OPINION
Newcastle United are no doubt sky-high on confidence after a resounding 3-0 win over Cardiff City on Saturday, and they will likely be looking towards this weekend’s FA Cup clash against Watford with great optimism.
Fabian Schar netted a brace while Ayoze Perez scored for the first time in a while to lift Newcastle above the Bluebirds in the table.
The Magpies host the Hornets at St James’ Park for the second time this season – the first being a 1-0 win for United in the Premier League – in this fourth round fixture, hoping to progress to the next round of the competition.
However, despite the recent victory, Rafa Benitez must make five changes to the side that welcomed Neil Warnock’s team last Saturday, with the likes of Jamie Sterry coming in at right-back.
In goal, regular number one Martin Dubravka must be dropped in favour of Freddie Woodman, who has proved to be steady between the sticks during cup games.
The next two changes must come to the defence, with mainstay DeAndre Yedlin – who has made 21 appearances in all competitions this season – to be axed in favour of Sterry, who deserves to get some minutes under his belt.
Benitez opted for three centre-backs and two wing-backs in the win against Cardiff, but he must revert back to just two centre-halves and two full-backs. This means that Jamaal Lascelles – who formed the central defensive trio that also included Schar and Florian Lejeune – must be axed from the starting XI, with Javier Manquillo coming in at left-back.
Christian Atsu – who is on £30,000-a-week [Spotrac] – was one of the only woeful players who featured against Cardiff, and for this reason, he must be set for the chopping block on Saturday. In his place should come Jacob Murphy, who has been decent in his latest showings.
Salomon Rondon is no doubt Benitez’ first choice up front, but he must be rested for the upcoming encounter, a change which means Joselu has the opportunity to try his best to impress.
If Benitez makes the right calls regarding his starting XI, then there is every chance that his team would be able to blitz past Watford with ease on Saturday.
