Tottenham and Stellini face defining period as Daniel…

Tottenham and Stellini face defining period as Daniel Levy's Conte decision put to true test

Tottenham's fate come the end of the 2022/23 Premier League campaign will likely all come down to how Cristian Stellini's men fare this month. Starting April by conceding a last-minute equaliser against Everton, Spurs missed a glorious opportunity to move into third in the table.

The draw leaves them level on 50 points with Newcastle United and Manchester United but their rivals, crucially, have two games in hand. The aforementioned teams will play the first of their two games on Wednesday evening, with the Magpies travelling to relegation-threatened West Ham and the Red Devils hosting Brentford.

While Tottenham have to concentrate on their own performances first and foremost and get the points on the board under Stellini, they are going to need a couple of favours along the way from other sides. Eddie Howe's Newcastle have come into form at just the right time after previously failing to turn draws into wins at the turn of the year.

Newcastle have won their past three league fixtures, including last Sunday against Manchester United, and they will be in confident mood of making it four on the bounce when they visit West Ham. Erik ten Hag's side have had a slight wobble of late and their extra matches to come in the Europa League and FA Cup could potentially cause a few more slip-ups in their final 11 league fixtures.

Brighton & Hove Albion are also very much in the mix for a Champions League berth as they are four points behind Tottenham but with two games in hand to play. The Seagulls have made great strides under Roberto De Zerbi and they could quite easily spring a major surprise in the run-in with Kaoru Mitoma a pivotal figure in their eye-catching team.

Brighton are indeed Tottenham's next opponents, with both sides meeting at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this coming Saturday. It is one of a number of crunch games coming up for the Lilywhites in April.

Hosting Bournemouth the following weekend in what will be a tough game with the Cherries fighting for their lives at the bottom of the Premier League table, showdowns with Champions League rivals Newcastle and Manchester United are to come before they visit Liverpool at the end of the month.

The matches against their top-four competitors really are going to prove pivotal to Tottenham's aspirations come the end of the campaign. Lose them and Stellini's side will have a major uphill battle in what remains of the season, especially with the others having games in hand and a more favourable set of fixtures in April.

If that is the case, with Spurs also performing poorly on the pitch, then it will also raise further questions about Daniel Levy's decision to part with Antonio Conte and appoint Stellini as acting head coach rather than looking to bring in a fresh face for the remainder of the season.

So how exactly does April look for Tottenham, Newcastle, Manchester United and Brighton in the Premier League? football.london takes a look below.

Wednesday, April 5

Manchester United vs Brentford

West Ham v Newcastle United

Saturday, April 8

Manchester United vs Everton

Brentford vs Newcastle United

Tottenham vs Brighton & Hove Albion

Saturday, April 15

Aston Villa vs Newcastle United

Chelsea vs Brighton & Hove Albion

Tottenham vs Bournemouth

Sunday, April 16