Winless in five, Newcastle United will be desperate to return to winning ways and get their top-four bid back on track in the game vs Wolves to St. James’ Park on Sunday.
Newcastle United are back in action at St. James’ Park with a massive match vs Wolves on Sunday. The game could have telling ramifications on their top-four intent. The Magpies are itching to taste victory again after failing to do so since the second leg of the League Cup semi-finals.
The Toon have lost three in a row and are winless in their last five games. Newcastle United are struggling at the moment, currently sitting sixth. And even though they have some matches in hand on the clubs immediately above them, it is not a stretch to say they are hanging by a thread in a European spot, as they are just two points clear of Fulham and three points ahead of Brighton.
Newcastle’s impressive first half of the season, in which they only lost once, has kept them in the Champions League conversation. And a couple of wins before the international break could put Newcastle in a stronger position ahead of the last 12 Premier League fixtures.
Wolves, meanwhile, are still struggling, having managed just one win in their last four outings. They picked up a massive morale-booster of three points at home to Tottenham last time out. Adama Traore was an unlikely hero for Julen Lopetegui’s team, scoring late to help Wolves edge past Spurs 1-0.
Despite a disastrous start to the season, Wolves have put some distance between themselves and the bottom three since the arrival of new boss Julen Lopetegui, currently enjoying a five-point buffer over 18th-placed Everton.
However, they can ill afford to take their eyes off the ball at this crucial stage of the season. And picking up back-to-back wins against two Big Six opponents will further boost their bid for top-flight survival.
The two sides met at Molineux in the reverse Premier League fixture in late August, with Allan Saint-Maximin’s dramatic stoppage-time volley enabling the Magpies to salvage a 1-1 draw after Ruben Neves had put Wolves ahead with a wonder strike of his own. Ahead of their latest meeting, The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams.
Team News & Tactics
Newcastle United
🎙 Eddie Howe has been speaking to the media ahead of #NEWWOL:
"We hope Fabian Schär will be in the squad. He's trained well this week so I'm pleased to see him back.
We have a couple of knocks from the Man City game but we hope it's nothing too serious." pic.twitter.com/fR7n13N17M
— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) March 10, 2023
Newcastle will have to cope without the stalwart presence of Joelinton for the next two crucial matches against Wolves and at Nottingham Forest, with the Brazilian powerhouse picking up his 10th yellow card of the campaign against Manchester City, resulting in a ban. Otherwise, Emil Krafth remains the only long-term injury absentee.
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has revealed that he hopes Fabian Schar will be available for the match after being left out of the squad last time out due to concussion protocol, while Alexander Isak is in a ‘good place’ and ‘feeling good.’
While Eddie Howe may resist wholesale changes after the Toon created enough chances to take something away from the Etihad last weekend, their profligacy in front of goal is starting to cost them.
Wilson appears to be a shell of the player who powered them to third place before the World Cup and may need some rest with a similarly leggy Miguel Almiron. It’s fair to say Isak and Saint-Maximin have looked considerably more dangerous recently and deserve a chance to play together from the start, while Anthony Gordon also needs a consistent run of games to showcase his talents.
A back-fit Matt Targett should also come into the starting XI to replace Dan Burn, who has struggled to provide any width in recent weeks. Targett is no rampaging full-back, but his capacity to drive forward and hit crosses into the box might help to balance an attack that is becoming too lopsided, with Trippier acting as the right-sided creator.
Joe Willock will replace the suspended Joelinton in midfield to form a midfield trio alongside Sean Longstaff and Bruno Guimaraes. There should also be a change at the back, with Fabian Schar coming back into the side for club captain Jamaal Lascelles to partner Sven Botman in front of goalkeeper Nick Pope.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Pope; Trippier, Schar, Botman, Targett; Sean Longstaff, Guimaraes, Willock; Gordon, Isak, Saint-Maximin
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolves have a number of players sidelined for this game, including long-term absentees like Sasa Kalajdzic, Chiquinho, and Hugo Bueno. Boubacar Traore and Hwang Hee-chan are also expected to miss out for the visitors. Meanwhile, Diego Costa was stretchered off the pitch against Spurs. Still, Wanderers head up north in high spirits after a brilliant victory over Tottenham Hotspur.
Wolves’ defence is a tough nut to crack under Julen Lopetegui, who has brought in increased defensive stability since taking over after the World Cup. January arrival Craig Dawson has also helped in organising and marshalling things at the back alongside Max Kilman, flanked by Jonny Otto and Nelson Semedo. Jose Sa also appears to have been back to his best recently for Wolves.
🤤 The @rubendsneves_ pass
😎 The @daniel_podence finishCatch the latest from training ⤵️
— Wolves (@Wolves) March 10, 2023
In midfield, Lopetegui can call upon Mario Lemina to bring physicality and dynamism in the middle of the park alongside technical personnel in the likes of Ruben Neves, and Joao Moutinho as they look to engineer some scoring opportunities for players up front.
Raul Jimenez put on a fantastic display against Spurs, linking up really well with those around him. Pablo Sarabia has not quite lived up to his billing just yet, but would still be preferred over Daniel Podence, who was left out completely last weekend for tactical reasons, per Lopetegui. There is every chance Adama Traore might get another chance to impress after his heroics against Tottenham.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Jose Sa; Semedo, Dawson, Kilman, Jonny; Neves, Lemina, Moutinho; Adama Traore, Jimenez, Sarabia
Key Stats
- Since their return to the Premier League in 2018, Wolves have conceded just once in all nine of their games vs Newcastle United, although they have managed just two victories across those nine games (D6 L1).
- Wolves have won five of their 11 league games under Julen Lopetegui (D2, L4).
- Wolves have scored the fewest goals in the Premier League (19).
- Even after conceding in four straight Premier League matches, Newcastle have the best defensive record in the country and have allowed eight fewer goals than the next closest team.
- Wolves have won just two of their 13 matches in this season’s Premier League.
Player to Watch
Bruno Guimaraes
Newcastle United must rediscover their cutting edge as soon as possible. And while holding midfielders are rarely called upon to produce the goods in the final third, the Magpies find themselves in such a scenario due to the inefficiency of their attackers in the final third.
Injuries, knocks, and suspensions have kept Bruno Guimaraes out of first-team action for periods this season. And that has proven costly for Newcastle in recent times as they have dropped too many points and failed to score enough goals.
Bruno Guimaraes brings a spark and an assurance to the backline and attack, as well as much-needed flair to Newcastle in the middle of the park. And amid Newcastle’s bid to tie him to a new contract, The Hard Tackle expects him to flourish this weekend against Wolves.
Prediction
Newcastle United 2-0 Wolves
The history books forecast that this match will end in a stalemate. And the recent run of results for the meetings between both teams backs that up. Five of the last seven games between Newcastle United and Wolves have finished all square.
The lack of bite in the final third has been the hosts’ biggest problem. Newcastle created good chances against Manchester City, Liverpool, and Manchester United. But they are massively underperforming their xG. They need their strikers to start putting them away to stay in the hunt for a top-four spot.
Wolves, meanwhile, got a great win over Tottenham last week. But they are not out of the relegation scrap yet. The visitors will make life difficult for Newcastle, but the Hard Tackle are still going for a home win, which should give them good momentum heading into the final phase of the campaign.
