Newcastle United defender James Perch has warned his teammates that they will have to stop Tottenham winger Gareth Bale if they want to avoid defeat at White Hart Lane, PA reports.
The Welsh winger has been in superb form for Spurs this season and has helped them to third in the Premier League table, two places above Perch’s Newcastle. Bale has three goals in his last three games and Perch is aiming to stop the Welshman if they want a positive result at White Hart Lane. Newcastle drew 2-2 with Spurs at the Sports Direct Arena earlier in the season and Perch is confident they can continue their form, if they stop Bale. The Newcastle defender has praised teammate Danny Simpson in the wake of the game, who willl have the job of stopping Spurs’ winger.
Perch said: ‘He’s come on in leaps and bounds over the last couple of years. We know what we are going to get when we go down there. He’s quick, he’s strong, he can finish, he can shoot from outside the box, he can cross – he is the all-round player. Danny Simpson will have a job marking him. But the last few times he has played against Gareth Bale, he has done really well – outstandingly, in fact – to mark him.’
Spurs will be looking to close the gap to league leaders Manchester City to four points with a win against Newcastle, before City take to the field on Sunday against Aston Villa. Harry Redknapp’s side have had to cope with the speculation over their manager’s exit to the England job, as well as his tax evasion trial, and Spurs will be hoping to put the off-field headlines into the distance.
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