Newcastle United will look to continue their good form in the Premier League when they travel to Selhurst Park to face Newcastle United on Saturday evening.
The Magpies have won three of their last five Premier League games, including the narrow 1-0 victory over Fulham last weekend thanks to a late header for Alexander Isak. However, Eddie Howe’s side dropped to fourth in the table after Manchester United leapfrogged them into third with a point at Crystal Palace.
Eddie Howe and co. have the chance to reclaim the third spot right away or even go second in the table with a win should Manchester City drop points against Tottenham on Thursday evening.
Bruno Guimaraes suffered an ankle injury against Fulham and was taken off at half time. While he has avoided a serious injury, the Brazilian midfielder is certain to miss the game at Crystal Palace.
Meanwhile, Jonjo Shelvey, Matt Targett and Emil Krafth are all long-term absentees for Newcastle.
Goalkeeper
Nick Pope has proven to be a brilliant summer acquisition from Burnley. He is a sure-shot starter in goal for Newcastle.
Defence
Eddie Howe is set to stick with the same back four that started in the 1-0 win over Fulham, which means Kieran Trippier, Fabian Schar, Sven Botman and Dan Burn all start at Crystal Palace. Schar will resume his central defensive pairing with Botman, while Trippier and Burn continue operating from the full-back positions.
The entire Newcastle back four have to be wary of quick Palace counter-attacks as they look to keep another clean sheet.
Midfield
Up ahead in midfield, there is a possibility of Sean Longstaff essaying the No.6 role in Bruno Guimaraes’ injury absence. Joelinton could move to a deeper role in midfield from wide area, with Joe Willock already a key cog in the Magpies’ engine room.
Newcastle’s expected midfield trio of Longstaff, Joelinton and Willock will look to dominate the ball at the centre of the park and engineer enough clear-cut chances for the forwards.
Attack
Allan Saint-Maximin looks primed for a start after coming off the bench at half-time and making a positive impact against Fulham. The flashy Frenchman’s pace, dribbling skills and dynamism could make life difficult for the Palace defenders. He is expected to start on the left, while Miguel Almiron tries to give a good account of himself from the right flank.
Alexander Isak enjoyed a goal-scoring cameo off the bench against Fulham, although that is unlikely to prompt Howe to hand the Swede a start due to his injury layoff. This should see Callum Wilson lead the Newcastle attack again as he looks to get himself on the scoresheet against Crystal Palace.
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