The good news for Tottenham, however, is they are close to signing a new goalkeeper after reaching an agreement with Slavia Prague for 21-year-old Antonin Kinsky.

The absence of No 1 Guglielmo Vicario, who broke his ankle in the 4-0 win over Manchester City, is seen as one of the major reasons for Spurs’ recent drop-off, especially with how specifically Ange Postecoglou uses his goalkeepers.

Tottenham have been grateful for how Fraser Forster has stepped up but the club have been searching for an alternative since Vicario required ankle surgery in November after not signing a new No 2 in the summer.

At 25, Tottenham academy graduate Brandon Austin makes his competitive debut for Tottenham this afternoon.

Born in Hemel Hempstead, Austin has progressed through the ranks at Tottenham but has had to wait a long time for a shot between the posts.

He was on the bench 17 times last season, behind Guglielmo Vicario and Fraser Forster, but signed a new deal to 2029 in the summer.

He made loan moves to Viborg FF in Demark and Orlando City in the MLS , but has been at Tottenham since 2021 without making an appearance.

For Newcastle, Sven Botman starts in one of two changes as Tino Livramento replaces Kieran Trippier.

Botman replaces the suspended Fabian Schar and returns to defence after a long injury absence.

Big team news for both Tottenham and Newcastle. Spurs are ravaged with injuries and illness, and goalkeeper Brandon Austin makes his debut in place of Fraser Forster – who is not in the squad.

Lucas Bergvall starts in midfield, with Rodrigo Bentacur out and James Maddison and Yves Bissouma on the bench.

Captain Son Heung-min is also on the bench and Timo Werner joins Dominic Solanke and Brennan Johnson in defence.

Tottenham XI: Austin; Porro, Gray, Dragusin, Spence; Sarr, Kulusevski, Bergvall; Johnson, Solanke, Werner.

Newcastle XI: Dubravka; Livramento, Botman, Burn, Hall; Tonali, Guimaraes, Joelinton; Murphy Isak, Gordon.

Newcastle defender Fabian Schar will similarly serve a one-match suspension after his fifth booking of the season. Sven Botman is nearing his comeback from a long lay off but this game may come too soon. Kieran Trippier is a doubt.

Destiny Udogie is the latest Tottenham defender to suffer an injury issue, joining Ben Davies, Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero on the sidelines with goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario also out. Djed Spence is at least back from suspension, but Rodrigo Bentancur’s return to the team was brief with an accumulation of yellow cards causing the Uruguayan midfielder to miss this fixture.

Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on TNT Sports 1, with coverage on the channel from 11am GMT. Subscribers can stream via discovery+.

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A difficult recent run amid a number of defensive issues has caused Ange Postecoglou’s methods to come under question with Spurs slipping into the bottom half with hopes of even a European place next season in doubt.

There are no such concerns for Eddie Howe’s side, with four wins in a row in the league marking a perfect end to an up-and-down 2024.

That leaves them back in the hunt for a top four finish as they begin the year looking to start well on the road.