Newcastle v Spurs Premier League Preview 19th April

Until the last half of this season, Newcastle and Tottenham have had a lot in common in recent years. Both are well supported clubs who have threatened to break into the Champions League clique in recent years, but sadly for them have not quite managed it. Both clubs also have an unfortunate habit of the board room over-ruling the managers and then sacking them when unsurprisingly results do not go their way. Finally both clubs have not achieved anything like what they had hoped to achieve this season. However since Redknapp's appointment, the performances and aims of the two clubs have looked very different. This Saturday Newcastle United are aiming for their first win under Alan Shearer's reign to pull themselves out of the relegation zone. In contrast, although Tottenham are not as high in the league as they would like to be, their aim is to consolidate their relatively safe position with a view to potentially catching West Ham and landing a European slot.
Tottenham have been in good form of late and have been particularly impressive at home, where they have only lost once since Harry Redknapp took charge in October. They bounced back well from the disappointing 2-1 defeat at Blackburn to beat West Ham 1-0 last weekend. Wilson Palacios is returning following his controversial red card at Ewood Park and is likely to replace Tom Huddlestone in midfield despite a good performance against West Ham. Jermaine Defoe, nursing a stress fracture to his right foot since January, has resumed full training and is a possibility to play. After scoring the winner last week Pavlyuchenko might also be given the opportunity to start up front alongside Keane. The ingredients are all there for a strong end to Spurs' season.
In terms of Newcastle's squad, the Toon Army will be hoping that Viduka's return will be the turning point they're desperate for. Newcastle have also got another couple of key players about to return as Steven Taylor has recovered from his ankle problem and Peter Lovenkrands should be back after the nasty knock he took at Chelsea. The Black and White faithful will also be hoping that Obafemi Martins' groin injury can be managed sufficiently to get him through the rest of the season playing as well as he did against Stoke. Newcastle's favourite son Shearer has gone on record to say how encouraged he was by the performance of Martins and indeed the whole team and that Newcastle would stay up if they could reproduce the same passion and commitment for the rest if the season. However passion and commitment are only part of the story, results are the only measure that really count. Newcastle are currently four points from safety. People say that say three wins will keep Newcastle up, but as they've only won six of the 32 games played this season, this is a big ask.
My money is on a win for Spurs at Fortress White Hart. This juicy tie kicks off on Sky Sports on Sunday at 1.30. Get the beers in.