Following their chastening 3-1 defeat at newly-promoted Norwich City last week, Newcastle United are hoping to produce a backlash when they visit unbeaten Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
The hosts will be looking to continue where they left off during the final 17 minutes of their season opener against Aston Villa, overturning a shock early setback to ease to a 3-1 win.
Steve Bruce is eager to avoid defeat for the first time in charge of the Magpies, while Spurs counterpart Mauricio Pochettino will expect his side to improve their Premier League record of four wins and one defeat from their first six games at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Tottenham Hotspur
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Spurs will be buoyed by their latest productive tangle with Manchester City, earning a point at the Etihad Stadium last Saturday after Gabriel Jesus was denied a late winner by VAR.
Erik Lamela and Lucas Moura were on the scoresheet as Spurs equalised twice and ensured City held the lead for less than 25 minutes in a 2-2 draw.
Tottenham themselves were ahead for less than five minutes of normal time when they eventually overcame Villa in a surprisingly difficult first home game on the opening day.
After John McGinn's ninth-minute opener, Villa held on until new Spurs signing Tanguy Ndombele found an equaliser and the ever-reliable Harry Kane scored twice late on.
Spurs hold a decent record but have not been entirely convincing at their new home so far, where they were beaten by West Ham United and Ajax last season.
Only a last-gasp Christian Eriksen strike denied Brighton & Hove Albion a point when the Seagulls arrived on a dreadful run of form, and Everton went ahead on the last day of the campaign before Eriksen again proved the saviour to make the final score 2-2.
With a trip to arch rivals Arsenal coming up next week, Spurs will be hoping to avoid the kind of scare they experienced against Villa and enjoy a routine victory after showing their table-topping credentials at City.
There is a notable discrepancy between their home and away form in 2019, picking up more than three-quarters of their points on home turf in the year to date.
Recent Premier League form: DW
Newcastle United
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The travelling Toon Army will be watching through their fingers if Newcastle offer the kind of lacklustre performance that saw them sink to a resounding defeat at Carrow Road.
A Teemu Pukki hat-trick put the hosts out of sight before Jonjo Shelvey's injury time reply meant Newcastle's first goal of the season was little consolation for the travelling support.
Norwich produced a fine display but, on paper, Newcastle face a far more difficult challenge when they visit the team that finished third last season.
Bruce and French winger Allan Saint-Maximin have claimed that the manner of the loss at City is a cause for motivation and called for a restoration of pride in a match they enter as heavy underdogs.
Already under pressure following the unpopular departure of former boss Rafael Benitez, Bruce knows the prospect of finishing the first three games of the season pointless will not lighten the mood of Newcastle fans.
That said, they are used to unpromising starts. Last season, Newcastle took 11 games to record their first win, although they did not lose any of those matches by more than a goal and, by comparison to the Norwich result, picked up a point on a trip to Cardiff City in their first away game.
Newcastle have lost 12 consecutive league away matches against top six sides, failing to record a point against the heavyweights since a draw at Liverpool more than three years ago.
The return of Son Heung-min from suspension is ominous news, particularly given the joy the less heralded Pukki had against their defence.
Anything approaching the result of their last visit to London, when they recorded a rare victory in the capital with a 4-0 win over relegated Fulham, would be a welcome shock for a team scrambling to find their feet.
Recent Premier League form: LL
Team News
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The return of attacking talent Son, who sat out the first two games of Spurs' campaign following a red card at Bournemouth last season, is the most notable team news.
Midfielder Ndombele, signed from Lyon for £53.8m in the summer, will not be available to repeat his heroics against Villa, having suffered a minor thigh injury in training.
Fellow midfielder Dele Alli is sidelined by a hamstring injury and centre-back Juan Foyth is out with an ankle problem.
Midfielder Victor Wanyama is unlikely to be part of Pochettino's plans amid reported serious interest from Club Brugge. The Kenyan has not featured this season and only made 13 appearances last season.
Bruce had an injury concern over Saint-Maximin, signed from Nice earlier this month, but says he expects the winger to be ready to face Spurs.
Record signing Joelinton departed injured against Norwich after hurting his hip in a collision Bruce described as a "nasty one".
The £40m striker is ready to return after an X-ray revealed no lasting damage, but the match may come too soon for attacking midfielder Christian Atsu.
The Ghanaian missed Newcastle's first two matches of the season with a hamstring problem sustained while on Africa Cup of Nations duty, but has been back in full training this week.
Bruce's excitement at Atsu's return has been tempered by the continuing absence of strikers Andy Carroll and Dwight Gayle. Carroll has an ankle problem and Gayle has been out with a calf problem sustained in pre-season.
Tottenham possible starting lineup: Lloris; Walker-Peters, Sanchez, Alderweireld, Rose; Winks, Sissoko; Son, Eriksen, Lamela; Kane
Newcastle possible starting lineup: Dubravka; Krafth, Lascelles, Schar, Dummett, Ritchie; Hayden, Ki, Shelvey; Almiron, Joelinton
Head To Head
Spurs have won their last four meetings with Newcastle, conceding just one goal and winning 1-0 on both of the Magpies' most recent visits to London.
Don't expect a joint shutout - there has not been a goalless draw in 78 meetings between these two, with the last blank coming in 1971.
Son made the difference with a late goal in February, and Kane scored the only goal of the game five minutes into the second half in May 2018.
Tottenham have the better all-time record, with 70 wins to Newcastle's 58. They have not drawn at home to these visitors in 21 matches.
Newcastle need to find their shooting boots and their record against Spurs - the team they have scored the most Premier League goals against - provides grounds for cautious optimism.
Aside from Aston Villa, Spurs are the side Newcastle have beaten most often in the Premier League, recording 20 wins and finding the net 73 times.
We say: Tottenham 3-1 Newcastle
Newcastle's nightmare in Norwich could have the knock-on effect of making this a less straightforward day for Tottenham, although it is hard to see beyond a Spurs win given their performance against much stronger opponents at City.
Beleaguered Bruce will implore his players to show significantly greater spirit than they did in that loss, and Tottenham have occasionally shown signs of stage fright when they are expected to win in front of their 60,000 home fans.
Pochettino will want a faster start than he saw against Villa and on Newcastle's last two visits, when Spurs only found a breakthrough in the second half. Kane, Eriksen and the returning Son, among others, should give them the attacking guile to prevail earlier this time.
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