Predicted Newcastle team v Marseille | OneFootball

Looking at this Newcastle team v Marseille.

Our next match in the Champions League.

Newcastle United looking to follow up the excellent Premier League victory over Manchester City.

A win tonight would make it four in a row in the Champions League.

Also giving United 12 points from a possible 15 and a very strong chance of remaining in the top eight by the end of the Swiss League stage, which would mean automatic qualification for the knockout stages.

A victory would also make it eight wins from the last eleven games, in all competitions, for Newcastle United.

As a reminder, this was the Newcastle team v Manchester City:

Pope, Livramento, Thiaw, Schar, Hall, Bruno, Joelinton, Tonali, Jacob Murphy, Woltemade, Barnes

Eddie Howe gave an update on Monday, regarding the injury and availability for the squad ahead of Tuesday’s match.

Kieran Trippier, Yoane Wissa and Will Osula are all out through injury.

Anthony Gordon is back available though.

Whilst Dan Burn is back from a one game Premier League suspension.

Eddie Howe also said that he had big decisions to make on Hall and Livramento, who made their first starts for some time on Saturday. The NUFC boss saying that he would be leaving it until today and taking medical advice on board, to judge what part if any, it is safe to have them involved in this Champions League match.

The Head Coach also adding that it was a balance generally, as to how to use his squad when there are so many matches in quick succession. .

This is my predicted Newcastle team v Maarseille:

Pope, Murphy, Thiaw, Schar, Burn, Ramsey, Tonali, Bruno, Miley, Gordon, Elanga

If proved correct, this would mean two changes from Manchester City.

With Burn, Ramsey, Miley, Gordon and Elanga, coming in for Livramento, Hall, Joelinton, Woltemade and Barnes.

I just can’t envisage Eddie Howe starting either Tino Livramento or Lewis Hall. They reminded us on Saturday how class they are and starting with them again only three days later, having missed so many matches through injury, surely will be seen as too much of a risk.

With then Trippier not available, it gives the Head Coach a real problem at full-back.

The choices available of ‘natural’ full-backs would then appear to be Emil Krafth and Dan Burn, which I am guessing not many fans would be ideally wanting.

So this kind of plays into my overall significant choices in terms of both personnel and set-up.

I think Eddie Howe will want Dan Burn back on the pitch and I see him in a three at the back with Schar and Thiaw, in front of Pope.

This would then allow the Newcastle boss to have the freedom to select players who aren’t obvious as full-backs, as wing-backs instead. Namely Ramsey on the left and Murphy the right.

Obviously a lot of the selection decisions will come down to the physical condition of various players and it was a full on contest against Man City only three days ago. So with then seven games in three weeks coming up, Eddie Howe has a careful balancing act in front of him.

I don’t think we get the best out of Joelinton these days when asking him to play too many midweeks as well as weekends, so I fancy Miley to come in alongside Bruno and Tonali.

Speaking of players needing a break…

With Wissa still not fit and Osula injured, it has been asking a lot of Nick Woltemade to start pretty much every single game.

I think he may be looked after tonight and Eddie Howe go with something a bit different, with Gordon and Elanga coming into the team to add pace and also having the freedom to not be so much having to stick to fixed positions. Given more free attacking roles in central areas as well as drifting out wide.

Very difficult to predict for sure what Eddie Howe will do tonight BUT I do think we will have a strong looking bench on hand against Marseille, to hopefully help see out the win, or come onto the pitch to try and turn the game around.