Looking to continue their recent run of good form, Newcastle United travel to League One side Oxford United for their first FA Cup 4th-round game in half a decade on Saturday.
While the U’s will be no pushovers, perhaps this meeting can afford Rafa Benitez to blood some players on the peripherals of his first-team a chance to stake a claim as the Magpies recover from the injury crisis that has rocked them all January.
Under the Spaniard, it’s refreshing to see the Toon take the cup seriously, though playing a League One side at least makes the idea of bringing in some players from the cold to contest the fixture is a realistic one. With promotion to the Premier League clearly the main aim, resting some of his trusty lieutenants can also be beneficial in the long run.
With that in mind, here are TWO Newcastle United players who desperately need to take their chance on Saturday.
