da blaze casino： The Premier League kicks off this weekend and for us at FootballFanCast, one fixture particularly stands out – the first game at St. James’ Park since the end of the 2015/16 season.
da realsbet： Indeed, Newcastle have returned to the top flight at the first time of asking and although some have questioned their somewhat modest signings thus far, the Magpies take momentum into the new campaign from their Championship promotion last term and the history of their home ground brings an exciting dynamic back to the Premier League.
That’s not to suggest Newcastle are all set for a win. In fact, that would probably constitute the upset of the weekend considering Tottenham were runners up in the Premier League last season and still boast an incredibly strong starting XI.
So, Newcastle and Tottenham fans, ahead of what looks set to be an enthralling season opener, here’s everything you need to know beforehand…
The history of the fixture
It might surprise some Newcastle fans to discover their side has actually been the most dominant in this fixture throughout Premier League history, claiming a four-win surplus over the Lilywhites.
But their record at St. James’ Park isn’t as dominant as that might suggest – they’ve won just over half of the meetings at their home ground, whereas Spurs have claimed away victories on five occasions.
Another standout statistic is the number of red cards, nine from their 44 meetings thus far. However, the chances of a red on Sunday are pretty slim, which brings us onto…
Referee – Andre Marriner
In terms of letting games flow and overlooking the kind of challenges that blur the line between fair and foul play, Andre Marriner is arguably the Premier League’s best referee.
He ranked 17th out of 19 for fouls per game last season and 19th for fouls per tackle, which is surely great news for Newcastle who’ll expect to do the majority of the defending on Sunday. On the other hand, 42.9% of Marriner’s games last season lead to away wins, an exceptionally high percentage that only two referees beat throughout 2016/17.
From 28 outings last season, meanwhile, the 46-year-old handed out just two red cards.
Injuries
Entering Sunday’s game, both sides face problems on the right of defence, with Kieran Trippier and DeAndre Yedlin injured respectively.
That’s a bigger issue for the visitors than the home side though; whilst the Magpies have an obvious replacement in Javier Manquillo, Mauricio Pochettino will have to settle for a square peg in a round hole – either Eric Dier or Moussa Sissoko.
Ben Davies will have to fill in on the other side of the backline with Danny Rose out too, but there are also two doubts that could cost both teams dearly – Victor Wanyama is a vital physical and defensive presence for Spurs in midfield, whereas Dwight Gayle finished up as last term’s top scorer on Tyneside.