Newcastle vs Burnley
Date: 03/10/2020
K/O: 20:00
Venue: St. James’ Park
Referee: David Coote
TV: Sky Sports
Burnley travel to Newcastle this weekend looking for their first win and first points of the season. However, having never won at St. James’ Park since their arrival to the Premier League, they may have to wait a little longer. Newcastle on the other hand already have a win to their name but have struggled to build upon their opening weekend win. They were shambolic when hosting Brighton a few weeks back and were very fortunate to leave North London with a point last week after a controversial penalty decision in the closing minutes.
Injuries have plagued both teams this season, with Sean Dyche down to the bare bones of his limited squad. The Burnley boss has always had great trust in the players at his disposal, but those players available will need to repay this trust with a performance this weekend. The Clarets have only recruited two players this summer, one of which is a third choice keeper. Dale Stephens came straight into the team after his arrival from Brighton and I believe there will be more walking through the door before Monday’s deadline. Steve Bruce has spent wisely this summer but may look for a few more additions to bolster his ranks.
This fixture has historically been a low scoring affair, with an average of two goals scored in the last eight matches. Neither side has looked competent in attack in the league, so goals may be hard to come by. Expect a game that could be won or lost via a set-piece or mistake at the back.
Team News
Newcastle
Matt Ritchie, who filled in for Jamal Lewis at left-back last weekend, dislocated his shoulder after a 50/50 challenge with Matt Doherty. The Scottish international will need surgery and will not feature for a few months. Allan Saint-Maximin has missed the last three matches through injury, but returned to training this week and may be included in the eighteen man squad.
Steve Bruce reverted to a 4-2-3-1 formation against Tottenham, with Joelinton featuring on the left-hand side of midfield. Newcastle stuck with this formation until late in the game bringing on Andy Carroll to support Callum Wilson. The way the team was set up, meant Bruce could change to 4-4-2 at any time, a decision he would have most likely made had Tottenham extended their led. Newcastle have switched between the two formations in their opening three matches, with either a viable option this weekend. Will they choose to match the visitors man for man, adding an additional threat up top, or try to dominate the midfield, looking for the creative players such as Miguel Almiron to carve out opportunities?
Burnley
The Clarets have been riddled with injuries this season, which has seen Sean Dyche fill his bench with players from the under 23s. In the last game against Southampton, he called upon four players who’ve never played a Premier League match. And if things couldn’t get any worse, Matthew Lowton picked up a knock midweek against Man City in the EFL Cup. He’ll be added to the list of other first-team players: Jack Cork, Johann Berg Gudmundsson, Ben Mee, Jay Rodriguez and Robbie Brady.
There are some positives though, both Ashley Barnes and James Tarkowski were recalled for the match against Man City. There’s still doubts looming over Tarkowski’s future at the club, but I’d expect Ashley Barnes to feature for his first league start since January.
Predicted Starting XIs
Newcastle (4-2-3-1): Darlow; Manquillo, Lascelles, Fernandez, Lewis; Hayden, Shelvey; Fraser, Almiron, Hendrick; Wilson
Burnley (4-4-2): Pope; Bardsley, Long, Dunne, Taylor; Brownhill, Westwood, Stephens, McNeil; Barnes, Wood
Score Prediction: Newcastle 0-1 Burnley
Newcastle have gotten away with murder in their last two fixtures. Scoring late goals against both Tottenham and saving the blushes against Newport County midweek. In the league, they’ve only recorded three shots on target, but do boast a 100% success rate, scoring from all three attempts. They were abysmal against Tottenham and could have been hit for six had it not been for an inspired Karl Darlow performance. As for Burnley, though they’ve struggled you can always expect a fight from the Lancashire club. If not for a shopping list of injuries, they’d probably faired better in their opening three games. Goals have been hard to come by from both teams, with five scored between them so far. Both teams will look at this as a great way to kick start their season, but I’m swaying for a Burnley win here.
