Newcastle United will be hopeful of making further headway towards the top four when they welcome Crystal Palace to St. James’ Park for Saturday afternoon’s Premier League clash.
Looking to mark their return from October’s international break with a statement on home soil, Newcastle United will host Crystal Palace at St. James’ Park on Saturday.
The Magpies made a shaky start to the campaign, losing three of their opening four Premier League matches. But they have since silenced critics with a string of impressive results. While their current league position is somewhat underwhelming after last season’s exploits, Eddie Howe’s side are currently on a strong seven-game unbeaten run in all competitions, catching up on their rivals.
They kicked off their runs by scraping a narrow win over Brentford before beating the likes of Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain over the last month to gain momentum both domestically and in the Champions League.
They come into this game on the back of a 2-2 thriller away to West Ham United prior to the international break in a game, where star striker Alexander Isak bagged a fine brace. The hosts now face a Crystal Palace side, who have enjoyed a typically steady start to the season despite losing Wilfried Zaha in the summer.
The Eagles are seemingly primed for another mid-table finish under the oldest Premier League manager of all time, 76-year-old Roy Hodgson, who has stabilised a sinking Crystal Palace ship that briefly flirted with relegation scrap last season.
The visitors travel to St. James’ Park off the back of a 0-0 draw with Nottingham Forest in their previous Premier League fixture and currently sit ninth in the Premier League table, just a point adrift of Saturday’s opponents, so they can leapfrog them into eight with a surprise result here.
Team News and Tactics
Newcastle United
Tripps builds his ultimate #NUFC teammate! 💪 pic.twitter.com/DxKQuNbTSg
— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) October 19, 2023
The international break probably came at the wrong time for Newcastle United, as they were beginning to find their rhythm and building momentum. On a brighter note, manager Eddie Howe will be hoping a number of his injured players will have returned to full fitness during the international break.
Although Harvey Barnes (toe) remains a long-term absentee and will spend months recovering from foot surgery, Joelinton (thigh), Alexander Isak (knee), Sven Botman (knee), and Joe Willock (calf) are all edging closer to their respective returns.
Anthony Gordon is back available again after serving a one-match suspension during the draw with West Ham United. But it will be interesting to see whether Sandro Tonali will be a part of the Newcastle squad given the controversy currently surrounding him.
Although the Italian international is eligible to feature despite this week’s developments regarding alleged illegal betting offences, considering the playmaker has spent the best part of the week being questioned in Italy, Howe may opt to keep him out of the spotlight on Saturday.
Newcastle have maintained a solid defensive record at St. James’ Park this season, keeping three clean sheets in their last four home matches. Nick Pope should be a no-brainer in between the sticks for the Toon, despite some erratic moments lately.
With Sven Botman missing a chunk of games before the international break, Fabian Schar has been pivotal in central defence for the Magpies and will be looking to help them to another clean sheet here.
Influential right-back Kieran Trippier has also been on a tear, racking up six assists from ten Premier League and Champions League outings this term. The 33-year-old’s leadership, combined with his unmatched ability to combine regular defensive returns with attacking contributions, has made him an indispensable part of Howe’s backline.
Bruno Guimaraes will be tasked with the anchorman role in the middle of the park, with Sean Longstaff providing defensive support and late darts into the right half-space. Elliot Anderson could be handed another chance to impress as the bombarding left-sided midfielder.
Howe is hopeful star striker Alexander Isak will be fit for Saturday’s game despite a groin injury picked up in the draw with West Ham United, ruling him out of international duty. Fellow striker Callum Wilson is also a doubt, but the Englishman should be ready to go here should Isak be deemed not fully fit to start against Palace.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Pope; Trippier, Schar, Botman, Burn; Longstaff, Guimaraes, Anderson; Almiron, Isak, Gordon
Crystal Palace
Like his counterpart in the opposition dugout, Roy Hodgson is dealing with a number of injury issues. And two of their integral players — Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise — remain unavailable due to respective hamstring issues this weekend. Jefferson Lerma (thigh) has been out with an injury since September. But he could make his return on Saturday afternoon.
Nathan Ferguson (thigh), Jairo Riedewald (adductor), Dean Henderson (thigh), Naouirou Ahamada (ankle), Joel Ward (groin) and James Tomkins are all injury doubts, while summer arrival Matheus Franca has yet to make his Premier League debut for Palace. Cheick Doucoure (thigh) is also questionable for Saturday’s game, and he will face a late fitness test before the game.
Relishing the competition 💪
Hear from our No. 4️⃣👇
— Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC) October 19, 2023
One of the problems for Crystal Palace lately is that they have struggled to find their attacking spark and cutting edge in attack, especially since Eze and Olise got injured.
With Jordan Ayew and Jean Phillipe-Mateta’s form still blowing hot and cold, Odsonne Edouard has had to bear much of the goalscoring burden upfront, having netted four times in eight Premier League games, although he has fired a blank on his last two league outings.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Johnstone; Clyne, Andersen, Guehi, Mitchell; Hughes, Doucoure, Lerma; Ayew, Mateta, Edouard
Key Stats
- Games between Newcastle United and Crystal Palace have been goal-shy affairs in recent times, with the last four meetings seeing just three goals scored, while the two sides played out two 0-0 draws last season.
- Newcastle United have conceded only 17 goals in home matches in the Premier League since the start of last season — the joint-lowest such tally in the competition.
- Newcastle United have kept a clean sheet in ten of their last 13 home matches against Crystal Palace in all competitions.
- The Eagles have only netted twice in their last five games in all competitions.
Player to Watch
Alexander Isak
Alexander Isak has been the man in form for Newcastle United this season, scoring six goals in seven Premier League appearances, including a well-taken brace against West Ham United last time out.
There have been question marks over the Swedish forward’s fitness after he missed the Sweden squad due to injury. But he is expected to be fully fit for the Crystal Palace game. A composed, prolific finisher in front of goal, Isak’s silky dribbling, link-up, and direct style of play make him a nightmare for defenders. And he will surely be the one to watch on Saturday.
Prediction
Newcastle United 2-1 Crystal Palace
Newcastle’s four-game winning run across competitions came to an end two weeks ago in a 2-2 stalemate away at West Ham United. But they enter this tie as massive favourites, especially after the recent performances at St. James’ Park.
Eddie Howe’s men have won four on the spin in front of the home crowd, conceding just one goal in the process. And they have a great chance to continue their winning streak on Saturday afternoon against the out-of-form and injury-crippled Crystal Palace, who were woefully uninspiring in the absence of Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise against Nottingham Forest prior to the international break.
Although the Eagles are unlikely to threaten much in attack, their sturdy backline and super-defensive tactics could frustrate the hosts on Saturday. Still, we fancy Newcastle to breach Palace’s backline once to register a dominant but narrow 1-0 result.