Newcastle Toons
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Newcastle must expose Fulham’s vulnerable defense

By Durim Halimi

NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 10: Salomon Rondon of Newcastle United celebrates with teammates Ayoze Perez and Ki Sung-Yeung after scoring his team's first goal during the Premier League match between Newcastle United and AFC Bournemouth at St. James Park on November 10, 2018 in Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 10: Salomon Rondon of Newcastle United celebrates with teammates Ayoze Perez and Ki Sung-Yeung after scoring his team's first goal during the Premier League match between Newcastle United and AFC Bournemouth at St. James Park on November 10, 2018 in Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images) /
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Newcastle United will look to win their second straight match when they play Fulham at St. James’ Park this weekend.

After a rough start this month with one draw and two losses, Newcastle United have claimed their first victory in December with a 1-0 win against Huddersfield Town on the road. The match against Huddersfield was the first of two must-win games for Newcastle this month.

The next crucial match for Newcastle will be against Fulham this weekend. Despite hiring the miracle man, Claudio Ranieri, as their new manager, Fulham still sit in the league basement with nine points from 17 matches. This should be Newcastle’s most lenient match of the entire season.

Fulham: Horrible Defense

The biggest and most obvious reason why Fulham are rock bottom in the league table is because of their horrendous defending. The Cottagers earned promotion last season, but they brought their Championship defenders along for the ride and start them on a weekly basis.

As a result, Fulham have conceded an alarming 42 goals in 17 matches, which translates to a league-worst 2.4 goals per match. From their 17 matches this season, Fulham have conceded at least three goals on seven occasions to a wide range of elite and mediocre opponents, which bodes well for Newcastle.

With Newcastle playing at home, the Magpies must emulate their level of offensive urgency from the match against Brighton (27 shot attempts) and they must look to be precise in their shooting as they were against Bournemouth. If Newcastle can play with confidence and look to push the ball forward via their wingers, they could dominate this match from start to finish.

All Eyes on Rondon

Rafa Benitez fought hard to bring Salomon Rondon to Tyneside this summer and his actions are paying off for Newcastle United. With four goals and one assist in his last six matches, Rondon is gradually developing the consistency that Newcastle have been lacking on the front line.

Now that Newcastle are set to face the worst defensive unit in the Top Flight, all eyes will be on Rondon to see how effective he can be against such a vulnerable back-line.

Next. 3 things we learned against Huddersfield Town. dark

Everything will depend on how often Newcastle will utilize their wingers in this match to bombard Fulham with crosses from the left and the right. My prediction is that Newcastle will have a field day against Fulham and that Rondon will find the back of the net twice.