sure his side finish in the top five this season to secure Champions League football for a second successive season.

Tottenham must now switch their focus towards facing Newcastle United in the EFL Cup in midweek, a game that Micky van de Ven has admitted he expects to be tough.

Van de Ven scored twice in Tottenham’s win over Everton on Sunday and Frank is increasingly making his side a threat from set pieces.

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Tottenham Hotspur defender Micky van de Ven is not getting carried away with his side’s 3-0 win at Everton and insists next opponents Newcastle United will be tough.

Thomas Frank’s men headed to the Hill Dickinson Stadium to lock horns with Everton on the back of a stalemate against Monaco in the Champions League.

Spurs had too much for the hosts, making full use of set pieces, a feature of their play under Frank, as Van de Ven scored two headers and Pape Matar Sarr grabbed a third just before the 90th minute.

The Dutchman admits scoring a brace is unbelievable, but the result of hard work at set pieces on the training ground.

“We work on set pieces every day, a little bit and to come away with two today is unbelievable”, he told the BBC’s Match of the Day.

Tottenham are up to third in the Premier League following the win, but switch gears next as they head to St James’ Park to face Newcastle in the EFL Cup.

And it is a game that Van de Ven is expecting to be a real test; it is followed by a meeting with Chelsea.

Result Competition Tottenham 1-1 Newcastle Friendly Tottenham 1-2 Newcastle Premier League Newcastle 2-1 Tottenham Premier League Last three Tottenham-Newcastle meetings

“Newcastle away is always difficult and Chelsea at home is always crazy in our stadium.”

Tottenham got a taste for silverware by winning the Europa League last season and a domestic cup may be their best hope of lifting another trophy this term.

Newcastle however won the EFL Cup last season and will want to make a strong defence of their trophy.

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Fixture: Everton vs Tottenham Hotspur

Competition: Premier League

Kick-off: 16:30 UK time

Thomas Frank has picked his Tottenham Hotspur lineup to take on Everton in the Premier League at the Hill Dickinson Stadium this afternoon.

Spurs played out a 0-0 draw away at Monaco in the Champions League in midweek, while they lost their last league outing, against Aston Villa.

There are growing expectations of Tottenham’s big money summer signings, a group which includes Xavi Simons.

Frank has insisted that Simons is developing and adapting every day, but made clear that he is looking to see more intensity from him.

The game will represent Tottenham’s first taste of Everton’s new home, the Hill Dickinson Stadium, and that could well be welcome.

Spurs lost at Goodison Park last season and their last win at the ground game in 2018.

Guglielmo Vicario is in goal for Tottenham this afternoon, while in defence, Frank goes with Pedro Porro, Kevin Danso, Micky van de Ven and Djed Spence.

In the engine room, Tottenham have Joao Palhinha, Rodrigo Bentancur and Xavi Simons, while Mohammed Kudus, Brennan Johnson and Randal Kolo Muani lead the attacking threat.

If Frank needs to shuffle his pack by bringing on his substitutes then he has a host of options and they include Mathys Tel and Archie Gray.

Tottenham Hotspur Lineup vs Everton

Vicario, Porro, Danso, Van de Ven, Spence, Palhinha, Bentancur, Simons, Kudus, Kolo Muani, Johnson

Substitutes: Kinsky, Richarlison, Tel, Gray, Bergvall, Odobert, Sarr, Scarlett, Byfield

Chris Ricco/Getty Images

Fixture: Monaco vs Tottenham Hotspur

Competition: Champions League

Kick-off: 20:00 UK time

Tottenham Hotspur boss Thomas Frank has picked his starting lineup and substitutes to lock horns with Monaco at the Stade Louis II in the Champions League this evening.

Spurs were turned over 2-1 by Aston Villa in the Premier League last weekend, something which set alarm bells ringing for one former Tottenham player.

Now Frank, whose side were held to a 2-2 draw by Bodo/Glimt on their last Champions League outing, will want to see a return to winning ways tonight.

Monaco were thrashed 4-1 by Club Brugge in their Champions League opener, but held Manchester City to a 2-2 draw at home last time out.

That result marked a run of three consecutive draws heading into tonight’s match and the Ligue 1 outfit may well be prepared to take the same outcome again against Premier League opposition.

The two clubs last met in the Champions League in 2016, with Monaco beating Spurs 2-1 both home and away.

Guglielmo Vicario is in goal for Tottenham tonight, while in defence Frank picks Pedro Porro, Kevin Danso, Micky van de Ven and Archie Gray.

Midfield could be a key battleground this evening and Spurs look towards Joao Palhinha, Rodrigo Bentancur and Lucas Bergvall, while Mohammed Kudus and Wilson Odobert support Richarlison.

There are options on the bench for Frank if he needs to shake things up and they include Randal Kolo Muani and Brennan Johnson.

Tottenham Hotspur Lineup vs Monaco

Vicario, Porro, Danso, Van de Ven, Gray, Palhinha, Bentancur, Bergvall, Kudus, Odobert, Richarlison

Substitutes: Kinsky, Austin, Simons, Johnson, Spence, Sarr, Kolo Muani, Scarlett, Olusesi, Byfield, Williams-Barnett

Richard Pelham/Getty Images

Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank has claimed that summer signing Xavi Simons is constantly going in the right direction, giving no cause for worry.

Spurs, after losing out on Eberechi Eze to Arsenal, hijacked Chelsea’s swoop for Simons to make him their headline signing for the summer.

Simons, though, has struggled at Tottenham after his move, with the Dutchman often drifting out of games or electing to play safe passes and has a solitary assist to show for his efforts this season.

Frank asked for patience with Simons, reiterating that despite his quality, the human angle of relocating to a new country will be a factor in settling down.

The Danish manager insisted that Simons is moving in the right direction and cited some examples from his game as promising offshoots.

Frank told a press conference (5:55): “He’s a very good player coming into a new country, new club, new city.

“We’re all getting judged every game but we need to see the bigger perspective.

“There were some good bits – asking him to arrive in the box, and he did. It’s constantly going in the right direction.”

Simons’ assist came more than a month ago against West Ham United in September for Pape Matar Sarr’s opener.

One reason for Simons’ ineffectiveness could be Frank’s propensity to set up his team to attack through the wings rather than centrally.

Mohammed Kudus, another summer signing for £55m, has been instrumental in a lot of attacking moves for Tottenham from the wings in the absence of Dejan Kulusevski.

A former Tottenham star recently warned that Spurs will finish mid-table if they continue performing the same way as they did in the loss to Aston Villa.

Frank will want to quickly the get the balance of his side right and make them an effective threat through the centre as well as the wings to not only bring out the best from Simons but to also make Spurs a harder side to defend against.