Newcastle United vs Sheffield United: How will the Magpies perform in front of 10k Toon fans?

Newcastle United put up an impressive counter-attacking performance against the Premier League Champions Man City, scored 3 goals despite having only 17% of the possession.

Sheffield United are coming on the back of a surprise 1-0 win against Everton on Sunday where a 17-year-old striker Daniel Jebbison scored in the first 7 minutes of his debut match.

It’s a dead rubber game but because Sheffield United has got nothing to play for and this is a weird part of the season. They can become more dangerous out of nothing, butwith many crucial Sheffield players out injured anything other than a convincing victory would paint a depressing picture over the Magpies.

Newcastle suffered a low point when these sides met last time around as they lost 1-0 to a very poor Sheffield United. (Thankfully we have Fraser out injured otherwise he would have picked up another red)

Going by the Head-to-Heads, Newcastle have won five of their last six league games against Sheffield United and lost the last one.

But things have turned rosy at Tyneside for the Mags over the last couple of months as Newcastle are 7th in the form table of last six games are taken and also have scored the most goals in the premier league over that period.

Team News

Photo by Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images

Newcastle head coach Steve Bruce has no fresh injury headaches.

Youngster Elliot Anderson could return to the squad after returning from a hip injury, Fabian Schar will be out unavailable as he’s serving his 3-match ban for the red card he picked against Arsenal.

Callum Wilson, Karl Darlow, Isaac Hayden (both knee), skipper Jamaal Lascelles (foot), and winger Ryan Fraser (groin) all out injured with long-term injuries.

For Sheffield United, there’s no improvement in the injury list with Sander Berge, forward Oliver Burke, Ethan Ampadu (hip), long-term absentee Jack O’Connell (knee), Oli McBurnie (foot), and Billy Sharp (thigh) are all out.

Formations and Predicted Lineups

It’s an interesting one which formation Brucey will go with against Sheffield because against big teams going with back-three is understandable but Toon fans will loathe playing with back-five against already relegated sides.

I have a feeling Bruce will go with the same formation and players. So an attacking 3-4-3 will be preferred over anything.

Between the sticks would be Martin Dubravka, who was criticized by some fans on Twitter but I think he was not at fault for any of the 3 goals Newcastle United conceded over the weekend.

Back three will contain Fernandez, Dummett, and Krafth. Fernandez was poor against Man City defensively had one of those bad days, for Krafth he rose above Ake to score his first goal in the Premier League he’s got a decent height so he should go for it more.

At wing-back, we have Ritchie and Murphy, Matty’s corners and crosses can create a menace in the box, 9/10 times he put them in the right areas and have swerve on the which makes it difficult for the opposition goalie to pick them. Murphy exhibited an excellent performance last week was up against Sterling and kept him quiet but we want him more in the forward areas lumping in crosses or taking players on against Sheffield United.

Shelvey, Willock, and Almiron will make the midfield trio, I expect Jonjo to run the midfield playing those sensational Hollywood passes( and if he’s unable to do that against a championship then what’s the point of playing, play one of Longstaff’s).

Miggy sparks life into Newcastle with his hard direct running, there’s a sense of urgency when he takes the ball and has space for him to run but mostly disappoints with his final pass. (For Willock, I would suggest Brucey to not play him because every goal he scores raises his value by £5-mil)

Upfront will be the duo of Saint-Maximin and Big Joe who dispatched a confident penalty in the last game it will be a boost for his confidence if he can get a couple against hobbling Blades. Maxi will torment the Sheffield defense he already has 2 goals in 2 apps against them.

Score Predictions: Newcastle United 3-0 Sheffield United

I predict a comfortable 3-0 win for the lads but there are certain terms and conditions here the lads need. First, they to turn up for the day because there’s an element of complacency set in us and we normally don’t turn up if it’s not a big occasion. But, because there are 10k fans in the stands it will be a lively atmosphere and we can expect “The Entertainers show”.

This game is made up for our Flying Frenchman to showcase his dazzling skills, flicks, and megs. He only has 3 goals for the current campaign so he’ll definitely want to end up with more goals than Joelinton at the least. So, 2 goals for maxi and 1 for big Joe will wrap up a comfortable night for the lads. (I’m saying this from outside but inside I know very well that the magpies have the tendency to put up a shock, horror of a performance especially against lower end sides)

If it turns out to be a massive win our CHN team will start tipping Newcastle for the Champions League next season.