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Tottenham Hotspur have several fitness concerns heading into Saturday’s Premier League match against Newcastle United (12:30pm kick-off).

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Eight senior players have already been ruled out due to injury and suspension while Spurs head coach Ange Postecoglou revealed that several members of his squad had been suffering with illness in the build-up to the match. One player suffering with illness is thought to be former Newcastle goalkeeper Fraser Forster.

With first-choice goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario already ruled out due to injury, Spurs could have to turn to third-choice goalkeeper Brandon Austin at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Austin has been at Tottenham since his youth but is still yet to make his competitive debut for the club.

The 25-year-old is set to start in goal for Spurs, according to talkSPORT reports. Other unnamed players are also thought to be suffering with illness.

The home side will also be without full-back Destiny Udogie, who has been ruled out for ‘around six weeks’ with a hamstring problem following the 2-2 draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers. Rodrigo Bentancur is also suspended for the match following a yellow card against Wolves.

Guglielmo Vicario, Richarlison, Ben Davies, Cristian Romero, Mikey Moore and Micky van de Ven remain sidelined for Saturday’s match at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

“Destiny his hamstring, looks around six weeks for him,” Postecoglou said. “We lose Bentancur suspended. None of the injured ones are back yet. We've had a bit of an illness bug with a few not training.

“At this stage Richy and Mikey Moore are the next cabs off the rank, we're hoping next week. Ben, Micky and Romero all kind of around the same time, back end of January.”

Newcastle will be without Fabian Schar due to suspension while Emil Krafth, Jamaal Lascelles, Nick Pope and Callum Wilson remain sidelined due to injury. Eddie Howe has declared Sven Botman ‘available’ for the trip this weekend after almost 10 months out with an ACL injury.

Botman is in Howe’s thoughts for a return to first-team action but a recall for summer signing Lloyd Kelly at centre-back is looking likely.

Newcastle will be looking for a sixth successive win in all competitions after a 2-0 win at Manchester United on Monday.

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Newcastle United face a trip to north London this afternoon to face Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham Hotspur.

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Eddie Howe’s side come into the game in great form having won five in a row in all competitions and ended a decade-long wait for a Premier League win at Old Trafford on Monday night. Spurs, meanwhile, have not been in good form of late, have won just one of their last seven league matches and were held 2-2 by Wolves on their last outing.

A win for Newcastle would temporarily move them level on points with Chelsea ahead of the other nine league games to be played this weekend, however, a defeat would see Spurs, currently sat in 11th, close the gap on them to five points. Here, we take a look at what supporters need to know ahead of today's match.

When is Tottenham Hotspur v Newcastle United?

The Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United kicks-off at 12:30pm at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Andy Madley will referee the match with Chris Kavanagh on VAR duty.

Is Tottenham Hotspur v Newcastle United on TV?

Yes, the match will be broadcast on TV in the United Kingdom. Coverage on TNT Sports 1 will begin at 11am.

Can Tottenham Hotspur v Newcastle United be streamed online?

Newcastle United’s trip to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium can also be streamed on Discovery+.

How else can the game be followed?

BBC Radio Newcastle and TalkSport will have full radio commentary of the match. Alternatively, the Shields Gazette will also bring you updates, news and reaction from events that unfold in the capital online and on our social media channels.

What is the latest injury news?

Newcastle United could welcome back Sven Botman to a matchday squad for the first time since March. The Dutchman has been out with an ACL injury but may be named by Howe this afternoon.

Fabian Schar will miss the match through suspension, however, with Nick Pope, Callum Wilson, Emil Krafth, Jamaal Lascelles all missing through injury. Spurs, meanwhile, have an injury crisis to deal with as well as a sickness bug that has infected their squad.

Rodrigo Bentancur will miss out through suspension whilst there are major doubts over a number of other players, including stand-in keeper Fraser Forster.

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New England manager Thomas Tuchel will be in attendance as Tottenham Hotspur host Newcastle United on Saturday (12:30pm kick-off).

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No club had more representatives than Newcastle in the last England squad with Anthony Gordon, Tino Livramento and Lewis Hall all called up for the Nations League matches against Greece and the Republic of Ireland. And Tuchel will be assessing various England prospects ahead of the upcoming World Cup qualifying campaign that gets underway in March.

Tuchel will be eyeing the Newcastle trio as well as other English prospects involved in the match. Spurs’ Dominic Solanke and James Maddison have also been involved in recent England set-ups.

Gordon scored his first England goal against the Republic of Ireland with Livramento grabbing an assist on his international debut. Lewis Hall was handed his professional debut by Tuchel for Chelsea in January 2022.

