After drawing 1-1 with Chelsea on Wednesday night, it feels like a completely new Newcastle United starting XI will face Brighton.
The Magpies travel to New Jersey for their third and final game of the Premier League Summer Series, and Eddie Howe will be keen to end the trip to America with a win.
Brighton will prove to be strong opposition, while the quick turnaround and travel means it could be a very challenging game at the Red Bull Arena.
There should be changes aplenty, and this is our predicted Newcastle XI to face Brighton
Nick Pope starts after Chelsea cameo
Nick Pope made his return from injury on Wednesday night, coming off the bench to replace Martin Dubravka for the second half against Chelsea.
The £10million man was absolutely outstanding, and produced some sensational saves to keep the score at 1-1.
Pope immediately reminded fans just how valuable he is, and he will be keen to get more minutes under his belt.
While there should be wholesale changes, Pope is one of few players we anticipate will feature in the Brighton game as well as the Chelsea one. He should at least get another 45 minutes in the tank, before handing the gloves to Loris Karius.
Limited midfield options for Newcastle
With Sean Longstaff and Joe Willock seemingly unlikely to feature as they continue their recovery from injury, Howe has limited midfield options to choose from.
Bruno Guimaraes and Elliot Anderson are nailed on to start, but Newcastle might have to turn to Matt Ritchie to play in the middle – unless Howe decides to pick Lewis Miley, Sandro Tonali or Joelinton again, although that would come as a surprise.
That would be a big ask for Ritchie, whose lack of speed could allow Brighton to expose him.
Harvey Barnes starts against Brighton
He was not involved on Wednesday, so it feels all but certain that Harvey Barnes will start against Brighton.
If that is the case, it will be a first start for the £38million man. He looked decent during a 20 minute cameo against Aston Villa, but will want to show what he can do over a longer period of time.
Barnes will be desperate to do well, otherwise he might struggle to force his way into Howe’s starting lineup for the Premier League opener against Aston Villa in two weeks.
Predicted XI vs Brighton: Pope; Ashby, Lascelles, Dummett, Targett; Anderson, Bruno, Ritchie; Murphy, Wilson, Barnes.
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