Newcastle United boss Rafa Benitez is considering making five changes to his team as they prepare to face Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley on Wednesday.
As reported by the Chronicle, Benitez is looking to arrest their alarming late-season slump which has seen them lose three in a row, with the Spaniard left angry after their horrific first-half showing v Watford at the weekend.
Benitez will make decisions on players’ fitness and motivation levels ahead of Wednesday’s clash, with several stars in line to be dropped on basis of poor form.
As quoted by the Chronicle, he said: “We have to see how the players are after the next few days, see if we have any knocks or problems, and then decide if we can play with the same team or if we have to change three, four or five players or whatever.”
Benitez has also called up a few of the club’s Under-23 players such as Josef Yarney and Paul Woolston to train with the first-team this week.
OPINION
It is no surprise to hear that Benitez is looking to make several changes to his side as they prepare to face Tottenham on Wednesday. Newcastle seem to have gone on holiday since their Premier League status was secured three weeks or so ago, and Benitez will have to do something drastic to change that against Spurs. Mauricio Pochettino’s men are in an indifferent patch of form themselves, but have everything left to play for this season with their top-four place in jeopardy. Their Champions League place is still in their hands however, and if they win their remaining two games they will finish third. That means that they will most likely come out swinging at Wembley, and Benitez will have a task on his hands to prevent them breaking through. The reverse fixture this season was on the opening day, and Newcastle fell to a 2-0 loss, and they will do well to prevent a similar defeat on Wednesday.