Since making his loan move to Newcastle permanent for £28million in the summer, Hall has been one of the standout players in Eddie Howe’s squad. His form resulted in his first England senior call-up back in November.

Livramento has been involved in the last three England squads but was an unused substitute in five matches before making his debut in November. Gordon is now a regular part of the England squad after a frustrating Euro 2024 tournament under Gareth Southgate in which he was limited to just one brief substitute appearance.

Elsewhere in the Newcastle squad, Dan Burn’s form at centre-back and Jacob Murphy’s recent run of goals and assists could put them in with an outside chance of a surprise call-up should they continue their form in front of Tuchel at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this weekend.

When asked about Tuchel’s presence at the match, Newcastle head coach Howe admitted it was ‘irrelevant’ to him as his focus is on picking up a sixth successive win.

“I'm sure the players will be aware of [Tuchel] but for me it's irrelevant,” Howe said. “It's us against Tottenham and we've got to make sure we're in the same place as we were against Manchester United and deliver a good performance.”

On Tuchel’s appointment as England manager, Howe said: “I’ve got a relationship with Thomas, I was lucky enough to go and see him work at Chelsea.

“What a great person, what a great coach, I thought he was fascinating and really enjoyed his company so I really wish him well, it’s a great appointment.

“I’ve always said my preference would be for England to have an English coach but if you’re to go for foreign, go for one of the best and I certainly think Thomas is that.”

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Former Newcastle United co-owner Amanda Staveley has been offered a new role.

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Staveley was instrumental in brokering the 2021 takeover of Newcastle United led by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund. she left Newcastle alongside her husband Mehrdad Ghodoussi in the summer of 2024.

Their departure resulted in the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund’s stake increasing to 85% and RB Sports & Media’s increasing to 15%. Staveley has since been linked with a return to football with Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur having held talks to purchase a minority stake and attended matches at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

It has been reported Staveley has been speaking to Qatari investors to make a £500million investment in the Premier League club.

Now Staveley has been offered another route back into football through her links with PIF and Saudi Arabia.

Amanda Staveley offered new PIF-linked role in Saudi Arabia

Following the announcement of the 2034 World Cup in Saudi Arabia, Staveley has been offered an ‘advisory role’ by the Saudi Arabian Football Federation. Saudi Arabia’s unopposed World Cup bid was approved by FIFA last month.

As per a report for City AM, Staveley’s close relationship with PIF despite her summer departure from Newcastle has resulted in her being consulted over the new role. While Staveley would not take up a formal position in the Saudi Arabian Football Federation, her experience and contacts at clubs across Europe will likely see her used as a ‘sounding board’ as world football prepares for a second Winter World Cup in the Middle East.

The 2022 World Cup in Qatar took place in November and December and resulted in the club football calendar being significantly altered. The change arguably worked in Newcastle’s favour at the time as the club ended up finishing fourth and qualifying for the Champions League in their first full season under PIF ownership.

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Eddie Howe believes Sven Botman can be like ‘a new signing’ for Newcastle United in 2025.

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Botman hasn’t featured for Newcastle since picking up a serious ACL injury in March 2024 that required surgery. The Dutch defender has been back in full training for over a month with only a recent illness hampering his return to action.

Botman played 60 minutes for Newcastle Under-21s last month as well as a further two training ground practice matches. The 24-year-old has been declared ‘available’ by Newcastle head coach Howe ahead of the trip to Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday (12:30pm kick-off).

And with Newcastle set to be quiet in the transfer market Howe went on to admit the return of Botman would feel like a ‘new signing’ this month.

“It is a cliche but it's a good one,” Howe said. “It was the same with Sandro [Tonali] when he came back from his ban, although he'd been training with us and had been with us for a season, he was like a new signing.

“It gave the lads a big lift to have Sandy back available for selection and Sven will be exactly the same. He's been a massive player for us and a player the lads all like and like to play with, they have got total trust in him.

“So when he comes back into the group, it gives everyone a great feeling so [a new signing] is a good way of looking at it.”

Botman suffered an ACL injury early in the 2023-24 season but opted against surgery in an attempt to make a swift return to playing. He returned to playing after a few months but later suffered a second ACL injury that did require surgery.

“There was a period where of course he was disappointed because he was desperate to stay fit,” Howe added. “He had a lot to be fit for.

“He had the Euros coming up, it was a massive part of our season, so he was making every effort he could to stay fit and available for us in our pursuit of what we wanted to achieve that season, so it was a massive blow to lose him and I know how disappointed he was.

“But once the operation was agreed by all parties, I think he then quickly got his head around that. A long period of work - Sven is a very dedicated professional, he is very focused on his career.

