Eddie Howe desperately needs to put a stop to Newcastle’s poor run of form, which means changes are needed when the Magpies face Man City this weekend.
Despite wins in the Carabao Cup and Champions League, Newcastle United are without a victory in two games in the Premier League.
The defeats to West Ham and Brentford have been particularly concerning due to the nature of the performances from the team.
Eddie Howe will have spent the international break pondering how to fix things. He’s not helped by a number of injuries to key Newcastle players, but there are still plenty of options to shake things up and find a winning formula against City on Saturday.
Newcastle United's Aaron Ramsdale celebrates against Tottenham Hotspur
Photo by Lewis Storey/Getty Images
Newcastle United predicted XI vs Man City
Aaron Ramsdale
Nick Pope suffered a concussion against Brentford, which makes him very unlikely to feature versus Man City this weekend. Obviously, Aaron Ramsdale will step in, and it’s a switch Howe may have been considering anyway, given Pope’s form.
Kieran Trippier
Tino Livramento has been back in training recently, but he’ll probably not be quite ready to start against City. Kieran Trippier will continue in his place, but don’t be surprised to see him replaced by Livramento at some point during the game.
Malick Thiaw
Malick Thiaw was outstanding vs Brentford. Indeed, he’s been one of the bright sparks in Newcastle’s season and he’ll be one of the first names on Howe’s team sheet for Saturday’s game.
Sven Botman
There’s been talk about Sven Botman’s game time of late, with questions as to whether he will stay in the starting line-up when players return from injury and suspension. With Dan Burn banned for the next game after a red card against Brentford, the big Swedish defender will remain in the team for now.
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Lewis Hall
Burn had been playing at left-back in the absence of Lewis Hall, but the young full-back has been getting minutes under his belt during the international break and will come back in to bolster the backline on Saturday.
Jacob Ramsey stands with his hands on his hips during Newcastle United vs Benfica in the Champions League.
Photo by Ryan Crockett/DeFodi Images/DeFodi via Getty Images
Bruno Guimaraes
There’s an argument to be made that Bruno Guimaraes could and should be offering more for Newcastle right now. But, at the end of the day, he’s the captain, and there’s no way Eddie Howe will be dropping him for the upcoming clash with one of the best teams in the world.
Sandro Tonali
The international break didn’t go to plan for Sandro Tonali, who picked up a knock for Italy and returned to Tyneside to get back to full fitness. We believe his injury issue is not too serious, though, and he should be ready for the weekend. If he is, he’ll be in the team.
Jacob Ramsey
One of the big question marks at Newcastle right now is around Joelinton. Many believe Joelinton is holding the team back creatively, and that’s where Jacob Ramsey could come in. The new signing is far more attack-minded and has the flair that the Magpies have been lacking of late. It’s a risk against City, of course, but there’s nothing to lose really.
Harvey Barnes
Harvey Barnes was one of the few to come away from the Brentford defeat with any credit and he added a goal to his tally, too. He’ll definitely start against Man City, but we believe there may be a slight tweak to his role, with the Englishman moving to the right wing instead of the left.
Nick Woltemade
Nick Woltemade has hit the ground running at Newcastle, and even if the other strikers in the squad were fit, the German would still be in the starting XI. If he can use his physicality to cause City defenders issues around the box, and if he gets the right delivery, there’s every chance Woltemade can hurt Pep Guardiola’s side.
Anthony Elanga
He’s been in and out of the team this season and hasn’t started the last three Premier League games, but it’s time to bring Anthony Elanga back into the fold. Elanga was praised this week for his performance for Sweden, where he played on the left wing. Newcastle fans suggested Howe tries him there at club level, and we could see that experiment pay dividends this weekend.