Alan Pardew has had to make a number of enforced decisions but also surprised a few people by playing Cheick Tiote’s ‘mini-me’ Gael Bigirimana alongside the Ivory Coast midfielder.
The team in full to face Reading is;
Harper, Perch, Williamson, Steven Taylor, Santon, Ben Arfa, Bigi, Tiote, Jonas, Ba and Cisse
The bench doesn’t look too bad with Anita joining Elliot, Tavernier, Ferguson, Obertan and both Ameobis.
Anybody reading our match preview would have had a big hint that Guthrie might not play after being left out of the midweek win at QPR.
This has proved to be the case with Danny Guthrie on the bench, the word from down there is that the ex-Newcastle player has been slowing the play down too much and they are preferring Karacan in their midfield, enabling them to play the high energy football that got them promoted.
Hopefully if Reading come at Newcastle it will play into our hands with the likes of Ba, Cisse and Ben Arfa counter-attacking.
I can’t see it finishing 0-0!
Sign up to BetVictor and get a £25 free matched bet, great odds today – Cisse 1st Goal 11/2 – Newcastle to win 1-0 17/2 – Demba Ba to score 2 or more goals 8/1
