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Predicted Newcastle team v West Brom tonight

4 years ago
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We now wait on the Newcastle team v West Brom to be unveiled.

Steve Bruce talking about making a number of changes.

However, still insisting he will put out his strongest possible starting eleven.

With a desperate run of form in the Premier League and one win in ten leaving Newcastle only five points above relegation, will he protect anybody ahead of Saturday at Southampton.

Well, on Monday Steve Bruce indicated that the likes of Gayle, Shelvey and Manquillo wouldn’t be in the side tonight, the trio having had their first starts in a while on Saturday, although they could still be on the bench.

A more contentious move though will be if Dubravka is replaced by Darlow for the FA Cup match, which appears very likely to be the case.

Andy Carroll is yet again missing with no timescale on a potential return, whilst a report overnight on Allan Saint-Maximin has very much put the cat amongst the pigeons. The Mail exclusive saying that ASM was dropped on Saturday and wasn’t injured, whilst they add that despite Bruce saying the player had back and hamstring issues and was a doubt for tonight, he is actually fully fit. Either way, it doesn’t sound like Saint-Maximin will start.

My feeling is that Steve Bruce will play a strong team but make a fair few changes.

So for me, Darlow in goal and Danny Rose the only one in the back four to keep his place.

Rose was terrible once again on Saturday but we don’t have a lot of other obvious options there and more importantly, the left-back came to Newcastle on the understanding he would play as many games as possible ahead of this summer’s Euros.

Yedlin in for Manquillo looks obvious, whilst Schar and Lejeune coming in for games would appear very likely, with then Bruce going back to Lascelles and Fernandez on Saturday.

I think we will see Matt Ritchie will move to the left so Lazaro can be accommodated on his favoured right wing position, whilst in the middle a rotation seeing Bentaleb and Sean Longstaff coming back in for Hayden and Shelvey.

It is widely reported that Joelinton will be moved back into the middle in the hope he can get confidence scoring once again against lower league opposition, with Miguel Almiron playing second striker. The Paraguayan doing pretty well on Saturday when he was Newcastle’s best player and main threat.

This is how I predict Steve Bruce’s Newcastle team v West Brom will look:

Here’s hoping whatever team Steve Bruce puts out, it is enough to see Newcastle in the sixth round…

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