The final Premier League game of the season for Newcastle and Tottenham won’t have the incredibly high stakes either were hoping for. Newcastle are now relegated, while Spurs aren’t winning the league. However, their Championship Sunday matchup should still be pretty interesting as both teams look to end the season on a high.
Read on below for our preview of these two clubs’ Premier League season finale. And for coverage of the EPL’s last day, check out our preview of Chelsea vs. Leicester City.
Well, it’s over. Newcastle couldn’t pull off the great escape, and have now been officially relegated from the Premier league after Sunderland’s win over Everton in midweek. Newcastle couldn’t manage to beat bottom club Aston Villa last weekend, which effectively sealed their fate.
Rafa Benitez’s men have gone on a five-match unbeaten run, which is good, but three draws – even if two were against Manchester City and Liverpool – just weren’t good enough.
Newcastle now have just pride to play for in their final game of the season. However, they’ll surely want to give their home supporters something to cheer for in their last Premier League home game for the foreseeable future.
Although the Magpies struggled mightily in front of goal away at Villa, they’ve been much better at finding the back of the net at St. James’ Park. They’ve scored at least one goal in their last eight home games.
They’ve also been able to get the results to go along with those goals, with four wins, three draws and just one loss in that eight-game stretch.
Betting on Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham’s season basically ended when they could only manage a draw with West Brom on April 25. That result effectively ended any realistic hope Spurs still had of winning the title. A week later, they squandered a two-goal lead at Stamford Bridge which officially handed the title over to Leicester.
Spurs’ end-of-season slide continued last Sunday as they were beaten 2-1 at home by Southampton. Once again, they took the lead care of a Heung-Min Son goal, but once again they failed to hang on to it.
The absence of Dele Alli, who will serve the last game of his three-match ban after punching an opponent against West Brom, has been a significant factor in their slump. But the demoralizing effect of missing out on the title has also taken its toll.
However, Spurs still have something to play for in the final day against Newcastle. After their three-match winless skid, Tottenham are now just two points in front of Arsenal for second-place in the table. Allowing their fierce city rivals to overtake them would be unacceptable for Spurs, tarnishing an otherwise successful season.
A draw would be enough to secure second, although Spurs and Newcastle haven’t drawn in their last eight league meetings. The away team has won five of the last six matchups, though, a trend which favors Spurs.
Writer’s Prediction
Tottenham (-137) end their season on a high by recording a 2-1 away win.
