OPINION
Newcastle United travel to Blackburn on Tuesday night for an FA Cup third-round replay, and Rafa Benitez must make eight changes to his starting XI.
The Magpies will be low on confidence after losing last time out in a tight encounter against Chelsea, with a Ciaran Clark equaliser not being enough to prevent a 2-1 loss.
Rovers on the other hand will be well up for this one after securing a valuable 2-0 away win against Millwall at the weekend, with Tony Mowbray’s side now sitting in 14th in the Championship.
In goal, Benitez must replace Martin Dubravka with youngster Freddie Woodman.
It must be all change at the back, with Jamie Sterry, Federico Fernandez, Fabian Schar and Javier Manquillo coming in for DeAndre Yedlin, Jamaal Lascelles, Florian Lejeune and Ciaran Clark, while Kenedy replaces Matt Ritchie on the left.
Isaac Hayden and Sean Longstaff must revive their partnership in central midfield, with Benitez low on options after Jonjo Shelvey and Mo Diame were both ruled out.
Ayoze Perez is another who must retain his place at attacking midfield, while the biggest change of all comes on the right wing as Christian Atsu is axed in place of rarely-seen speed machine Cal Roberts, who has been confirmed to be part of the squad for Tuesday’s clash. Roberts only has one first-team appearances for the Magpies, which came in the FA Cup in 2015.
Salomon Rondon must be rested up front, with Joselu coming into the side.
This is a Newcastle team which has more than enough to swipe Blackburn aside and restore some pride on Tyneside after a tough run of results.
