Newcastle United will need to be at their absolute best to beat Barcelona on Thursday night.
The Magpies are hoping for a repeat of their 2023 Champions League heroics, having beaten Paris Saint-Germain 4-1 at St James’ Park.
Even with Lamine Yamal’s injury, this Barcelona side should be feared. Newcastle United will need to be at full strength to get a positive result, as Eddie Howe aims to orchestrate another famous European night.
With that in mind, it was a surprise to see the Newcastle United manager take a risk against Wolves on Saturday.
Eddie Howe shouts at his team during Newcastle United vs Wolves.
Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images
Newcastle United took a risk starting Joelinton against Wolves
Howe made three changes to his starting XI against Wolves, one of which saw Joelinton return to the side after injury.
It was great to see Joelinton back in action, joining Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali for a hugely physical midfield battle up against Wolves
There is no doubt that is Howe’s best midfield three, and the Wolves clash absolutely was a must-win game. However, it was still a surprise to see Joelinton return to the side, especially with Barcelona looming.
There would have been no eyebrows raised had Howe kept the Brazilian in reserve with Barcelona in mind. After all, he has had problems with fitness over the past couple of seasons and is the type of player who is going to be pivotal on Thursday night.
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Despite those two factors, Howe rolled the dice and started Joelinton. It was a decision that could have backfired, but Joelinton got through the game unscathed.
Eddie Howe’s decision is worrying for Joe Willock
Howe’s decision to start Joelinton immediately after his return to fitness with Barcelona on the horizon has to go down as a risk. In his eyes, it was clearly a risk worth taking.
That is hardly good news for Joe Willock, who was poised to benefit if Howe had opted to leave big Joe out of his starting XI.
The £25million midfielder did feature in the second half, but was not trusted to start. That has to be a concern, at a time when Jacob Ramsey’s arrival has only pushed Willock further down the pecking order.
It has been reported that Willock’s Newcastle future is unclear, and it is currently difficult to see how he is going to enjoy a sustained run in the Magpies’ starting XI anytime soon.