Newcastle United v Everton – English Premier League: Match Preview
As Newcastle United prepare to host Everton on 5th of March, 2010 at Saint James’s Park let’s take a look at how both the teams are anticipated to line up for their crucial Premier League encounter.
Newcastle United
After parting ways with their star striker, Andy Carroll, in the winter transfer window, Newcastle United’s form has been patchy to say the least.
The Magpies have found it hard to maintain their form in the English Premier League as out of their last five league encounters, Newcastle have won one, drawn three and lost one. This trend of dropping points near the business end of the Premier League season
is bound to cost Newcastle United sooner rather than later.
Despite their woeful form of late, Newcastle United are ninth in the English Premier League table. They have gathered 36 points from 28 games but their main concern has been a leaky defence.
In the 28 games they have played thus far, the Magpies have conceded a total of 39 goals, which is the higher than their immediate rivals in the Premier League table such as Stoke City and Sunderland.
Everton
Everton lost their latest competitive fixture against Reading in the FA Cup as the Toffees were knocked out by the former Premier League club in their mid-week matchup.
Now David Moyes’s team must shift their attention towards the English Premier League where they presently occupy 11th place spot.
Merseyside’s blue half has been largely plagued by inconsistency this season. Out of their last five competitive fixtures, Everton have won three, drawn one and lost one.
Their most crucial result in these previous five matches came against http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Chelsea-c38786 in the FA Cup as the Toffee’s knocked out the Blues after an enthralling penalty shootout.
Everton will definitely aim for a win at Saint James’s Park as their earlier corresponding home fixture against Newcastle United at Goodison Park ended in a surprise win for the visiting side.
Team news
Newcastle United are scheduled to welcome back their main striker, Shola Ameobi. However, the Magpies are still without the services of Joey Barton, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Stephen-Ireland-c34149 due to their respective injury troubles. Ryan
Taylor is also set to miss the encounter against Everton due his red card suspension against Bolton.
Expected Newcastle United line-up: Krul, Simpson, Enrique, Coloccini, Campbell, S. Taylor, Tiote, Nolan, Gutierrez, Guthrie, Ameobi
Everton’s main absentees for the tie against Newcastle United are http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Tim-Cahill-c35085. Both central midfielders are out with their ankle and foot injuries respectively. Other than these two injury casualties, David Moyes has the liberty of choosing
his team from a fully fit squad.
Expected Everton line-up: Howard, Neville, Jagielka, Distin, Baines, Coleman, Rodwell, Arteta, Bilyaletdinov, Saha, Beckford
Key players
Newcastle United will bank on their star winger, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Jonas-c18967 Gutierrez, to fire them to a potential win against Everton. The Argentinean winger has blown hot and cold this season but with the arrival of Shola Ameobi in the starting line-up, expect Gutierrez to
contribute with an assist at Saint James’s Park.
Everton’s offensive responsibilities will rest on Saha’s shoulders. The striker is seldom fit to start Premier League matches for the Toffees but whenever he is, the Frenchman is known to cause damage to the oppositions defence. It is anticipated that Saha
will be a catalyst for Everton if they are to exploit Newcastle United’s weak defence.
Prediction
With Fellaini and Cahill absent for the Toffees, there is a very real possibility that Newcastle will dominate the midfield area during the encounter. Newcastle are the favourites to win this encounter.
Prediction: 2-1 to Newcastle United
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