St. James Park (Sport Direct Arena)

18.08.2012 at 17.30 BST

What is the status for the two teams before the match?

Newcastle United is without Shane Ferguson and Cheick Tiote while Sammy Ameobi, with some luck can be ready for the match. Their opponents from Tottenham currently has the midfielder Scott Parker and the winger Giovanni Dos Santos out of the match. As it is the first match of the season, there are no bans.

Both teams have new players to show their fans as Romain Amalfitano and Gael Bigirimana can have their debut for Newcastle, while Gylfi Sigurdsson and Jan Vertonghen are ready for the Spurs.

How is the two teams form?

NUFC has not won a match against Tottenham since 2008 and their last meeting ended in a massacre as the Spurs won 5-0. Even so, the two teams are often very equal as the last ten matches has ended with four wins each and only two goals separating them.

The Magpies has won their two last pre season matches against Hartlepool and Cardiff with an impressing overall score at 9-2 and seems to be in great shape before the match. However, their opponents have been as tough as Tottenham Hotspurs. The londoners have met teams as Valencia and New York Redbull.

What to expect from this match?

We can expect a Newcastle team determined to revenge their 5-0 loss last season. The Toons will test the Spurs defense with their fast attacker Papiss Cisse, as well as the winger Demba Ba. On paper, Newcastle is the underdogs in this match, but they will do whatever they can to prove that the are here to stay in the top of the Premier League.

André Villas-Boas is ready for his first official match for Tottenham and will look forward to show Chelsea that they did wrong to sack him. Tottenham has been strengthen with their signings of Vertonghen and Sigurdsson, and if they play they will probably give that little extra to convince the fans that they are the future.
We can expect a match with two attacking teams. However, the Magpies might hold it back a little to avoid the same situation as last meeting. Here, Tottenham was in front by four goals after 39 minutes.

Who will win?

Even though, Newcastle seems to have the most dangerous man on the pitch, I can't see them win this match. Papiss Cisse can't do it all by himself, and the team's shock effect from last season might be gone. At the same time, Tottenham does not seem to be weaken even though they have sold out some players. On paper, Tottenham has the best squad, and I believe it will be shown in this match.

What is the odds?

 The bookmakers have announced some tight odds for the match. However, Tottenham is a small favorite to win the match at all the bookmakers.

The Belgian international footballer, Eden Hazard, has been on the short list in several English top clubs. The Lille midfielder has earlier revealed that he will be wearing a blue shirt next season and that it will be an English club.  However, the latest reports tell that the midfielder has negotiated his personal conditions with Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United. One thing is for sure. Hazard is playing in the Premier League next season.

Several Premier League clubs had shown interest in the Ajax defender, including Manchester City, Arsenal and Tottenham. Arsenal and Tottenham has been leading the race for the Dutch, and the defender himself has said that he would like to play for the Gunners. However, it seems Tottenham has won the race, as Chairman Daniel Levy is reported to be in Amsterdam to negotiate a contract with Vertonghen.

3. Hulk

The Brazilian striker has been rumored to Chelsea several times. When Villas-Boas was in charge of the team, he was very keened on bringing the strong Porto player to Stamford Bridge this summer. Even though, the manager was sacked, the rumor has not died and with Drogba leaving the Londoners Hulk looks like the replacement.

4. Yann M'Vila

Arsenal was reported to be close to signing M’Vila last summer, but that did not happen. The French international is still a hot name for Arsenal, but Liverpool is also been named as a new club for the midfielder. However, former French international Marcel Desailly urges the M’Vila to join the Gunners, and they seem to be his preferred destination. The only obstacle seems to be Rennes asked transfer fee.

5. Lucas Biglia

The Anderlecht captain is ready for a summer move and has said that he is in contact with Arsenal and Real Madrid. However, Tottenham, Fiorentina, Valencia and Villarreal are also interested in the Argentinean. The midfielder has told that he is impressed by Arsenals way of playing football, and his own passing style will fit well at Emirates Stadium. Question is now, if Arsenal will lose another transfer target to Tottenham.