As the Magpies gear up for another huge test in the Premier League as they head to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to take on Antonio Conte’s Spurs, I take a crack at how I think we’ll lineup come 4:30 tomorrow.
It has been a busy week with two tough games played already. Manchester United proved a tough opponent to break down whereas Everton, despite having no real attacking threat, made it hard for us to score. With that in mind, I had expected that Howe would maybe change things around a bit, but on reflection, it’s really difficult to justify breaking up a winning team.
The one change I can see being made is Joelinton dropping to the bench, if he even makes it into the squad following the knock he picked up in the first half against Everton. Joe Willock, who looked like he was up for it on Wednesday will probably find himself in the starting lineup in place of Joelinton.
Bruno Guimaraes will keep his place in the team despite his girlfriend giving birth last night, if anything this will give him an extra incentive to play out of his skin, not that he needs anything to fire him up, but Tottenham should be very worried.
Should Howe Make Changes For Spurs?
No, stick with a winning side
Yes, guard against fatigue/injuries
Despite playing the last two games, Callum Wilson will likely lead the line as he’s more mobile than Chris Wood. Howe will of course be wary of asking too much of Wilson given his injury record, but this game is too big to be relying on misfiring Wood (There’s definitely a euphemism in there).
In an ideal world, Wilson will get back on the scoresheet, Trippier will bang one in against his old club and Bruno will score one for Matteo, but in all honesty, I’d be happy to come away with another draw.
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