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Two injury-ridden sides sharing European ambition face off in Tottenham vs Newcastle in a ‘Super Sunday’ Premier League clash, and of course, we have bet builder tips and OPTA stats to quench any interest. Both sides are chasing Europe but their ambitions have been hindered by injuries and suspensions.
With both sides facing damaging defeats on Thursday night, they will be keen to ensure they get back on track in a topsy-turvy top 4 battle. Our expert, Matthew O’Regan, details the Champions League-chasing clash below.
Bet Builder odds: 4.75
England, Premier League, Sunday 10th December, 16:30 (UK)
Odds via bet365 as at 22:30, December 8th, 2023. Odds may now differ.
Thursday’s action saw disappointing losses for Tottenham and Newcastle in entertaining games.
After taking an early lead yet again, Tottenham failed to win for the fifth time in a row from a leading position. Ange Postecoglu is a brave manager who plays front-foot football, deploying a high line. It entertains the neutral but has meant Tottenham have been leaky defensively, conceding an average of 2.6 goals per game over the last five. Spurs have scored 29 and conceded 22 goals thus far this season, with their games averaging 3.4 goals per game.
Newcastle games have been equally entertaining, with the Toon Army scoring 32 goals and conceding 17 for an average of 3.26 per game. A late capitulation at Everton saw Newcastle lose 3-0, making it four Premier League away games in a row without a win for Eddie Howe’s side. In fact, his side have one of the worst away records in the league, winning once, drawing two, and losing four games on their travels.
Over 2.5 goals has landed in 5/7 (71%) of Tottenham’s home games and 5/7 of Newcastle’s away games. With both sides likely to be chasing the win, expect an open and frantic game in North London.
As mentioned, Tottenham games are usually frantic due to Ange Postecoglu’s play style. With a mixture of their high line and an abundance of attacking talent, Tottenham are able to draw a large number of free kicks.
Spurs free-kick numbers this season read 18, 16, 15, 23, 28, 20, 20, 18, 14, 17, 17, 21, 12, 13. This means that Spurs have crossed the 14+ total on 13/15 occasions this season, with the opening two games being the exception. This could be explained by the players not being used to Postecoglou’s unique play style yet. Tottenham averages over 18 free kicks per game, so they will be expected to clear this line.
The line is low for Tottenham standards due to Newcastle’s low free kick against numbers. Eddie Howe’s side have given away 10, 6, 13, 6, 16, 15, 7, 19, 8, 9, 8, 17, 16, 15, and 14 free kicks for an average of just 11.9 per game.
While this number looks low compared to the line, delving deeper into the statistics against better teams (the ‘big 6’ Aston Villa and Brighton) paints a better picture for the bet. In the seven games against such teams thus far, Newcastle have averaged 13.9 free kicks against.
With Newcastle’s record in big games for conceding free kicks added to Tottenham’s tendency to win free kicks, Tottenham’s free-kick line holds value.
This one will be short and sweet, as it ties in with the free-kick angle. Tottenham’s high line forces a lot of sides into offsides. Tottenham have drawn 6, 2, 2, 4, 7, 1, 6, 4, 1, 2, 3, 2, 3, 4, 1 offsides this season, for an average of 3.2 offsides drawn all season.
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