Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur are challenging each other for a place in next season’s Champions League, but Chris Sutton does not believe Spurs ‘deserve’ to finish in the top four.
It is set to be a huge game at St James’ Park, with Newcastle having the chance to go six points clear of Tottenham – and with a game in hand.
This could be a definitive weekend in the race for the Champions League, and both sides will be looking for a reaction. Newcastle was battered by Aston Villa last time out, while Spurs suffered an embarrassing last-gasp defeat to Bournemouth.
Paul Merson has already predicted that the response will come from the Magpies, tipping Eddie Howe’s side to come out on top. And it turns out that Chris Sutton agrees with him.
Sutton does not think Tottenham ‘deserve’ Champions League
As part of his Premier League predictions for BBC Sport, Sutton has tipped Newcastle to win 3-1 against Tottenham on Sunday. He has been pretty scathing in his assessment of Spurs and believes the Magpies will win what he anticipates will be an ‘open’ game.
“I know Tottenham have got Harry Kane and Son Heung-min, who is coming into form, but I am not backing them anymore,” he wrote.
“It has been a strange old season for Spurs and I don’t think they will get in the Champions League places from here. They don’t deserve to.
“I feel like we are approaching the stage of the season where all that Tottenham fans will be hoping for is that Arsenal doesn’t win the Premier League but, for now, Spurs still have a chance of making the top four.
“So this is a big one. Newcastle will take the game to Tottenham, and I can see it being quite open. I also think the Magpies will bounce back from their defeat by Aston Villa, and they know they can take a big step towards the Champions League themselves if they win this one.”
Newcastle must capitalize on Spurs’ misfortune
Sutton seems pretty confident that Newcastle will beat Tottenham, mainly because of the North London side’s shortcomings.
As he says, it has been a strange season for them. Other than Harry Kane’s outrageous form in front of the goal, they always seem to struggle. It always looks like a crisis, yet they are still in with a shout for the top four heading into the final stretch of the season.
But they appear to be limping towards the summer with Cristian Stellini in charge, and Newcastle needs to capitalize. The crowd should be really up for it, especially as it has been three weeks since our last home game.
St James’ Park should be absolutely rocking, and it will hopefully give Howe’s side that extra 10% to come out on top.
Tottenham is fragile, and it is up to us to take advantage of this weekend. Plenty of pundits are expecting Newcastle to win, and we must ensure we do not fold under the pressure.
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