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Newcastle United should not experiment against Royal Antwerp

By Durim Halimi

BOURNEMOUTH, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 24: Rafael Benitez Manager / head coach of Newcastle United during the Premier League match between AFC Bournemouth and Newcastle United at Vitality Stadium on February 24, 2018 in Bournemouth, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
BOURNEMOUTH, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 24: Rafael Benitez Manager / head coach of Newcastle United during the Premier League match between AFC Bournemouth and Newcastle United at Vitality Stadium on February 24, 2018 in Bournemouth, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images) /
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With eight matches remaining in the season, Newcastle United must prepare for Huddersfield Town with a quality performance against Royal Antwerp.

With the match against Tottenham at Wembley Stadium being postponed, Newcastle will not be playing for points this week. Instead, the Magpies will be playing a friendly match against Belgian side Royal Antwerp in Alicante, Spain on Sunday.

Rafa Benitez is wise for deciding to play a friendly match during a three-week break from Premier League action. Coming off an impressive 3-0 victory over Southampton, it is important for the club to stay focused and motivated.

While Newcastle are the superior team in this match, it is important that the Magpies take the friendly seriously. Royal Antwerp is an inferior club that is currently eighth in the Belgian First Division, but Newcastle must give maximum effort.

Important Friendly

If this was a pre-season friendly, it would be normal to see new faces in the lineup, but now is not the time for experimenting. Benitez will understandably be cautious of injuries on this short trip, but he must test his usual starting eleven.

The whole purpose of this friendly is to best prepare for taking three points from Huddersfield Town on March 31. With that objective in mind, the Magpies must build on their performance against Southampton by emulating the tactics from that victory.

Tactical Preparation

Precision will be the key to success against both Royal Antwerp on Sunday and against Huddersfield Town in a few weeks. The proper utilization of scoring opportunities made the victory against Southampton even more impressive. The key to precision is not as simple as shooting the ball accurately.

Precision comes as a result of effective ball movement and creating high-percentage scoring opportunities inside the penalty area. Newcastle did this effectively against the Saints, with quick and accurate passes through the middle and from the wings.

For most of the season, the Magpies have not maintained most of the possession in matches, but they have passed the ball well recently. Against Royal Antwerp, Benitez should emphasize the importance of passing the ball around several times before shooting.

Stringing together consecutive passes will create better field spacing, make defenders tired and increases the probability of a high-percentage shot.

March 17: Huddersfield Town vs. Crystal Palace

While Newcastle play a friendly match on Sunday, Huddersfield Town will host Crystal Palace on Saturday. A victory against Crystal Palace would temporarily place the Terriers above Newcastle in the table, a scenario which should give the Magpies extra motivation.

A victory for Crystal Palace would create more competition for Newcastle in the relegation fight, but the Magpies would still have more points. The outcome Newcastle supporters should hope for in the match between Huddersfield Town and Crystal Palace is a draw.

Next: Top five transfer needs for Newcastle United

A draw would keep both clubs below Newcastle in the standings before the Magpies take on the Terriers at St. James’ Park on March 31.