Newcastle United simply must get back to winning ways when they take on Wolverhampton Wanderers this weekend.
Eddie Howe’s Newcastle welcome Wolves to St James’ Park, as they look to pick up just their second Premier League win of 2023.
This is proving to be a difficult spell for the Magpies, while Wolves arrive on Tyneside full of confidence. They beat Tottenham Hotspur last week, in a result that boosted their survival aspirations and helped Newcastle’s Champions League bid.
It will be a very difficult game for Howe’s side, and this is the predicted Newcastle lineup for Sunday’s match with Wolves
Jamaal Lascelles keeps his place in Newcastle starting lineup
The big surprise last week against Manchester City was Jamaal Lascelles starting. He came in for Fabian Schar, who had suffered a concussion in the Carabao Cup final defeat to Manchester United.
The skipper performed well at the Etihad, giving Howe limited reason to replace him. It would be slightly harsh after playing so well up against Erling Haaland.
But Schar has been brilliant this season, giving the Toon boss something of a selection dilemma. However, we believe that Howe will keep faith in Lascelles and name an unchanged backline.
Joe Willock replaces joelinton against Wolves
There will be one enforced change in midfield, with Joelinton suspended. He is going to miss the next two games, and won’t return until April 2nd when the Magpies welcome Man United to St James’ Park.
It seems obvious who Howe will pick to replace Joelinton, with Joe Willock ready to return to the side. He will join Sean Longstaff and Bruno Guimaraes in the middle, with the latter’s future a hot topic of conversation this week.
The Brazilian will be keen to impress, having missed the reverse fixture at the start of the season. Newcastle and Wolves shared the points on that day thanks to Allan Saint-Maximin’s incredible late equaliser.
Eddie Howe makes big changes in attack
Speaking of Saint-Maximin, we want to see him start on Sunday. Howe’s side are clearly struggling for goals, so it is time to completely change up the forward line.
Callum Wilson needs a spell out the side as the 31-year-old is massively struggling right now, while Alexander Isak always looks lively as a substitute. It’s time to see what he can do as a regular starter.
He should be joined by ASM, who was dropped for last week’s trip to the Etihad. But the Wolves game is better suited to Saint-Maximin, who will look to combine with his close friend Isak.
While he appeared to miss training during the week, we hope Anthony Gordon is fit to start. But we have him changing positions, going from the left to the right. That means Miguel Almiron is on the bench, but the £21million man is due a break and appears to be struggling for form.
A new look front three of ASM, Isak and Gordon could cause Wolves real problems with its speed and versatility, and hopefully it is the key to picking up a vital three points.
Predicted XI vs Wolves: Pope; Trippier, Lascelles, Botman, Burn; Longstaff, Bruno, Willock; Gordon, Isak, Saint-Maximin.
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