Newcastle United: Proposed lineup vs. Chelsea

Newcastle United will host Chelsea at St. James’ Park on Saturday and Steve Bruce must deploy his best possible lineup against the Blues.

Newcastle United snapped their three-game losing streak when they drew 1-1 against Wolves last weekend, but the Magpies desperately need a win to maintain their current cushion from the relegation zone. At the moment, Newcastle United are five points above 18th-placed Aston Villa.

Chelsea will be coming to town with momentum on their side after defeating Burnley by three goals to nil last weekend. It is worth mentioning, though, that Frank Lampard’s side has struggled with consistency over the last few weeks. The Blues managed to win three of their last five games, but their 1-1 draw away to Brighton should encourage the Magpies to emulate the Seagulls’ ability to frustrate the boys from London.

That task is much easier said than done, though. The last time these two teams met, Newcastle United were well-organized in the back, but a 73rd minute goal from Marcos Alonso was enough to seal the deal at Stamford Bridge. Steve Bruce will hope his squad can stay competitive in this game as well, but in order to do so he must make some changes to the starting lineup.

Proposed Lineup vs. Chelsea

In goal, it is obvious that Bruce will, and should, stick with Martin Dubravka. The Slovakian keeper currently leads the Premier League with the most saves (90) this season. Bruce will have a selection dilemma on his hands when it comes to the back-line. Federico Fernandez should be given the nod as a result of his good run of form while others around him went down with a wide range of injuries.

The staff will be keeping their eyes on Fabian Schar’s progression, but to be on the safe side Ciaran Clark should start in his place. The Irish international has been a joy to watch this season and he is capable of banging in a goal or two from set pieces. Although Florian Lejeune is in better shape, Jamaal Lascelles should be a starter on Saturday. I do not expect the skipper to play 90 minutes, especially since he could not play until the final whistle against Rochdale on Tuesday, but he has developed quite the chemistry with Clark in the middle of that back-line, and that mutual understanding will be critical against a dynamic attacking core.

In central midfield, Bruce might be tempted to stick with the Longstaff brothers since Matty scored against Rochdale and Sean was praised by the head coach after the 1-1 draw against Wolverhampton. However, the best duo in the middle of the park against Chelsea would be Jonjo Shelvey and Isaac Hayden. Shelvey is the team’s leading scorer and the Magpies look more creative offensively when he is pulling the strings, and Hayden just does a phenomenal job of disrupting counter-attacks and recovering the ball, which is exactly what the Toon need against a top four side.

Out wide, just in front of the back three, Jetro Willems is a no-brainer for me, but I also think it is time for Matt Ritchie to start his first Premier League game since recovering from his ankle surgery. DeAndre Yedlin and Javier Manquillo provide more pace, but Ritchie is more aggressive and delivers accurate crosses into the box.

Finally, the front three should consist of Miguel Almiron, Joelinton and Allan Saint-Maximin.  Almiron has been on fire lately, but the Magpies have struggled without Saint-Maximin on the opposite wing. Bruce says Saint-Maximin is fit and he would certainly be a handful for Chelsea’s defenders. Joelinton is a risky selection, but he should start for the sole purpose of seeing if his goal against Rochdale was enough to break the ice for the Brazilian when it comes to scoring in the top flight.

Formation:

• 3-4-3

Lineup:

• GK: Martin Dubravka
• DEF: Federico Fernandez, Jamaal Lascelles, Ciaran Clark
• MID: Jetro Willems, Jonjo Shelvey, Isaac Hayden, Matt Ritchie
• ATT: Miguel Almiron, Joelinton, Allan Saint-Maximin