Harvey Barnes set to start for Newcastle United in Sela Cup
By Cade Cracas
Newcastle United heads into the coming weekend in hopes of securing new silverware to add to the trophy case.
On Saturday and Sunday, the Magpies will go up against opponents in hopes of securing wins in the Sela Cup, a few preseason bouts that take place at St. James Park in order to gear up teams for their upcoming league play.
Throughout the preseason, the Magpies have played extremely well. During their United States Summer Tour, they pieced together two wins and a tie, showcasing extreme poise heading into a high-pressure 2023-24 campaign.
Now, finally returning home to St. James Park, they will host the Sela Cup and take on two opponents in Italian side Fiorentina and Spain’s Villarreal. The Sela Cup announcement came in early July after the club formally brought in the company as their jersey sponsor.
The tournament format will see teams awarded three points for a win, one point for a draw and an additional point per goal scored, according to the Newcastle United press release.
After the tournament comes to a close, the overall winner will be presented with the cup trophy, brought to the tournament by VisitMalta.
So, what should be expected from Manager Eddie Howe in terms of player personnel?
Howe announced earlier this week that he will be splitting the squads into two different units, just like he did against Chelsea and Brighton during the U.S. Tour.
Expect to see the likes of Elliot Anderson, Lewis Miley and Jay Turner-Cooke be given opportunities to play in either contest, with Anderson more than likely playing in both as he fights for a rotational spot in the coming season.
Defensively, the Magpies will be without Fabian Schar due to injury, so the team captain, Jamaal Lascelles will be given an opportunity to start. Howe has expressed his desire to utilize him more often this coming season, so giving him time to perfect his game has to be on the agenda.
In regards to the offense, this is where things get interesting.
The team obviously has a fairly loaded attacking room as the team brought in forward Harvey Barnes towards the back half of July.
Fortunately, it looks like Barnes will be able to get as comfortable with his squad as possible ahead of the team’s Premier League opener as Howe is looking to give him starting reps this weekend.
This will give the Toon Army a real opportunity to see what he has to offer with home-field advantage.
Below Newcastle Toons has provided their starting lineup predictions for both outings this weekend:
Fiorentina: Pope; Trippier, Lascelles, Burn, Targett; Tonali, Bruno, Anderson; Murphy, Wilson, Barnes.
Villarreal: Pope; Trippier, Lascelles, Burn, Targett; Tonali, Joelinton, Anderson; Gordon, Isak, Murphy.
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