“He wants to do well, so he's gone through a huge amount of work to get himself in the position that he is now and he looks good.

“He's been training for a period of time. Yes, he hasn't had the matchday experience with the team yet, but he's done everything else but that and I think he's physically in a very good place.”

Fabian Schar’s suspension and injuries to Jamaal Lascelles and Emil Krafth will see Botman compete with Lloyd Kelly for the centre-back position alongside Dan Burn in the upcoming matches. Botman, Kelly and Burn are all left-footed and prefer playing in the same left centre-back position - leaving Howe with a selection dilemma.

The Newcastle head coach admitted: "With our two right-sided centre-halfs being out, Fabian's suspension and Emil injured, it's going to be difficult to find a right-sided solution."

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The Premier League have confirmed the match officials for Saturday’s match between Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United.

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Andy Madley will be the referee for the match as Newcastle eye a sixth straight win in all competitions when they visit Spurs in the early kick-off in North London. Madley last officiated a Newcastle match just a month ago as Eddie Howe’s side drew 3-3 with Liverpool at St James’ Park.

The match saw fans of both sides aggrieved by the officiating for being denied potential penalties in the match. Virgil van Dijk clattered into Anthony Gordon with his shoulder in an off-the-ball incident inside the penalty area that resulted in the Newcastle winger going down. Liverpool felt they should have had a penalty for a challenge from Sean Longstaff on Luis Diaz but Madley ultimately waved away the appeals.

Liverpool also had a penalty shout for Alexis Mac Allister’s strike hitting off the elbow of Dan Burn but the Newcastle defender’s arm was deemed to be in a natural position close to his body.

But Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe felt his side should have had a penalty after Alexander Isak went down under Jarrell Quansah’s challenge.

“I thought it was a penalty on Alex,” Howe said. “I haven’t seen the replay that was just my initial thought.”

But perhaps the most controversial moment at St James’ Park was Madley’s decision to blow the full-time whistle just as Newcastle were attacking in an attempt to win the game. Madley blew the full-time whistle just seconds after the minimum stoppage-time of five minutes had been played despite Newcastle scoring a 90th-minute equaliser and also having an extended stoppage to take a free-kick.

“I was surprised by the final whistle because we spent around two minutes on a free-kick in extra time so I was expecting seven minutes to be played but it’s 5:15 [into stoppage time] when he’s blown [for full-time],” Howe added. “So that was a blow because we looked like we were in a good position.”

Madley’s last Spurs game was a 4-1 win at home to West Ham United back in October which saw Hammers winger Mohammed Kudus sent off late on.

Madley will be assisted by Nick Hopton and Craig Taylor with Lewis Smith as fourth official. Chris Kavanagh will be video assistant referee for the match, assisted by Sian Massey-Ellis.

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Tottenham Hotspur will be without several first-team players for Saturday’s match against Newcastle United (12:30pm kick-off).

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Spurs head coach Ange Postecoglou has revealed full-back Destiny Udogie will be out of action for ‘around six weeks’ with a hamstring issue following the 2-2 draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers last time out. Rodrigo Bentancur is also suspended for the match following a yellow card against Wolves.

Guglielmo Vicario, Richarlison, Ben Davies, Cristian Romero, Mikey Moore and Micky van de Ven remain sidelined for Saturday’s match at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Postecoglou also revealed several unnamed members of his squad missed training in the build-up to the match due to illness.

“Destiny his hamstring, looks around six weeks for him,” Postecoglou said. “We lose Bentancur suspended. None of the injured ones are back yet. We've had a bit of an illness bug with a few not training.

“At this stage Richy and Mikey Moore are the next cabs off the rank, we're hoping next week. Ben, Micky and Romero all kind of around the same time, back end of January.”

Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe has declared Sven Botman ‘available’ for selection this weekend after almost 10 months out with an ACL injury. The Magpies will miss centre-back Fabian Schar through suspension while Emil Krafth, Jamaal Lascelles, Nick Pope and Callum Wilson remain sidelined due to injury.

Newcastle head into the match on the back of five straight wins in all competitions. Howe’s side beat Manchester United 2-0 at Old Trafford last time out and will be looking to do the double over Spurs having won 2-1 at St James’ Park back in September.

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Eddie Howe has declared Sven Botman ‘available’ for selection for Newcastle United against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday (12:30pm kick-off).

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Botman has been out for over nine months following an ACL injury picked up in March. But he was back in full training throughout December, barring a minor illness, and has played in a couple of practice matches as well as 60 minutes for Newcastle Under-21s.

