Newcastle United will take on Watford at St. James’ Park this weekend hoping to get back to winning ways in the Premier League. The Magpies are still winless after ten league matches and are in real danger of being dragged into a relegation dogfight if they don’t turn things around for the better in these coming weeks.
The lack of investment over the summer has clearly harmed their chances on the pitch this season, but with a top class manager such as Rafael Benitez at the helm, there are reasons to be optimistic about their chances this Saturday. It is expected that the Newcastle boss will opt for a 4-4-1-1 formation and might name an unchanged side for this encounter.
4-4-1-1 Newcastle United Predicted Lineup To Face Watford
Defence
Martin Dúbravka will start in goal for the Magpies once again after earning a well-deserved clean sheet away at Southampton last weekend. The defensive duo of Jamaal Lascelles and Federico Fernandez should continue their partnership at the heart of the Newcastle backline. Paul Dummett is expected to start at left-back while DeAndre Yedlin looks to use his pace on the right side of the defence.
Rafael Benitez’s men have already conceded 14 goals in 10 league matches so far which has seen them languish in the 19th position of the league standings. The Magpies defenders need to keep things stable at the back if they are to snatch maximum points from this contest against the Hornets.
Midfield
Mohamed Diamé and Jonjo Shelvey might be deployed at the centre of the park as they look to establish the home team’s dominance in midfield. Kenedy is expected to hug the left flank and link up with the front players inside the opposition half. Matt Ritchie could feature down the right wing as he looks to cut in on his stronger left foot to create chances for his teammates inside the Watford penalty box.
Attack
Ayoze Perez might be used behind Yoshinori Muto, who should lead the lines up front for the Tyneside outfit up top. Newcastle have failed to score in any of their last two outings with their previous goal coming against Manchester United at Old Trafford. Muto scored during that game and would be expected to do the same versus Watford on Saturday.
