This Newcastle United XI should comfortably defeat West Brom

Newcastle United will take on West Brom this weekend, and the expectation among fans is three points.

After having their game against Aston Villa postponed last Friday, Newcastle United will be back in action this weekend to host West Brom at St. James’ Park. The Baggies have struggled in their return to the Premier League as they find themselves in the bottom three with Burnley and Sheffield United.

Newcastle United are coming off a 2-0 victory against Crystal Palace, a team that just handed West Brom a 5-1 defeat at the Hawthorns. With the first team back in training, Steve Bruce will have his best players at his disposal to deploy a strong lineup. That being said, here is the lineup Bruce should select to get the job done against relegation-threatened West Brom.

Formation: 4-2-3-1

The same shape that was used against Crystal Palace should be used against West Brom. Joelinton excelled in the number ten role as he took seven shots, scored a goal, and linked up extremely well with Callum Wilson.

Newcastle United XI vs. West Brom

Even if Martin Dubravka has recovered from his injury, Bruce will not just drop Karl Darlow, especially not after he shut out Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. The back-line should remain unchanged from last time out, and, yes, that means Ciaran Clark should start over captain Jamaal Lascelles, who missed the last game due to injury and has not been able to properly train since then.

Isaac Hayden missed the last game after testing positive for COVID-19, but Bruce said he would have selected him if that was not the case. Hayden should get the nod this time around, and he should be paired with the Magpies’ primary source of creativity, Jonjo Shelvey.

The trio ahead of them should consist of Miguel Almiron and Allan Saint-Maximin in the wide areas, and Joelinton is the clear choice for playing between them, just off of the lone striker. No reports have come out indicating whether or not Saint-Maximin is fit for this clash, but Matt Ritchie should take the Frenchman’s place if he is doubtful.

The man leading the front line, and the first name on the team sheet, should be Callum Wilson. With seven goals to his name already, Wilson is capable of being a nightmare for a West Brom defense that has conceded 23 goals this season.

Recap

Darlow; Manquillo, Fernandez, Clark, Lewis; Hayden, Shelvey; Almiron, Joelinton, Saint-Maximin; Wilson.