EPL: Tottenham v Newcastle preview

Tottenham v Newcastle preview

Tottenham still need points to secure Champions League football when they host Newcastle at Wembley on Wednesday night.

Spurs are fourth in the table and their chances of a top-four finish remain in their own hands, though Saturday's shock 1-0 defeat at West Brom allowed fifth-placed Chelsea to close the gap to two points with two games to play.

Mauricio Pochettino's side have two home games remaining - Leicester visit Wembley on the final day - and four points should be enough to guarantee a top-four finish.

Indeed, a Champions League spot could be sealed on Wednesday evening if Chelsea slip up at home to Huddersfield, and the Spurs manager is happy their fate is under their control.

He said: "It is still in our hands to be third. I feel disappointed after the weekend in the way that we lost the three points but we need to move on."

Newcastle start the game in 10th place, but have lost three matches in a row since securing their Premier League survival with a win over Arsenal last month.

 

Defender Serge Aurier (hamstring) will also miss the game, but is being assessed to see if he can be available for Sunday's match against Leicester City, as is Mousa Dembele who continues to recover from an ankle injury but will not be involved on Wednesday night.

Harry Winks will definitely miss the final two matches of the season because of an ankle injury.

Newcastle boss Rafael Benitez is not expecting to make many changes from the side that lost to West Ham on Saturday.

Islam Slimani remains suspended for lashing out at West Brom's Craig Dawson earlier this month.