Newcastle predicted lineup vs Sheffield Utd - Premier League
- Newcastle return to Premier League action after a European tie in Milan on Tuesday
- Eddie Howe may be tempted to rotate his side after the physical and mental exertions of midweek
- The Magpies have lost three of their first five top-flight matches this season
From San Siro to Sheffield. Newcastle United return to Premier League action with a trip to Sheffield United's Bramall Lane on Sunday afternoon.
The Magpies held on to a goalless draw at the home of AC Milan on Tuesday night in the club's first Champions League match in 20 years. The last time Newcastle returned to league football following a European sojourn, Sir Bobby Robson's side thumped Blackburn Rovers 5-1.
Eddie Howe was at pains to play down the significance of Tuesday's continental clash, shrugging off the fact that he had never attended a Champions League match before. Howe has only been to Bramall Lane once as an opposition coach, losing 2-1 while at the helm of Bournemouth in February 2020.
Here's the lineup Howe may deploy for Sunday's return to reality.
Newcastle predicted lineup vs Sheffield Utd (4-3-3)
GK: Nick Pope - "Highly motivated" by his absence from the last England squad, according to his manager, Pope has channelled that disappointment into a pair of clean sheets after impressive individual displays.
RB: Kieran Trippier - Newcastle's vice-captain has not faced Sheffield United since he lined up in Barnsley's backline for a Championship match in April 2011.
CB: Fabian Schar - According to his former manager Axel Thoma: "Everyone told me Fabian was lazy and always needed a kick up the backside." Given how often the demanding Howe turns to Schar, those qualities have been emphatically erased.
CB: Sven Botman - At Lille, Botman was nicknamed "RoboCop" and "Champ", due to his muscular physique. Soon after his arrival on Tyneside, Newcastle fans had gone down the superhero route, producing a banner which read: "This Botman needs no Robin".
LB: Dan Burn - While a semi-professional at Blyth Spartans a decade ago, Burn also collected stray shopping trolleys as an Asda employee.
CM: Elliot Anderson - If Howe opts to give Sandro Tonali a rest - which his muddled display against Milan pointed towards - Anderson could come in as a spritely replacement.
CM: Bruno Guimaraes - The bellwether of this Newcastle team. "When Bruno plays well our game goes to a different dimension," Howe has gushed in the past.
CM: Sean Longstaff - The boyhood Newcastle fan tried to keep a poker face but couldn't stop himself from puffing out of his cheeks as he took to the San Siro pitch. Bramall Lane may not be as glamorous but it is just as historic and will certainly be hostile.
RW: Miguel Almiron - After a run of eight goals in nine games leading up to Boxing Day, Almiron has scored just twice in his last 23 Premier League appearances.
ST: Callum Wilson - Aside from Harry Kane and Erling Haaland, Wilson has been the Premier League's most prolific player since the start of last season.
LW: Harvey Barnes - The former Leicester City forward has been directly involved in three goals across his only two appearances at Bramall Lane.
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