Newcastle United will look to get rid of their early season misery when they face Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Saturday. The Magpies have lost four out of five games this season and will be desperate for a win in order to redeem themselves.
Crystal Palace, however, could be a tough nut to crack given their relatively solid performances. The Eagles have already secured two victories, the latest of which was against Huddersfield Town last week. Though they have lost three games, their performances have been impressive.
Newcastle were unlucky with the difficulty of the fixtures but the run in gets a little bit easier from now on as Benitez’s side have already faced Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal in the last few weeks.
Newcastle United Team news
Club captain Jamaal Lascelles is doubtful after twisting his ankle during the defeat to Arsenal last weekend. He might have to go through a late fitness test.
Jonjo Shelvey is in with a shout if he can prove his fitness. However, he might make the bench at best.
Predicted Newcastle United Lineup
Defence
Martin Dubravka will be the man between the sticks for Newcastle United this weekend. The Slovakian keeper will look to produce a better performance after a disappointing game against Arsenal last weekend.
Ciaran Clark and Jamaal Lascelles will be the preferred centre-back pairing. If, however, Lascelles isn’t able to start, we could see Clark pairing up with Federico Fernandez at the heart of the defence.
DeAndre Yedlin will retain his place as the right-back while Paul Dummett will be deployed on the opposite flank. Yedlin has been a key figure for the Magpies this season, averaging two tackles per game. It will be interesting to see how the American copes with the responsibility of stopping Wilfried Zaha.
Midfield
Mo Diame and Isaac Hayden are expected to start in midfield. Shelvey’s return will push the duo into putting in more work. Diame, especially, hasn’t been at his best and needs to put in a more authoritative performance in midfield.
Matt Ritchie will be deployed as the right midfielder with Jacob Murphy starting on the opposite flank. Ritchie struggled to influence the game against Arsenal while Murphy was often isolated. But, the duo could find it easier to exploit spaces against Crystal Palace this weekend.
Attack
The Newcastle attack will be led by Salomon Rondon, who will replace Joselu in the number nine position. The former West Brom striker will play slightly ahead of Ayoze Perez who is expected to play in a number 10 role.
Rondon
Murphy – Perez – Ritchie
Hayden – Diame
Dummett – Clark – Lascelles – Yedlin
Dubravka
Stat courtesy: Whoscored
