Newcastle are usually Tottenhams bogey team. Not this time though

Tottenham v Newcastle, Premier League, December 28, 2010

Tottenham 1.53; Draw 4.32; Newcastle 7.40

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Tottenhams superb win at Villa Park on Boxing Day maintained belief in north London that this could be a special season for the Lilywhites.

Knocking the doubters who questioned their consistency, the first half of the season has been brilliant for Spurs fans. After qualifying for the Champions League last year for the first time in its modern day format, Harry Redknapps charges bought wisely in the summer and have since been in fine fettle on the pitch.

There have already been so many highlights. Gareth Bales volley at Stoke. Crouchs hat-trick against Young Boys. Bales brilliance against Inter. The 3-2 away win at Arsenal. An most recently a Van der Vaart inspired win at Villa in which they were down to ten men for two-thirds of the contest.

But Tottenham will know they have achieved nothing so far. Winning consistently, particularly against the likes of Newcastle at home, are the bread and butter ingredients of success which Spurs need to prove they can maintain over a 38-game season. Thats the level which the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea have recently been the torch-holders of.

Redknapp has a series of headaches as they Magpies swoop into the capital. Tottenham will be without striker Jermain Defoe through suspension after he received a straight red card for violent conduct at Villa. Defoe will be replaced by either Peter Crouch or Roman Pavlyuchenko, or perhaps both, depending on how attacking Redknapp chooses to be.

In midfield, the big concern is over the brilliant Luka Modric. The Croatian forced off with cramp on Boxing Day, but hopes are high for his inclusion. Elsewhere, defender William Gallas remains a doubt with a hamstring injury sustai! ned over a fortnight ago.

With Fulham coming up on New Years day, it will also be interesting to see if Redknapp also decides on rotating his squad on Tuesday. Players like Nico Krancjar and David Bentley could get some rare minutes as Spurs look to promote their most salable assets for the upcoming January transfer window. However, with Spurs unbeaten in nine matches and with a chance to move into the top four with a win, it is unlikely that too many changes from the eleven that won at Villa will be made.

For Newcastle, the Tynesiders will be cautiously optimistic that they can get something out of the game at White Hart Lane. Having won their two previous Premier League games in the capital this season, the Geordies will hope to claim a hat-trick of London scalps against Tottenham, who have lost six of their last seven top-flight matches against the Magpies.

With one win and one loss in his opening two matches, the jury is still out on whether Alan Pardew looks like a good fit for Newcastle in the hotseat. Arguably the 3-1 win against Liverpool owed much of its glossy scoreline to the failings of the Merseysiders rather than the brilliance of the black and whites. While in equal, opposite measure, the skewed 3-1 defeat to Manchester City failed to tell the true tale of how well the Geordies performed against the cash-rich Citizens, and on another day the Toon could easily have won that match.

Aside from the lost three points, the defeat against City also saw Newcastle skipper Kevin Nolan get suspended against Spurs for a fifth booking of the season. Keeping with the absentees, striker Shola Ameobi is likely to miss out once again with a hamstring injury, while keeper Tim Krul will continue despite his costly error against City as Steve Harper continues his recuperation after shoulder surgery.

Assuming that Newcastle would happily take a point from the match before kick-off, the visitors are likely to line up adopting a counter-attacking style in which theyll play a 4-5-1 form! ation.

Keeping the same back five that play against City, Alan Smith should come in for Nolan in a like-for-like switch, with Barton and Tiote filling out the central midfield positions. Further forward, Gutierrez and Routledge (who was surprisingly good last time out) will be the speedy outlets breaking down flanks, while the Toon will be spearheaded by the brilliant human-battering-ram, Andy Carroll.

The match will also provide yet another opportunity for Tottenham fans to hurl a vomit-load of abuse on Sol Campbell who will never be forgiven at the Lane for his move to Arsenal almost a decade ago.

Undoubtedly Newcastle have the talent to cause Tottenham troubles, and it wouldnt be a surprise if the hosts well-document porous rearguard once again failed to register a shutout. But with Modric, Bale and Van der Vaart pulling their strings in the middle three players Harry Redknapp rightly earmarked as being good enough for any team in the league Spurs just look too red-hot this season to slip up here.

101gg predicts: Tottenham 2 Newcastle 1

Tottenham 1.53; Draw 4.32; Newcastle 7.40

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