Aston Villa's slide in form over recent weeks has allowed Tottenham Hotspur to drive into fourth place in the Premier League, taking the spot with a well-earned victory over Nottingham Forest last weekend.
Unai Emery's Villans are battling on two fronts and face a daunting task in winning against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, and while Spurs would never cheer their city rivals' success, there is an opportunity to create some space in their pursuit of Champions League qualification, should they win against Newcastle United on Saturday.
While Newcastle have been ravaged by injuries this season after remarkably clinching Champions League football last season, the Magpies retain a threat that has seen victories over both Manchester sides, Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain this term.
Moreover, Spurs were trashed 6-1 at St. James' Park last season and while revenge will be on the cards, this ground seems to swallow teams up and it will be a battle to prevail.
But Ange Postecoglou will be confident in his side and might make three changes from last weekend's contest to ensure his side gets the job done.
1 GK – Guglielmo Vicario
It's a fabled place between the sticks for the Italian national team, but Guglielmo Vicario's performances since joining Tottenham last summer have enabled such success, with the 27-year-old making his Italy debut last month.
He's been superb this season and hasn't missed a minute in the Premier League. That seems unlikely to change against Newcastle, barring any late injury or illness.
2 RB – Pedro Porro
Pedro Porro scored his first Premier League goal of the season last weekend to provide his team with a two-goal lead before the hour mark.
He's so important for Tottenham and offers the ambit of qualities needed to succeed as a high-level full-back for an ambitious side.
Long may it continue (at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium)…
3 CB – Cristian Romero
If you were to say Cristian Romero is a little overzealous at times, you might be right. Nonetheless, the Argentina international is a remarkable centre-half and is arguably one of the finest on English shores.
As per Sofascore, he has scored four goals across 26 top-flight matches this season, completing 92% of his passes, averaging 2.0 tackles, 3.1 clearances, 5.9 ball recoveries per game, and winning 69% of his duels.
If Alexander Isak is going to be snuffed, few are better equipped to deal with the Swedish sharpshooter than he.
4 CB – Micky van de Ven
Micky van de Ven scored a thunderous goal last time out to add another layer to his deep and dynamic skill set. Arriving from Wolfsburg for £43m last August, he's proved to be quite the revelation for a formerly withered backline.
The flux and fluidity of this elite defensive axis is lifting Tottenham to a new level. Should they remain partnered over the coming years, there is no telling the heights the club may reach.
5 LB – Destiny Udogie
Destiny Udogie has been on Tottenham's books since signing from Udinese for £15m in 2022 but remained at the Serie A side on loan for the 2022/23 campaign. This was a beneficial move.
Still only 21, the left-back is fast and ferocious and has a healthy mix of traits that serve him well at both ends of the field, and he shall prove a thorn in Eddie Howe's side tomorrow afternoon.
6 CM – Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg
It's no secret that Yves Bissouma has been out of sorts for some time and after replacing his struggling peer after half-time last weekend, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg might be pushing for his first start since February 3rd, and just his seventh of the league campaign.
Minutes played
45'
Touches
66
Accurate passes
52/59 (88%)
Long balls
3/3
Possession lost
7x
Shots taken
3
Duels won
2/4
Interceptions
2
The experienced Dane has been described as a "warrior" by pundit Alan Hutton and made good on such claims with his recent effort.
He ranks among the top 4% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for passes attempted and the top 10% for progressive passes, as per FBref, with such skills proving most effective against Nottingham Forest. The same again vs Newcastle?
7 CM – Rodrigo Bentancur
Provided with an 8/10 match rating by football.london's Alasdair Gold to stabilise the Spurs engine room against Forest, Rodrigo Bentancur will hope to have turned a corner after spending the past few months developing under Postecoglou, whilst recovering from a long-term injury.
Fluency and grit is something that Tottenham have lacked in central midfield of late and installing this industrious partnership might just bear fruit in testing conditions in England's North East.
8 RW – Dejan Kulusevski
Big call? Postecoglou has largely been brilliant with his substitutions and for this reason, he may make the bold call of placing the in-form Brennan Johnson back on the bench, allowing Dejan Kulusevski to return to the starting line-up after featuring from the bench across the past two matches.
9 AM – James Maddison
Still not quite there but James Maddison's importance is undisputed, with the England international creative and combative both in the attacking midfield role.
He was breathtaking for Spurs before suffering an ankle injury in November and while pre-injury levels have not quite been recovered, he can change a game just like that.
10 LW – Timo Werner
A few eyebrows were raised when Postecogolou welcomed ex-Chelsea man Timo Werner to the fold in January, but the German has repaid the faith thus far.
He's scored two goals and provided three assists from eight Premier League starts and most importantly has added an electric, energetic dimension to the Tottenham attack.