Tottenham Hotspur will be looking to make it three Premier League victories in a row when they welcome Newcastle United to North London on Sunday afternoon.
Spurs are currently fifth in the table, three points behind fourth-placed Arsenal, who have a game in hand, while Newcastle sit 14th, now nine points clear of the relegation zone.
Match preview
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Consistency has been a real problem for Tottenham during the 2021-22 campaign, but they have quietly won four of their last five matches in the Premier League, including their last two against Brighton & Hove Albion and West Ham United, which has put them firmly in contention for a top-four spot.
Indeed, Antonio Conte's side are currently fifth in the table, three points behind fourth-placed Arsenal; the Gunners also have a game in hand on their North London rivals, but there is still a lot of football to be played before the end of the campaign.
West Ham have seemingly dropped out of the running in recent weeks, but sixth-placed Manchester United will still believe that they can finish fourth, and it is set to be a fascinating conclusion to the season, with three huge football clubs battling for a Champions League finish.
Spurs have to travel to Anfield to face Liverpool on May 7, but they have winnable matches before then against Newcastle, Aston Villa, Brighton, Brentford and Leicester City.
The capital giants have also been strong in front of their own supporters this season, winning nine of their 14 Premier League games to collect 28 points, with only Liverpool (36), Manchester City (34) and Arsenal (32) boasting stronger records on home soil during the 2021-22 campaign.
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Newcastle, meanwhile, have eased their relegation fears in 2022, with an eight-game unbeaten run between January 15 and March 10 moving them well clear of the bottom three.
The Magpies actually won six times in the league during the incredible two-month period, but they have now lost their last two - both 1-0 - away to Chelsea and Everton.
Eddie Howe's side are again on the road this weekend, but their excellent form this year has allowed them to move up into 14th spot in the table, now nine points clear of the bottom three, and it would be a huge shock if they were pulled back into any sort of trouble over the next few weeks.
Newcastle have lost eight of their 15 away league matches this term, while they have not beaten Spurs since August 2019, losing two of the last four games between the two sides, including a 3-2 reverse at St James' Park in the reverse fixture back in October.
The Magpies could have a say in the top-four and title race this term, as they also have matches against Liverpool, Man City and Arsenal before the end of the campaign, while Howe's team will take on relegation strugglers Norwich City and Burnley before the end of the season.
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Team News
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Tottenham boss Conte revealed during Friday's press conference that Ben Davies would be available this weekend despite missing out for Wales against the Czech Republic on Tuesday due to a minor issue.
Oliver Skipp and Ryan Sessegnon are closing in on returns to action, but the pair will again be out for Sunday's match, while Japhet Tanganga remains on the sidelines.
There are not expected to be any surprises in the home side's XI this weekend, with Dejan Kulusevski again set to join Harry Kane and Son Heung-min in the final third of the field, while Matt Doherty and Sergio Reguilon should operate in the wing-back areas.
As for Newcastle, Martin Dubravka, Fabian Schar and Jonjo Shelvey could all be available against Tottenham this weekend despite recent problems.
Callum Wilson, Kieran Trippier, Isaac Hayden and Jamal Lewis, though, are still out for the Magpies.
Howe has a decision to make in midfield, with Shelvey's availability meaning that there are a number of options in that area of the field, and there are expected to be alterations further forward following the loss at Everton.
Allan Saint-Maximin should come back into the starting XI on the right of the front three, while Jacob Murphy could be given the nod down the left for the Magpies.
Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:
Lloris; Romero, Dier, Davies; Doherty, Bentancur, Hojbjerg, Reguilon; Kulusevski, Kane, Son
Newcastle United possible starting lineup:
Dubravka; Krafth, Schar, Burn, Targett; Willock, Guimaraes, Joelinton; Murphy, Wood, Saint-Maximin
We say: Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Newcastle United
Tottenham are in need of all three points to keep themselves in contention for a top-four finish, and we are expecting the home side to triumph here. Newcastle are a much-improved outfit in 2022, but Tottenham's quality in the final third should allow them to secure an important victory on Sunday afternoon.
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Tottenham Hotspur win with a probability of 68.3%. A draw had a probability of 19.1% and a win for Newcastle United had a probability of 12.64%.
The most likely scoreline for a Tottenham Hotspur win was 2-0 with a probability of 12.23%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-0 (11.47%) and 2-1 (9.67%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (9.06%), while for a Newcastle United win it was 0-1 (4.25%). The actual scoreline of 5-1 was predicted with a 1.6% likelihood. Our team at Sports Mole and our data analysis both correctly predicted that Tottenham Hotspur would win this match.
