Newcastle (howay) 12.30 Saturday 30th March
A while to wait until this one.
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Comments
However the most significant absence is Nick Pope who has been out since the end of November and the difference without him has been noticeable.
In the 14 PL games Pope started they won 8, drew 2, lost 4, conceded 14 with 6 clean sheets and they were 6th, just seven points off the top spot
Over the last 14 PL games (13 with Martin Dubravka, 1 with Loris Karius) they've won 4, drawn 2, lost 8, conceded 34 (30 Dubravka, 4 Karius) with 3 clean sheets, leaving them 10th and seven points off 5th place.
Fun facts: Dubravka has played us 6 times, conceded 12 and has never kept a clean. In addition the last time we didn't score at St James' Park was 26 August 2017
Which as good news as that's when the Moyes counter attack works best
Howe makes Moyes look flexible, he's started 4-3-3 every match this season apart from City away in the Cup when he tried 5-3-2
Another name to add to the injury list is 17yo CM Lewis Miley who picked up a back injury with the England U20s on Wednesday although 21yo CM Elliot Anderson could be close to returning from a back injury that has kept him out since October
Best guess
Dubravka
Murphy Lascalles Schar Burn
Longstaff Guimaraes Willock
Almiron Izak Gordon
Coufal - Mavropanos - Zouma - Emerson
Soucek - Ward-Prowse
Bowen - Kudus - Paqueta
Antonio
Every time I feel more confident it makes me simultaneously expect to be disappointed. But every time I expect to be disappointed I also feel like they’ll shock me, so I feel more confident. And then, guess what? The cycle starts again.
"We've got a question mark over Aguerd and we're just assessing Paqueta a little bit"
Cornet is back in training but not sure he's "match ready" yet
At least Kudus is fit
A win puts us level with Man Utd in 6th (temporarily anyway), but 7 clear of Newcastle. Brighton have Liverpool away & Wolves have Villa away, so two tough games for those sides directly below us.
Moyes hasn't been starting Aguerd anyway, so I'm not sure the question mark over him really affects much.
The big decision is what happens without Alvarez. 3 possibilities spring to mind. Play Phillips which, if he hadn't played so poorly since he's been with us, would be the obvious choice. Second, put Johnson in there, although it feels as though the cameos he's had in CM have been with license to get forward rather than as a disciplined, sitting, DM. Third, effectively play more of a midfield 3, with Soucek, Paqueta and JWP all putting in huge shifts to try and be effective both offensively and defensively.
Subs: Fabiański (GK), Johnson, Cresswell, Ogbonna, Phillips, Earthy, Cornet, Ings, Mubama
JWP comes in for Alvarez.
Livramento in for Almiron
Or could be
Dubravka
Murphy Lascalles Schar Burn Livramento
Longstaff Guimaraes Willock
Izak Gordon