Predicted Newcastle team v Chelsea – One change

The Mag

·27 ottobre 2024

Predicted Newcastle team v Chelsea – One change

Looking at this Newcastle team v Chelsea.

Eddie Howe and his players looking to bounce back from that defeat to Brighton.

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The last three Premier League matches have seen two goals conceded and one scored.

The hope being today that United can keep the quality of defending seen recently and indeed most of the season so far, but at the same time, start converting a reasonable number of the type very good chances that have been created in the last two games.

So what can we expect the Newcastle team v Chelsea to be?

As a starting point, this was the Newcastle team v Brighton:

Pope, Livramento, Schar, Burn, Hall, Joelinton, Bruno, Tonali, Gordon, Isak, Jacob Murphy

Eddie Howe gave an injury and availability update on Friday morning.

The Head Coach saying that Callum Wilson would be missing these next three games as the striker has experienced ‘tightness’ in his body so they don’t want to take any chances.

So Wilson will be missing today, along with Lascelles, Trippier and Botman.

Eddie Howe saying no new injuries to report.

Anyway, my take on all of this, my best guesstimate of the Newcastle team v Chelsea is:

Pope, Livramento, Schar, Burn, Hall, Joelinton, Bruno, Tonali, Gordon, Isak, Almiron

So that would make it just the one change from the Brighton match.

Almiron in for Jacob Murphy.

I thought there was a lot of positives to take from the Brighton match and if Isak and Gordon had taken some of their chances, then United could/would have won comfortably.

So I don’t see any need for drastic changes and I very much doubt Eddied Howe will.

I certainly can’t see any changes in defence.

Whilst I think the midfield trio of Bruno, Tonali and Joelinton are for sure starting to flourish together. I think the more the three of them play together, a lot of further improvement will come.

Isak and Gordon are automatic choices. That leaves one spot in the team.

I thought Jacob Murphy was really poor against Brighton and especially when it comes to ideas in the final third, he struggled.

I am not saying Miguel Almiron is the perfect solution but I think he has looked lively when getting minutes off the bench. So Eddie Howe could make this one change. Almiron of course is also a big help in terms of defending, with his workrate. The Paraguayan could/would be useful in helping United deal with Chelsea’s threat down Newcastle’s right.

With Wilson not available, I reckon Eddie Howe will be keen to keep the likes of Barnes and Willock as potential game changers in the final half hour. They didn’t manage to do much in that respect against a determined and packed Brighton defence, however, Chelsea’s defence in no way looks their biggest strength. So hopefully Newcastle starters and/or subs can make it count in front of goal today.

Newcastle United upcoming matches confirmed to end of January 2025:

Sunday 27 October – Chelsea v Newcastle (2pm) Sky Sports

Wednesday 30 October – Newcastle v Chelsea (7.45pm) Sky Sports+

Saturday 2 November – Newcastle v Arsenal (12.30pm) TNT Sports

Sunday 10 November – Forest v Newcastle (2pm) Sky Sports

Monday 25 November – Newcastle v West Ham (8pm) Sky Sports

Saturday 30 November – Crystal Palace v Newcastle

Wednesday 4 December – Newcastle v Liverpool (7.30pm) Amazon

Saturday 7 December – Brentford v Newcastle (3pm)

Saturday 14 December – Newcastle v Leicester (3pm)

Saturday 21 December – Ipswich v Newcastle (3pm)

Thursday 26 December – Newcastle v Villa (3pm) Amazon