Eddie Howe will be without his first choice goalkeeper until after Christmas.placeholder image
Eddie Howe will be without his first choice goalkeeper until after Christmas. | AFP via Getty Images
Eddie Howe welcomes Tottenham Hotspur at Newcastle United tonight but will be without a key first team player again.
It’s set to be a crunch match on Tyneside with Spurs boss Thomas Frank under increasing pressure at the London outfit. Tottenham Hotspur have won just one of their last seven outings in all competitions with a 2-1 home defeat to Fulham on Saturday the latest blow.
Eddie Howe’s side have already beaten Spurs at St James’ Park this season, winning 2-0 in the Carabao Cup at the end of October, and a similar result could prove fatal for Frank amid fan unrest.
Newcastle United handed injury blow ahead of Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur are helped by news that Howe will be without England international Nick Pope once again. The ex Burnley man missed out in the Magpies’ 4-1 win at Everton on Saturday after picking up a groin injury on Friday.
The extent of that injury was not yet known but, on Tuesday lunchtime, Chronicle Live confirmed that Pope will be out for three weeks. That means that the goalkeeper will miss six matches, starting with Spurs on Tuesday night.
Pope is not expected to face Burnley, Sunderland or Chelsea in the Premier League and will also miss out against Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League and Fulham in the Carabao Cup.
Speaking about Pope’s situation at the weekend, Howe said: "We are disappointed to lose him (Pope). We can't afford to lose any player. He suffered an injury just towards the end of training. I did not name the team until yesterday.
"So we were just training as normal, he was wrong-footed on a shot and felt something in his groin, more after training than in that moment, and we hope he is not out for long. We need him back. He will have a scan in the next few days to find the damage."
Aaron Ramsdale set to start at Spurs
Pope’s absence comes at a time when the player was under pressure for his spot from summer signing Aaron Ramsdale. The former Arsenal goalkeeper signed for the Magpies on a season long loan from Southampton in August.
Ramsdale has made just four Newcastle United appearances so far. The goalkeeper has history with Spurs thanks to his time at Arsenal. Speaking after a 2-0 win in 2023, in which one Spurs fan entered the field of play, he said: "The Spurs fans gave me some throughout the game. I was giving some back. The people I did give it to greeted it in sportsmanlike terms, but one fan tried to give me a little punch on the back.
"It is a shame as it is just a game of football at the end of the day. Both sets of players tried to bring me away, but thankfully nothing too drastic happened. It is a sour taste, but I'm sure we will enjoy it when we go back into the dressing room."
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