The most important week of our season has arrived and it feels fairly very important that we get it off to a very good begin tonight.
Within the first of two journeys to London this week, Newcastle tackle West Ham within the 8pm kick off stay on Sky Sports activities earlier than heading to Wembley on Sunday for the Carabao Cup ultimate.
Outcomes went towards us over the weekend and noticed us drop to ninth within the Premier League, upping the significance of a win tonight to maintain our hopes of a prime 5 (Champions League end) effectively and really alive.
Right here’s the aspect we’re anticipating Eddie Howe to go together with and why towards Graham Potters Hammers:
(4-3-3): Dubravka – Trippier, Schar, Burn, Livramento – Guimaraes, Tonali, Joelinton – Murphy, Isak, Willock.
We’re going for 3 modifications from that FA Cup defeat to Brighton final outing, seeing Bruno Guimaraes, Joe Willock and Jacob Murphy are available for Lewis Miley, Harvey Barnes and Anthony Gordon; who begins his three-game ban tonight.
Beginning with the massive one – Alexander Isak – it’s a good time to recall Howe’s pre-match feedback in Friday’s press convention. Not solely did he verify the Swede is “positive” and coaching with no issues, he dominated out the concept of ‘resting’ gamers for the ultimate, as an alternative seeing Monday’s sport as key to constructing type, health and momentum.
On the different finish, Martin Dubravka mad a number of good stops towards Brighton and him beginning that sport could have been a results of Nick Pope’s struggles since returning to the aspect towards Forest and Liverpool.
With Tino Livramento all set to return in at left-back in Corridor’s absence, Kieran Trippier ought to proceed at right-back, with Dan Burn and Fabian Schar fairly nailed on at centre-back with out Sven Botman. Emil Krafth is a dependable possibility who may come into Howe’s considering, however I’d solely anticipate him to function if we returned to a again 5.
Harvey Barnes is our solely pure left-winger now Gordon is out. Nevertheless, he’s executed little or no to impress in latest months – he lacks depth, goes lacking in video games and simply doesn’t provide sufficient – so I can see us returning to that left-sided mixture of Joelinton and Joe Willock.
This will likely appear barely harsh on Lewis Miley, who would then miss out, however I believe the 2 Joe’s might be Howe’s left-side reply in Gordon’s absence, with Jacob Murphy additionally returning down the appropriate.
Requested if he’ll rotate or relaxation gamers with Sunday’s ultimate in thoughts, Howe gave an emphatic reply when talking to the media final Friday:
“No I don’t suppose so,” Howe mentioned when requested if he’ll relaxation sure gamers. “The main focus is on West Ham. It’s a Premier League sport. Our Premier League type is vastly essential to us and we have to get again on monitor in that respect.
“We have to really feel the momentum of successful and the most effective probability now we have of successful any cup is to enter the sport feeling nearly as good as we will. The one strategy to really feel good is to win, so we’ll choose our strongest workforce.
“Resting gamers doesn’t even come into my head. In case you suppose a participant not taking part in for 2 weeks earlier than an enormous sport is sweet for them then that’s not the case. They want common soccer to present them the most effective probability of being match, but additionally performing, so these gamers will play.”
How do you see us lining up tonight? Remark beneath together with your predicted line-ups…