Newcastle United will clash heads with Oxford United at the Kassam Stadium on Tuesday night hoping to secure progression into the next round of the FA Cup. The Magpies will come into this clash on the back of a 0-0 draw versus Norwich City last weekend.
Steve Bruce will opt for a 5-4-1 formation and might make a few changes to his side for this clash against Karl Robinson’s men.
5-4-1 Newcastle United Predicted Lineup To Face Oxford United
Defence
Martin Dubravka will play in goal for the Magpies after keeping a clean sheet versus the Canaries last weekend. Even though Bruce opted to rest the Slovak keeper against Oxford United in the reverse fixture, it is expected that the Newcastle boss will take no risks and choose to go with his first-choice goalie on Tuesday night.
DeAndre Yedlin could get the nod to start as the right-back while the centre-back trio of Fabian Schar, Jamaal Lascelles and Ciaran Clark will line up together at the heart of the Newcastle defence. Matt Ritchie will fill in on the other side as the left-back in the absence of the injured Jetro Willems.
The Tyneside giants have kept back to back clean sheets across all competitions so they will be quietly confident heading into this clash away at Oxford.
Midfield
Bruce will instruct Nabil Bentaleb and Sean Longstaff to anchor the midfield while Allan Saint-Maximin and Miguel Almiron focus on stretching the pitch out on the flanks. All four Newcastle midfielders will have to work hard in winning the ball back if they want to establish their dominance at the centre of the park.
It could prove to be a tricky contest for the Magpies midfielders if they get complacent in midweek.
Attack
Joelinton will lead the charge for Newcastle United up top. The Brazilian striker will once again look to put in a tireless shift down the middle, but he needs to score soon if he wants to get some confidence back ahead of the mid-season break.
