Just as Newcastle looked to be gaining some momentum, our bubble was burst at Brighton thanks to another poor away performance and late defeat.
Our league form must improve, we need more from our wingers, not just Elanga, and our away form is a genuine concern, but this next week offers three big opportunities to get back on track.
A Tuesday night clash with Benfica in the Champions League, followed by Fulham in the Premier League on Saturday and Spurs in the last 16 of the Carabao Cup next Wednesday; three different competitions, all three at St James’ Park and three games that could go a long way towards defining our season.
First up, ‘little Magpie’ Jose Mourinho and his Benfica side arrive under pressure to win after defeat in their opening two UCL games, losing 3-2 to Qarabag and 1-0 at Chelsea so far.
For Newcastle, we lost our opener to Barcelona before beating Union SG 4-0, leaving us 11th in the league table heading into remaining games against Benfica, Athletic Bilbao, Marseille, Bayer Leverkusen, PSV and PSG.
Team news
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Sandro Tonali has missed training on Monday with a bug, leaving him facing a race against time to be fit for Tuesday night’s game.
Joelinton is a booking away from a one-game ban in the Champions League, while Lewis Hall, Tino Livramento and Yoane Wissa will be absent once again.
Predicted XI
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**(4-3-3)**: _Pope – Trippier, Thiaw, Botman, Burn – Bruno, Tonali, Joelinton – Murphy, Woltemade, Gordon._
We are sorely lacking energy and athleticism at full-back, with our patterns of play also lacking without Hall and Livramento. However, while they remain out, it looks likely to be Trippier and Burn either side of Thiaw and Botman.
Thiaw at right-back could make room for Schar’s return, with Trippier able to play down the left, but that seems unlikely and would break up what’s been a centre-back pairing.
Further up the pitch, Joelinton and Elanga’s places in the side are two of the pre-match talking points, with both hooked at half time after a bad opening 45 minutes at Brighton.
Personally, I think big Joe will start against a potentially rough Benfica side, saving Ramsey for Fulham on Saturday, with Murphy replacing Elanga down our right after contrasting displays at Brighton.
Should Tonali miss out, I’d expect to see Miley in that deep midfield role after his positive cameo on Saturday, helping us keep the ball and set up our only goal.
Match prediction
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I wouldn’t be surprised if Mourinho sets up to frustrate us, although I also wonder if Benfica can afford to be so cautious after losing their opening two games. They need to win, really, not hope to sit in and nick a point.
Our away struggles are clear, we have a few too many players misfiring and our Premier League form is an ongoing concern as Saturday’s defeat left us 13th, but we have a knack of delivering when the pressure is on under the lights at St James’ Park.
In a battle of two sides in need of a win for different reasons, I think we’ll find a way!
**Prediction:** Newcastle 2-0 Benfica
Howay the lads!