Newcastle United are set to square off against Aston Villa at St. James’ Park on Saturday, hoping to make it three wins on the bounce in the Premier League.
With four wins in their last five games, including victories over Spurs and Everton, the Magpies have climbed up to fourth in the table ahead of Chelsea and Man United. They are a team with great momentum having collected 21 points from their opening 12 league matches.
While the Toon Army’s confidence and spirits are extremely high at the moment, Eddie Howe will be wary of Aston Villa, who head to Tyneside off the back of an impressive 4-0 win over Brentford.
Emil Krafth, Alexander Isak and Matt Ritchie have all been ruled out until after the World Cup. Allan Saint-Maximin has suffered a setback in his recovery from a hamstring problem, which will keep the French winger out for some time.
Jonjo Shelvey played his first game of the season against Tottenham last weekend and is available for selection again.
Goalkeeper
Nick Pope will be hoping to continue his strong form in goal and keep a clean sheet when Aston Villa pay a visit to Newcastle United at the weekend.
Defence
Newcastle United have the best defensive record in the Premier League this season, and the likes of Kieran Trippier, Fabian Schar, Sven Botman and Dan Burn can take great credit for the huge role they have played. They are set to keep their spots in the backline in the Newcastle lineup, hoping to produce a solid defensive performance to keep Aston Villa at bay.
Midfield
Bruno Guimaraes has been nothing short of brilliant this term, making both defensive and offensive contributions to Eddie Howe’s team. He will reprise his No.6 role in midfield in the Newcastle lineup, trying to dictate the tempo of the game against Aston Villa.
Joelinton and Sean Longstaff will join Bruno in Newcastle’s engine room.
Jonjo Shelvey, Ryan Fraser and Joe Willock will be available for selection on the bench as they wait for their opportunities to make an impact after the interval if required.
Attack
Jacob Murphy is expected to be recalled to the Newcastle lineup after coming on as a second-half substitute in the 2-1 win over Spurs. He will try to put his pace to good use on the left flank while Miguel Almiron aims to continue his purple patch in front of goal for the home side.
Murphy and Almiron must provide good service from wide areas for Callum Wilson to thrive in the box. Wilson should be raring to get himself on the scoresheet at the weekend after netting in the win over Spurs.
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