Newcastle United faced defeat in their season opener against Tottenham Hotspur in what was a hard-fought affair. Rafa Benitez’s men showed great resilience against Spurs but eventually lost out in a tight match, and they would be looking to make amends for their mistakes in the next game against Premier League new boys Cardiff City.
The Magpies are having a few injuries to deal with as players like Florian Lejeune are already out of the side and DeAndre Yedlin picking up a knock in the last match. However, it has been confirmed by the club that the USA international’s injury is not that serious. So we are assuming that the player should be able to play in the next match against the Bluebirds.
Rafa Benitez would be looking to get all three points in the second match of the season as they face a comparatively inexperienced bunch of players as their opposition. However, the Tyneside club would have to be cautious not to underestimate the Welsh side.
Predicted 4-4-2 Newcastle United Lineup Vs Cardiff City
Formation: 4-4-2
Defence
Martin Dubravka would look for improved performance in his second match of the 2018/19 Premier League campaign in goal for the Magpies, and the same goes for the back four. Letting in two goals in the very first match questions their composure and the likes of Ciaran Clark, Paul Dummett, Jamaal Lascelles and DeAndre Yedlin would look to rectify their mistakes and keep the Cardiff attackers at bay.
Midfield
Jonjo Shelvey will have a significant role to play in keeping the engine running in the middle of the pitch for the Magpies, along with Mohamed Diame, Matt Ritchie and Kenedy. The same midfielders have had a decent outing against Spurs, but they have to be careful not to repeat their mistakes and work as a cohesive unit to get the result of the next clash in their favour.
Attack
New signing Salomon Rondon was not included in the Newcastle starting eleven in the first match, but it could expected that the player would be handed his debut against the Bluebirds. Joselu would start again, being the solo goalscorer for the Magpies against Spurs.
The two striker system had worked wonders for Benitez in the latter part of the last term, and he should stick with it from the very start this time around. Ayoze Perez is expected to be on the bench for the Toon.
