Rafa Benitez is expected to make a few changes to the side that slumped to a 4-0 defeat to Liverpool on Boxing Day when putting together his starting line-up for his team’s clash with Watford.
The Magpies are set to travel to Vicarage Road to face the Hornets on Saturday and several players who didn’t start against the Reds are likely to be seen when the team sheet is released.
Benitez is likely to play a back-four rather than a back-five like he did against Liverpool and is likely to make no changes in personnel as a result.
Paul Dummett, Jamaal Lascelles, Federico Fernandez and DeAndre Yedlin are all expected to start in front of Martin Dubravka as it’s hard to imagine Benitez dropping the axe on any of them as no one really covered their selves in glory against the Reds.
Matt Ritchie, who seemed to play in defence against the Reds, will also likely keep his place in the team but will be deployed on the right-side of midfield after working during his latest outing.
Mohamed Diame and Kenedy are also expected to join Ritchie in avoiding Benitez’s axe with a lack of clear options likely saving them from a trip to the bench.
However Isaac Hayden, Joselu and Yoshinori Muto all struggled against the Reds on Boxing Day and are expected to pay the price for their poor performance as a result.
The woeful trio will be replaced by a returning Jonjo Shelvey, Ayoze Perez and Salomon Rondon with the latter two perhaps sitting the clash at Anfield out due to Benitez wanting them to be 100% for Saturday’s match.
Benitez is thought to be set to gamble on Shelvey as he confirmed in his press conference on Friday that the 26-year-old midfielder was available, as cited by the Chronicle (13:45), for the clash with the Hornets after returning to training following a thigh injury.
The Chronicle previously reported that Benitez was reluctant to throw Shelvey straight back into fold after the player has missed the last few games due to injury but given his lack of midfielders to call upon, he is expected to take a risk.