With Fabian Schar banned for the fourth match this season following his yellow card against Manchester United, Howe will be forced to make changes to his defence at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Schar was handed a three-match ban following a red card earlier in the season and will now miss the next two matches against Spurs and Arsenal due to separate Premier League and Carabao Cup bans.

Botman missed out on a place in the squad for the 2-0 win at Manchester United last time out as he was nursing an illness.

On Botman’s potential return, Howe said: “I've always said with Sven, he'd [be back] in and around the Christmas games.

“He's worked incredibly hard to get himself in a good condition. He's had three games, a lot of internal training as well so some match stimulus so he's certainly in and around my thoughts.

“I'll have to make a decision as to who I think best fits that position but great to have Sven in and around and available again.”

When asked if he would have reservations about putting Botman back into the side after such a long period without playing, Howe responded: “No, because you go through a process with the type of injury Sven's had, he's done and incredible amount of work.

“It's not like he's not had the training time with us, we've taken longer than maybe we normally would have done through respect for the injury that he had to try and make sure he had the best chance of staying fit and when he comes back, hitting the ground running which is absolutely vital.

“I've got a decision to make in terms of team selection but if Sven is in the squad it's because he's fit and available.”

Emil Krafth and Jamaal Lascelles remain out injured, meaning only Botman and summer signing Lloyd Kelly are Newcastle’s only two natural centre-back options to play alongside Dan Burn in Schar’s absence.

But Kelly hasn’t featured for Newcastle since the 2-0 defeat at home to West Ham United in November. Kelly came into the side in place of the suspended Burn but had a match to forget at St James’ Park.

“They have [been limited] but that's down to the form of the lads that have played,” Howe said in response to Kelly’s opportunities in the side. “Lloyd is a versatile player who can play in a number of positions.

“The form of Dan and Fabian at the heart of defence has been really good of late so that's always a position that is diffiuclt for me to rotate too much.

“I prefer to keep a settled back four and not chop and change. The stability of your team is built on those relationships but Lloyd is training hard and training well and he's waiting for his chance.”

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Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe will be forced to make changes to his side for Saturday’s trip to Tottenham Hotspur (12:30pm kick-off).

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Newcastle will be eyeing a sixth successive win in all competitions when they travel to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the Premier League without key defender Fabian Schar. The Swiss centre-back was shown his fifth league booking of the season in the closing stages of the 2-0 win at Manchester United on Monday.

As a result he must serve a one-match suspension. He will also miss the first leg of the Carabao Cup at Arsenal due to a suspension in that competition. After his red card on the opening day against Southampton, Schar has now been suspended for five matches in total this season but remains the most-used player since Howe’s arrival at the club in 2021.

Emil Krafth previously came into the side in Schar’s absence at the start of the season but will be unavailable for the upcoming matches due to a broken collarbone. The versatile Swede has already been ruled out for 10 games in total for Newcastle having suffered his injury back in November.

It is likely he will miss at least two more matches, according to Howe. But Newcastle are set to be boosted by the return of Sven Botman this month after more than nine months out with an ACL injury.

Botman returned to action for Newcastle Under-21s last month and is in contention for selection in the upcoming matches.

“Sven will be in and around my thinking [for selection] for sure, as will a few other players. Emil Krafth won't make it back in time for the next game, but apart from that we should have everyone available."

But with Botman going so long without competitive football for Newcastle, Howe would ideally ease the defender back in if possible. The FA Cup third round tie at home to Bromley later this month has been pencilled in as an ideal match for the 24-year-old to get some good minutes under his belt.

Summer signing Lloyd Kelly is the most likely option to come into the side as he has remained part of the matchday squad over the festive period despite not getting on the pitch. His last appearance for the club came in the 2-0 defeat at home to West Ham United back in November.

Eddie Howe’s side head to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium having won five matches in a row in all competitions. They sit 5th in the Premier League table and know a win would draw them level on points, albeit temporarily, with Chelsea sat above them.

However, they have a patchy record away against Spurs of late, having been beaten on two of their last three visits there by an aggregate score of 9-2. However, sandwiched in between those defeats was a 2-1 win in October 2022.

The Magpies are in good form at the minute, whilst their hosts on Saturday have won just one of their last seven league games. Ange Postecoglou’s side were held by Wolves on Sunday and have a host of injury issues to deal with this weekend.

Spurs will certainly be without their first-choice goalkeeper Gugliemo Vicario and have huge doubts over both Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven. Rodrigo Bentancur will also miss out through suspension.

Newcastle United, meanwhile, will be without Fabian Schar as he serves a one-match suspension for picking up five yellow cards in the league. Here, we take a look at the team that Howe could name for his side’s clash against Spurs on Saturday.

Do you agree with our picks? Follow us on our social media channels and let us know your thoughts there.