Newcastle United will welcome Cambridge United at St. James’ Park on Saturday afternoon as they look to secure a win and book a place in the next round of the FA Cup. The Magpies managed to earn a hard-fought 1-1 draw versus Manchester United towards the back end of last month which will give them some confidence ahead of this game. However, the Tyneside outfit has a lot of first-team players sidelined due to injury.
Eddie Howe might opt for a 4-5-1 formation and is expected to make a whole host of changes to his starting XI for this clash. Dwight Gayle will probably get the nod to lead the charge for the Magpies up top.
4-5-1 Newcastle United Predicted Lineup To Face Cambridge United
Defence
Freddie Woodman will function in between the sticks for the Tyneside giants for this home game in the FA Cup. Fabian Schar is a major doubt for this game but could start alongside Jamaal Lascelles at the heart of Howe’s defence as they try to keep a clean sheet against Cambridge this weekend.
Jacob Murphy could be asked to play as a makeshift right-back while Emil Krafth fills in on the other side as the left-back. Both of them will be given the freedom to express themselves in the opposition half.
Javier Manquillo is suspended for this game after he picked up his fifth yellow card versus Man United last month.
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Midfield
Sean Longstaff, Jonjo Shelvey and Miguel Almiron will operate as the central midfielders for Newcastle. All three of them will need to be at the top of their game if the Magpies are to create enough chances to win this cup game.
Joelinton will feature as the left-sided wide player while Ryan Fraser, who is a significant concern, will play on the right flank.
Elliot Anderson, Jeff Hendrick and Joe White will offer cover for the midfield positions on the bench.
Attack
Dwight Gayle will lead the line for the Magpies in the final third. He will have to carry most of the goal-scoring workload up top in the injury absence of Callum Wilson and Allan Saint-Maximin.
