With pre-season done and dusted the focus now is on the first game of the season at St James’ Park on Saturday where Newcastle will take on newly promoted Nottingham Forest.
Eddie Howe will no doubt have a good idea of his starting eleven with only a few days left for players to impress in training. Given the performances in pre-season, I’ve gone with what I think the lineup will look like with no new signings on the horizon and Jonjo Shelvey likely to miss out with a knock.
One player I didn’t expect to be putting on the opening game lineup a few weeks ago is Miguel Almiron, but the Paraguayan has been on fire in pre-season with six goals and two assists to his name. Newcastle fans will be hoping and praying that he can replicate that kind of form in the league, or at least partially replicate it.
Another player who has earned a slot in the squad, albeit not the starting eleven, is Elliot Anderson. The youngster was given plenty of chances to prove his worth to Eddie Howe and he did just that. The Toon Army have taken an instant shine to him, seeing firsthand what all the Bristol Rovers fans were singing about last season. For me, he’s absolutely earned a spot on the bench and could be the next game-changing super sub for Newcastle with a view to becoming a solid starter.
Has Elliot Anderson Done Enough To Earn A Spot In The Matchday Squad?
Yes
No
Even if Eddie Howe and Dan Ashworth pull off another signing before Saturday it’s unlikely that they will slot straight into the starting eleven, so we are definitely looking at choosing from the current crop. Who would be in your starting eleven? Let us know in the comments.
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