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Newcastle United must be cautious against Cardiff City

By Durim Halimi

NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND - AUGUST 11: Salomon Condon of Newcastle United is tackled by Ben Davies of Tottenham Hotspur during the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur at St. James Park on August 11, 2018 in Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom. (Photo by Tony Marshall/Getty Images)
NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND - AUGUST 11: Salomon Condon of Newcastle United is tackled by Ben Davies of Tottenham Hotspur during the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur at St. James Park on August 11, 2018 in Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom. (Photo by Tony Marshall/Getty Images) /
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Newcastle United will be aiming to take three points from Cardiff City on Saturday, but the Magpies must be cautious.

After losing to Tottenham on opening day, Newcastle United have turned their attention to their next opponents, Cardiff City. The newly-promoted side from South Wales have been unanimously selected as relegation favorites by every sports media outlet.

Despite being tapped for a spot among the bottom three, Cardiff City will be playing to prove doubters wrong, just as Huddersfield Town and Brighton did last season. The Bluebirds will be looking to rebound at home against Newcastle after the newcomers were defeated 2-0 by Bournemouth last Saturday.

This clash between Newcastle and Cardiff City will not attract much neutral attention, but it will most likely be an intense match full of 50/50 duels. Newcastle will be the favorites to win this match on paper, but here are two reasons why Rafa Benitez’s side should be wary of Cardiff City.

Newcastle vs. Promoted Clubs

Newcastle have the difficult task of securing their first victory of the season away from home against a newly-promoted side. Just like last season, the Magpies started the season at home against Tottenham and then traveled to face fellow-promoted side, Huddersfield Town. Newcastle started last season with two straight losses.

In addition to losing to Huddersfield Town on the road, Newcastle also lost on the road against Brighton. This poor track record comprised of losses on the road to Premier League newcomers does not bode well for the Magpies heading into this weekend.

With Swansea City now in the EFL Championship, Cardiff City is the only Welsh side in the Premier League. This means that Cardiff City Stadium will be booming on Saturday and the atmosphere could be problematic for Newcastle. Neil Warnock’s side are much weaker on paper, but they will play with fervent energy against Newcastle to earn their first positive result in the Top Flight.

Defensive Uncertainty

The absence of Florian Lejeune was felt in the loss to Tottenham, and now the absence of DeAndre Yedlin will only add more instability to Newcastle’s defense. Newcastle conceded seven goals in five preseason matches and that trend continued when Tottenham score two simple goals on the Magpies over the weekend.

Newcastle’s defensive performance does not need to be perfect, nor close to it, but there must be constant communication against Cardiff City. With new faces taking over on the back-line, Jamaal Lascelles will need to be a vocal leader and coordinate how his team-mates cover certain players.

If Newcastle can maintain defensive solidity in this match, the Magpies can focus on asserting their offensive dominance against Cardiff City’s vulnerable defense to score multiple goals. A win against Cardiff City will be great for confidence ahead of a difficult string of matches. A loss could cause major problems in terms of confidence over the next few weeks.