Newcastle United travel to Wembley on Saturday to face Spurs , fresh from their shock 2-1 victory over Man City.
And with Spurs suffering from injuries and fitness issues, Newcastle will fancy themselves to cause another upset.
A few months ago consecutive fixtures against City and Spurs had looked terrifying given Newcastle’s position.
But a surprise win against the defending champions has lifted spirits and confidence.
Tottenham will also be lining up with a few key players missing, with their bench leaving a lot to be desired.
This is something Newcastle simply must take advantage of on Saturday.
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The Toon now have 24 points for the season meaning they are just 16 points away from the safe haven of 40.
If The Magpies can take all three points against Spurs, it will leave them with 13 matches to pick up just 11 points.
They’ll never get an easier chance against a top six side, and Rafa Benitez and co. must try and take it.
Who’s missing for Spurs?
One thing Newcastle will be very pleased about it is not having to face Harry Kane.
An ankle injury has put the England striker out of action till March, leaving Spurs with just one option up front.
Back-up forward Fernando Llorente is a brilliant striker, but he’s far past his prime. He’s scored no goals in the league this season and managed just one league goal last term.
At 33 years old, the big man lacks mobility and mostly just provides an aerial threat.
But given Newcastle’s defenders showing dominance in the air this season, they’ll be more than prepared for the Spaniard.
The Lilywhites are also without key midfielder Dele Alli after he picked up a hamstring injury against Fulham.
Although they have plenty of cover in midfield, Erik Lamela and Lucas Moura have been inconsistent this season.
Adding to their misery is the presumably low fitness of Heung-min Son.
The South Korean winger was arguably their best player over Christmas, but has only just returned from a gruelling stint in the Asian Cup.
Even if he is fit to play against the Toon, he’ll likely be very tired as he also starred mid-week against Watford.
How well Spurs perform is going to depend very much on one man.
Spurs now reliant on Eriksen
Christian Eriksen has a lot of responsibility on his shoulders this weekend.
The Danish midfielder is one of the league’s classiest players, and along with Kane and Alli, one of Spurs’ best.
In the previous three seasons, he’s assisted 38 goals, a phenomenal record.
And last season he also hit a season high tally of 10 league goals.
Although his scoring consistency has dropped this campaign, the Danish superstar is still creating plenty of opportunities.
But given Spurs’ striking options, he’s going to have to put it on a plate for his teammates against Newcastle.
Sean Longstaff and Isaac Hayden showed against Man City that they aren’t overawed by big name central midfielders.
If the Toon duo can give a similarly rigid and stoic performance on Saturday, Eriksen will see his creativity stifled.
