The 3-0 win over Benfica was just what the doctor ordered on Tuesday night, where we delivered one of our best team displays of the season to move up to 8th in the Champions League league phase.
Our position in Europe has strengthened with back-to-back wins on a confidence-boosting night at St James’ Park, but we have to build on that and start picking up points in the Premier League.
Defeat at Brighton last Saturday was a blow, leaving us 14th in the table and consolidating what has been a slow and frustrating start in the league.
But with a big win in midweek that saw Gordon and Barnes find the net, our back four keep another clean sheet and Murphy create our opener on his return, we have to take that European form into Saturday’s clash with a Fulham side who’ve lost their last three and will be without a number of key players.
Sandro Tonali is ‘touch and go’ again after resuming training but still managing his bug, with Lewis Hall, Tino Livramento and Yoane Wissa still a week or two away.
Fulham have Joachim Andersen missing alongside striker Rodrigo Muniz and left-back Antonee Robinson, with Sasa Lukic and Harry Wilson facing fitness tests.
(4-3-3): Pope – Trippier, Thiaw, Botman, Burn – Bruno, Miley, Ramsey – Murphy, Woltemade, Gordon.
I think we could see an unchanged 11 from our impressive 3-0 win over Benfica.
At the back, Trippier’s minutes will have to be managed soon enough, as I don’t see him starting three times every week at the age of 35, but we may need him to step up again here with Tino and Hall still missing.
The fact Tonali’s still not 100% makes me question if it’s worth forcing him into the side at Miley’s expense, especially when the latter was so good in midweek. On the left of our three, Ramsey needs games to find is rhythm and is perhaps more suited to a game we should be attacking, meaning he could keep his place ahead of Joelinton.
In attack, Murphy has taken his chance on the right wing and outshone Elanga recently, while Barnes may be kept back as an impact sub after two goals off the bench on Tuesday.
Newcastle are a different beast at home and I fancy us to get the job done here.
With Gordon back in the goals, Woltemade’s elite link up, our midfield feeling refreshed and Murphy back in the side, we should get back to winning ways; even if our ageing full-backs may limit our patters of play in wide areas.
Prediction: Newcastle 2-0 Fulham
Howay the lads!
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