Back to a good old 3pm Saturday kick-off for Newcastle this weekend as Crystal Palace come to Toon.
Newcastle will feel they have a point to prove after having their pockets picked in Liverpool on Wednesday and hopefully they can take out their frustrations against Palace.
It definitely won’t be an easy game for the lads. Palace are having a good start to the season despite facing Man City, Liverpool and Arsenal already. They picked up a point at Liverpool and even took a 2-0 lead at Manchester City before they bounced back securing a 4-2 win, so they certainly won’t be a pushover.
Newcastle’s main task will be to keep Wilfred Zaha and Ebre Eze quiet. If the Toon Army get behind the lads enough that could help with Zaha as he can be easily riled up and when things start to go against him, his game goes to hell.
What's Your Prediction For Palace?
Newcastle Win
Draw
Palace Win
In his media conference this morning, Eddie Howe spoke about the fitness of Saint-Maximin and Guimaraes: “Bruno and Maxi are close. They weren’t serious injuries but we’ll wait and see whether they’re available for this weekend.”
Eddie Howe on injuries:
"Bruno and Maxi are close. They weren't serious injuries but we'll wait and see whether they're available for this weekend." pic.twitter.com/ULqaDBlWMQ
— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) September 2, 2022
Having either one of them back in action would be a huge boost. Isak looks like the kind of player who is absolutely going to thrive off having Bruno and Maxi feeding him through balls and crosses.
I also think that either one of those two coming back affects the result. I think Newcastle will have enough to see off Palace, especially with the fire in their bellies following on from Wednesday, but the scoreline will depend on having that extra creativity.
Prediction: 1-0 if Maxi and Bruno don’t play. 3-1 if either/both return.