Eddie Howe had a couple of big calls to make heading into today's clash with Luton Town and it seems as though he's played it safe.
Rather than risk injuring either of his strikers, Eddie Howe has opted to play Anthony Gordon up front for Newcastle United as they take on Luton Town at St James' Park.
Alexander Isak who, according to Jason Tindall, was in contention for today's game is not in the squad, but Callum Wilson has returned from injury but Howe has opted to put the striker on the bench rather than risk him from the start.
In our lineup prediction, we went with Wilson thinking that if Isak was also in the squad they could do a half each, otherwise we'd expect Gordon through the middle and Miguel Almiron in on the wing, which is what Eddie Howe has done.
The best news, however, is that after four months out, Harvey Barnes is once again fit enough for a spot on the bench.
Hopefully, we'll see our £39million summer signing in action if even just for a brief cameo this afternoon.
The bench, while still not amazing, is looking stronger and stronger with each game and even though Wilson and Barnes will both lack sharpness, having them available as options along with the likes of Tino Livramento really makes a difference.
Newcastle look strong and with the home advantage, they should be able to exact revenge for the 1-0 defeat inflicted by Luton at Kenilworth Road.
HOWAY EDDIE HOWE'S ON-THE-MEND MAGS!
PL | GD | PTS | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Liverpool
|
6 | 10 | 15 |
2 |
Manchester City
|
6 | 8 | 14 |
3 |
Arsenal
|
6 | 7 | 14 |
4 |
Chelsea
|
6 | 8 | 13 |
5 |
Aston Villa
|
6 | 3 | 13 |
6 |
Fulham
|
6 | 3 | 11 |
7 |
Newcastle United
|
6 | 1 | 11 |
8 |
Tottenham Hotspur
|
6 | 7 | 10 |
9 |
Brighton
|
6 | 2 | 9 |
10 |
Nottingham Forest
|
6 | 1 | 9 |
11 |
Bournemouth
|
6 | -1 | 8 |
12 |
Brentford
|
6 | -2 | 7 |
13 |
Manchester United
|
6 | -3 | 7 |
14 |
West Ham United
|
6 | -4 | 5 |
15 |
Ipswich
|
6 | -5 | 4 |
16 |
Everton
|
6 | -8 | 4 |
17 |
Leicester
|
6 | -4 | 3 |
18 |
Crystal Palace
|
6 | -4 | 3 |
19 |
Southampton
|
6 | -9 | 1 |
20 |
Wolves
|
6 | -10 | 1 |