Newcastle United will take on Wolverhampton this weekend, but what lineup will help the Magpies claim all three points at St. James’ Park?
Newcastle United’s loss to Chelsea last weekend dropped the squad back into the bottom three, which adds to the importance of Sunday’s clash against Wolverhampton. The Magpies need to get three points to temporarily climb out of the drop zone and build some momentum for the next few games, all of which are winnable, against West Ham (A), Bournemouth (H) and Aston Villa (A).
Newcastle United have been rocked with some injuries this week and this will impact Bruce’s lineup and bench rotation selections. Fabian Schar has been ruled out with a knee injury, specifically dealing with a medial collateral ligament (MCL) problem, and Andy Carroll will also be out with a groin injury he picked up last weekend. Matt Ritchie was seen training with the team this week, however, I do not expect Ritchie to be rushed back into action.
Newcastle United Lineup Prediction
My personal expectation is for the Magpies to emulate their performance from the 1-0 home win over Manchester United two weeks ago. That being said, I am predicting to see Steve Bruce revert back to the 3-4-3 formation with the aim of scoring multiple goals to improve the club’s terrible scoring record. With three in the back and three up top, here is my predicted starting lineup for Sunday’s match:
Predicted Lineup
- GK: Martin Dubravka
- DEF: Paul Dummett, Jamaal Lascelles, Ciaran Clark
- MID: Jetro Willems, Jonjo Shelvey, Sean Longstaff, DeAndre Yedlin
- ATT: Allan Saint-Maximin, Joelinton, Miguel Almiron
Fabian Schar has been the Magpies’ best defender and overall best player this season, so his loss is significant, however, the team is blessed with solid depth in defense. Federico Fernandez and Paul Dummett are the primary options to replace the injured Schar, but I think Bruce will pick Dummett over the former Argentina international because of his pace and athleticism.
In the middle of the park you’ll notice that my prediction only includes one Longstaff brother, Sean. Matty Longstaff had a dream debut against Manchester United, but he was average against Chelsea. Bruce will most likely be patient with the 19-year-old as a starter, but I expect him to be a primary substitute on Sunday. With Isaac Hayden serving his suspension, I think Bruce will turn to Jonjo Shelvey over Ki Sung-yueng because of his ability to orchestrate attacks with accurate passes.
Offensively, the team is desperate for some goals. Joelinton only has one goal to his name in nine matches, but he has been isolated far too often this season. As a result, I think Bruce will be giving him one more chance to perform with more support around him higher up the pitch. The same can be said for Miguel Almiron. If both players put in mediocre shifts, it would not come as a surprise to see Dwight Gayle and Christian Atsu or Matt Ritchie replace Joelinton and Almiron next weekend.