Newcastle United vs AFC Bournemouth
Date: 10/11/2018
Kick Off: 15:00
Venue: St James’ Park
Referee: Lee Probert
Newcastle United host AFC Bournemouth on Saturday with the hosts attempting to pick up a second win of the season. Meanwhile, a victory for the Cherries could leave Eddie Howe’s side on the periphery of the Champions League places.
Rafa Benitez’s side are currently perched narrowly above the relegation zone, courtesy of their superior goal difference over Huddersfield Town. Yet with both teams claiming their first win of the season in the last game week, it’s crucial the Magpies transition that form if they are to compete with this week’s visitors.
The foot of the Premier League is already an incredibly tight contest, and there’s a possibility it could all change by Monday, with Huddersfield and Cardiff both having winnable fixtures. Therefore, a comprehensive victory for Bournemouth could easily see Newcastle regress into the danger zone.
A draw would not be enough to ensure that the hosts remain outside the bottom three, although based on the current form of the Cherries it would be a respectable result.
Last weekends victory over Watford was anything but convincing; however, it may prove to be the spark that restores confidence at St James’ Park, after an abysmal run of home results. If this is the case and Benitez secures successive victories, then the tension on Tyneside will be significantly relaxed, which is exactly what’s required to ensure survival.
Never before have Bournemouth had the hallmarks of such an established Premier League side, they should be genuinely disappointed to have lost to Manchester United last weekend and despite the defeat, they currently sit above the Red Devils in the table.
A return to winning ways for the visitors puts them in serious contention for a European spot next season at this early stage, but at the very least fans will be pleased to be looking up the table, rather than anxiously below them.
Even if Eddie Howe were to leave the North East with a defeat, his team would comfortably remain in the top half of the table and relative to the Cherries history, that’s a remarkable achievement. Conversely, Newcastle’s recent history has been notoriously underwhelming and despite an upturn in results last weekend, its evident that the Magpies lack firepower in attack, which could, once again, stifle them this time out.
After three injuries in six minutes last weekend, they were fortunate to pick up all three points and while it’s likely that Jamal Lascelles and Jonjo Shelvey will return, Yoshinori Muto is a slight doubt to make the starting XI. Meanwhile, Ciaran Clark and Florian Lejeune both remain sidelined.
While Newcastle were fortunate to win against Watford, Bournemouth can consider themselves incredibly unlucky not to have taken at least a point of Manchester United. Eddie Howe performed a tactical masterclass during the first half, and Jose Mourinho’s defence was relentlessly shredded. After the game, Mourinho admitted, “The score should have been like 6-2.”
Despite the loss – due to a 92nd minute Marcus Rashford winner – at this stage of the campaign last season the Cherries were 16th; so to currently reside ten places above that is outstanding considering their resources. Insightful additions in the summer coupled with previous purchases feeling settled have created a convivial atmosphere around the club akin to their inaugural Premier League season, but with significantly more quality throughout the squad.
Predicted starting XI’s
Newcastle (4-4-1-1): Dubravka; Yedlin, Lascelles, Fernandez, Dummet; Ritchie, Shelvey, Diame, Kenedy; Perez; Rondon
AFC Bournemouth (3-4-3): Begovic; Francis, S Cook, Ake; A Smith, Cook, Lerma, Daniels; Brooks, Wilson, Fraser
Score Prediction: Newcastle 0 Bournemouth 2
Due to the terrific performance against Manchester United, Howe will have had plenty of positives to discuss this week, making sure his players retain their confidence for this upcoming fixture. Unless Newcastle can create an abundance of opportunities in front of goal, its difficult to comprehend them scoring enough to stop a burgeoning Bournemouth.
