Tottenham are a team in transition, and that transition is being paid for in pounds and pence. Roberto De Zerbi has spent £237 million since walking through the door in March, and the fingerprints of his style are all over this squad. But here's the rub: fitness is the enemy. Pedro Porro, Mohammed Kudus, Micky van de Ven, Destiny Udogie — all of them finished preseason without a single minute. That's a squad running on fumes before the season even starts. The recent opener at Brentford was a grind, a London derby that ended level, and you can see why. De Zerbi's high line needs legs, and those legs are in the treatment room.

Newcastle, meanwhile, are dealing with their own absentees. Joelinton and Burn are out, Livramento and Osula are doubtful. That's a chunk of spine missing. But here's the thing — the Magpies have a new man in Matthias Jaissle, and he's got them playing a 4-3-3 that's all about energy and verticality. They went toe-to-toe with Liverpool in their recent opener and came up short, but the performance had bite. Willock and Elanga are the live wires, and the front three of Osula, Wissa, and Woltemade has a bit of everything. The problem? Woltemade is struggling to find his feet, and that's a worry when you're away from home.