Newcastle United resume their Premier League duties on Saturday as they travel to Craven Cottage to face newly-promoted Fulham.
The Toon Army are yet to hit their stride this term and find themselves 10th in the table. They have lost just once but have also failed to win since beating newbies Nottingham Forest on the opening day of the campaign.
The Geordies played out a 1-1 draw with Bournemouth before the international break and Eddie Howe will be desperate to bounce back to winning ways against Fulham.
Newcastle United Team News
Newcastle United have been handed a timely quintet of fitness boosts ahead of their visit to Fulham, with Callum Wilson and Bruno Guimaraes declared fit. Allan Saint-Maximin, who has been nursing a knock, has a chance of making the bench along with Elliot Anderson.
Jonjo Shelvey is also nearing a return quicker than expected from his hamstring problem having made excellent progress behind the scenes. But Alexander Isak (leg) and Chris Wood (rib) are unlikely to feature at Craven Cottage after picking up injuries on international duty with Sweden and New Zealand respectively.
Predicted Newcastle lineup vs Fulham (4-3-3)
Goalkeeper
Nick Pope, signed from Burnley in the summer, has been the club’s first-choice goalkeeper this term. Eddie Howe will need his goalkeeper in top form against Fulham’s exciting attacking unit.
Defence
Kieran Trippier and Matt Targett are expected to continue as the full-backs in the Newcastle lineup, and the central defensive partnership of Dan Burn and Fabian Schar is likely to remain unchanged as well from the last game.
The Newcastle defence is expected to face a tough time against the in-form Aleksandar Mitrovic, who has six goals in seven games this season.
Midfield
Bruno Guimaraes’ return to fitness is a big plus, and the Brazilian will join Joelinton and Joe Willock in the engine room. He will reprise the defensive role for Newcastle, allowing Joelinton and Willock to push forward and make late runs from midfield into the opposition’s box.
This means Sean Longstaff and Matt Ritchie will again have to be content with roles on the bench.
Attack
With Alexander Isak and Chris Wood unlikely to make the trip to Fulham, Howe will have to make alterations to the Newcastle lineup attack. Callum Wilson is expected to slot into the role vacated by Isak which will be a big boost for the manager.
Miguel Almiron and Ryan Fraser are likely to support Wilson in the final third, with the duo looking to create overloads inside the Fulham box. If Allan Saint-Maximin is fit enough for the bench, he could be of great help for the Magpies in the absence of Wood and Isak.