Newcastle United plan to claim the double over Huddersfield Town after winning the first match on the road in December.
Newcastle United earned a minimal victory over Huddersfield Town in December and the Magpies are planning to emulate that final outcome tomorrow at St. James’ Park. Huddersfield Town have struggled all season as they sit in the bottom of the table with an alarming 11 points. Newcastle are in the hot seat as well by sitting in 16th place so late in the season, but the club’s form over the last month has given supporters a reason to be optimistic.
Tomorrow’s match might have the lowest television ratings in England, but it is of major importance for both teams and their respective supporters. Huddersfield are in dire need of a resurgence and they will try to revive their season against Newcastle. The Magpies will look to climb the table to land a spot as far away as possible from the bottom three.
Match Preview
On paper, this match should belong to Newcastle, but even though Rafa Benitez’s men won the previous match, it is worth mentioning that Huddersfield Town outplayed their northern visitors. Newcastle were simply fortunate to bury their only good look at goal thanks to precise shooting from Salomon Rondon.
That being said, do not be surprised if Newcastle only manage to squeeze by with another minimal victory. Things are not looking good for Huddersfield on either side of the ball. The Terriers have only scored 14 goals and have conceded a devastating 48 goals. This means that the longer Huddersfield fail to score in tomorrow’s match their defense will have to put in extra work to prevent goals in the other direction.
At this stage in the season, most of Newcastle’s starting eleven is predictable, but the key question on everyone’s mind is whether or not Benitez will start Miguel Almiron. The former MLS star should start against a weak Premier League side as it would give Newcastle’s staff and supporters an idea of how dangerous the duo of Almiron and Rondon can be against a porous back-line.
Newcastle have sufficient talent to score multiple goals tomorrow like they did against Cardiff City in January, but the lack of midfield play from Huddersfield might hinder Newcastle’s game plan. The Terriers like to make a few passes and launch the ball forward, making it difficult to intercept passes in the middle of the park for a counter-attack. Regardless, Newcastle will be expected to handle business against the worst team in the Top Flight and it will be exciting to see Almiron in action as he makes his home debut with the club, at least we hope!