Newcastle United face Bournemouth at St James’ Park this weekend seeking to overturn a troubling recent record against their visitors. The Magpies have not secured a Premier League victory in their last seven meetings with Bournemouth, including two damaging home defeats that ended 2-1 and 4-1. Manager Matthias Jaissle will be eager to reverse this unwanted trend after his side impressed with a 2-0 victory over Tottenham last time out, which included their first clean sheet of the season.
Jaissle is expected to maintain continuity in his lineup following the positive display against Spurs. Goalkeeper Lukas Hornicek should retain his place, while right back Amar Dedic continues to impress following his summer arrival from Benfica. The central defensive partnership of Malick Thiaw and Sven Botman performed well against Tottenham and appears set to continue, with Lewis Hall on the left flank completing the backline.
Midfield duties will fall to Lewis Miley and Nico Gonzalez, who formed an effective pairing against the north London club. Joe Willock is expected to operate ahead of them. The attacking unit sees Anthony Elanga on the right wing, Harvey Barnes on the left, and striker Wissa leading the line. Wissa has made an impressive start to his Newcastle career, combining threatening movement with early goalscoring contributions.
Uncertainty surrounds Elanga’s fitness after he departed the Tottenham match with a suspected hamstring issue, though Jacob Murphy stands ready as a replacement should the winger fail a late assessment. Newcastle’s recent improvement in form positions them well to finally end their poor record against Bournemouth.
Originally reported by Sports.yahoo →
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