Newcastle United versus Wolverhampton Wanderers – English Premier League: Match Preview
English Premier League’s most awaited clash of the weekend takes place between Newcastle and Wolverhampton on Saturday night as both the teams look to play their way out of the relegation battle that they find themselves in. Let’s
take a look at how Alan Padrew’s men measure up against Mick McCarthy’s outfit:
Newcastle United
After selling Andy Carroll in the January transfer window, Newcastle United have capitulated as a unit. Without a concentrated offensive center, Newcastle have found it hard to get the required results in their matches in the second
half of the Premier League season. Out of their last five competitive fixtures, the Magpies have won one, drawn two and lost two.
Their latest English Premier League encounter ended in a humbling four goal defeat to Stoke City at the Britannia stadium. Despite the fact that Newcastle are four points off the relegation zone as they are placed 11th
in the English Premier League rankings with 36 points from 30 matches, a bad run of results can very well see the Tyneside giants plummet into the bottom three teams of the English league.
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Presently 18th in the English Premier League table, Wolverhampton are in a middle of an on-going relegation battle. With just 32 points from 30 matches, Mick McCarthy’s men have found it hard to pull clear of the drop
zone due to their inconsistency. Out of their last five Premier League fixtures, Wolves have won two, drawn two and lost one. This run of results has seen them beat Blackpool and Aston Villa but lose to Arsenal.
Throughout the 2010-2011 Premier League season, Wolves have raised their game whenever the likes of Manchester United or http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Liverpool-c39809 have visited the Molineux stadium but their away form still remains a cause for concern as they
have only won two of their 15 away matches this season.
Team News
Newcastle are without several of their first team players at the moment. Alan Smith, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Dan-Gosling-c9845 and Hatem Ben Afra are all sidelined due to their fitness issues. Leon Best is also struggling to make it to full
fitness for the tie against Wolverhampton on 2nd of April.
Expected Newcastle United line up:
Harper, Enrique, Williamson, Coloccini, Simpson, Tiote, Nolan, Barton, Ranger, Best
On the other hand, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Kevin-Doyle-c20719. Stephen Hunt is also a doubt for the match against Newcastle United due to his calf strain.
Expected Wolverhampton Wanderers line up:
Hennessey, Foley, Stearman, Berra, Elokobi, Hammill, Henry, Milijas, O’Hara, Jarvis, Fletcher
Key Players
Kevin Nolan will be Newcastle United’s main midfield enforcer against Wolverhampton. Both the teams like to play physical football thus Nolan’s presence in the center of the park will be crucial to the outcome of the game as far
as the Magpies are concerned. In the 2010-2011 season, Nolan has already contributed to Newcastle’s Premier League campaign with eleven goals and two assists.
Alternatively, Wolverhampton will require a match winning display from Matt Jarvis once more. After being selected for the English national squad over the past week, Jarvis will be high on morale. Not only that, the English winger
netted Wolverhampton’s winning goal against Aston Villa in their last round of matches. In the 2010-2011 season, Jarvis has scored four and assisted six goals.
Prediction
This matchup is an extremely close to call as both the teams are quite evenly matched. However, Newcastle United do have a slight edge due to their home advantage.
Prediction: Newcastle 1 – 1 Wolverhampton.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely of the writer’s and do not reflect the official editorial policy of
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