| Goals | Goals |
|---|---|
| 37. Hatem Ben Arfa (80’) | . (54’) |
| 18. Jermain Defoe (76’) |
Spurs and Magpies clash league opener
Football fans enter St James Park
Both teams had a contrasting previous season.
The Magpies had a reasonably good start to their previous campaign and finished the season strongly to record a fifth place finish whilst Spurs who had brilliant start and were once challenging for the league title before experiencing season slump and finished fourth, but failed to qualify for the UEFA Champions League.
That due to Chelsea who had finished in sixth spot in the league, but won the tournament after beating Bayern Munch in the final.
Both teams are relatively unchanged from last season with few additions and departures taking place during the off-season.
The most significant change for Spurs will be on the bench.
Andre Villa-Boas has taken over at White Hart Lane from Harry Reddnapp. The former Porto coach is no stranger to the Premier League as he had an unsuccessful tenure as Chelsea manager last season.
He will be facing a Magpies outfit which is coached by last season’s League Mangers’ Association Manger of the Year recipient, Alan Pardew.
Newcastle are sweating over the fitness of midfielders Yohan Cabaye, Cheick Tiote and Hatem Ben Arfa together with Senegalese forwards Papiss Cisse and Demba Ba.
Spurs’ main concern goes beyond this encounter.
The North Londoners could from Saturday afternoon start life without midfield ace Luka Modric and Giovanni Dos Santos who could be lost to Spanish giants Real Madrid and Italian heavyweights Inter Milan in the immediate future.
Last season both sides clashed twice in the league. The first encounter ended 2-2 at Newcastle whilst the return clash in London was a resounding 5-0 thrashing for an Emmanuel Adebayor inspired Spurs side.
Spurs hasn’t lost to Newcastle in five league matches.
Kick-off for the clash is scheduled for 18h30 (CAT).
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