OPINION
Newcastle United slumped to a disappointing 1-0 defeat at the hands of Crystal Palace on Saturday, a result which means that they are at risk of the Premier League drop.
The Magpies will need to get three points when they take on Leicester City this Friday in order to be mathematically safe from relegation, but Rafa Benitez will need to make some changes to the starting XI if he wants the best possible chance of beating the Foxes and boosting their survival hopes.
Benitez will need to make at least three changes to the side that lost at the weekend, especially after the injury to Florian Lejeune.
In goal, Martin Dubravka must start as normal.
In defence – where the manager has deployed a five man system for the majority of the season – is where the first two changes must be made. Lejeune suffered another setback during the loss, and it remains to be seen whether he will be fit to face Leicester. In this case, Paul Dummett, who has shown he can cover the centre-back role, would be the perfect replacement.
At right-back, it is safe to say that DeAndre Yedlin was woeful after the error on Saturday. The £30,000-a-week [Spotrac] must be axed for this match in favour of Javier Manquillo.
Isaac Hayden was one of the best players on the pitch on Saturday, and he no doubt deserves to keep his place in the starting XI as a result. Ki sung-yueng, on the other hand, was a shadow of the player that he was at the start of the season.
He must be replaced by Jonjo Shelvey, who should be given the chance to impress after such a torrid time this season. It would be the perfect platform to showcase his talent and prove that he deserves to be in the team.
Miguel Almiron was poor that afternoon as well, but to drop him would be a big mistake from Newcastle. The same goes for Ayoze Perez and Salomon Rondon, who were also not at their best.
If Benitez makes the right calls regarding his starting XI on Friday, then there is no doubt that his team will be able so blitz their way past Leicester.
