With official team news at Bramall Lane just a few hours away, it’s time to look at the side we’re expecting Eddie Howe to select in South Yorkshire.
Here’s the Newcastle XI we’re backing to start today’s 4.30pm kick-off and why:
(4-3-3): Pope – Trippier, Schar, Botman, Burn – Longstaff, Bruno, Anderson – Almiron, Wilson, Barnes.
I think we’ll see Callum Wilson, Miguel Almiron and Harvey Barnes return to the starting 11 after they were benched at the San Siro, with Elliot Anderson replacing Sandro Tonali in midfield.
Wilson was our matchwinner last weekend and could be better suited to facing Sheffield United’s likely low block. Anthony Gordon looked jaded at Milan and has started every game so far, so I can see Barnes replacing him down the right.
Almiron hasn’t started either of our last two games, so he’s fresh and expected to start down the right. I can see a front three of Barnes, Wilson and Almiron, but find it tough say who’ll partner Longstaff and Bruno in midfield. Sandro Tonali hasn’t trained a great deal and didn’t look fully fit at Milan, so I’ll go with Anderson; who played 90 minutes last weekend in our 1-0 win over Brentford.
At the back, there’s been calls for Tino Livramento or Lewis Hall to play, I just don’t think Howe will alter a defence that’s just banked back-to-back clean sheets. After our 3-1 defeat at Brighton, we’d kept just two in our previous 22 games, so I think we’ll see the same back five and rotation at the back for next week’s Carabao Cup clash with Man City.
