Newcastle United are back in action this evening as the Magpies face a trip to Molineux to challenge Wolves on matchweek ten of the 2023/24 Premier League season.
Eddie Howe’s side will go into the fixture full of confidence based on their league form, travelling to the Midlands on a five-game unbeaten streak. However, Gary O’Neil’s side won't be easy to beat.
Similarly to this evening’s visitors, Wolves have hit form of late, with the Old Gold unbeaten in their previous four games, including a statement victory over Manchester City at Molineux late last month.
Newcastle United team news against Wolves
Despite building confidence in the Premier League, Newcastle faced defeat in the Champions League earlier this week, as Borussia Dortmund left St James’ Park as 1-0 winners, after a lacklustre display from the Geordies.
The result wasn’t the only negative for Howe to dissect from the defeat, as the Englishman saw his squad depleted due to two new injuries sustained on the night, with Alexander Isak and Jacob Murphy forced to prematurely withdraw.
In his pre-match press conference ahead of the Wolves fixture, Howe revealed that Isak suffered a groin injury during the fixture that will leave him out of contention for this evening’s game.
Sky Sports’ Keith Downie relayed the extent of Murphy’s injury, which has been revealed as a shoulder dislocation that may require surgery, while away from the midweek woes, Elliot Anderson will be out for eight weeks with a back injury.
It’s trialling times for Newcastle on the injury front, but with a trip to Wolves on the horizon, there are other concerns that Howe will have to consider in order to get a result from the Midlands side.
The stats that show that Lewis Hall should start against Wolves
When assessing the threat of Wolves, it’s impossible to divert around the presence of winger Pedro Neto, who has had a flying start to the 2023/24 campaign with seven goal contributions from nine appearances.
The Portuguese whiz leads the assists chart alongside Kieran Trippier with six so far, though his ability to create is the least of Newcastle’s issues, with his pace and direct approach on the flank a terrorising scenario for Dan Burn to prepare for.
As per FBref, Neto averages 2.22 successful take-ons per 90 this season, and is rapidly quick, as highlighted by the havoc he consistently causes on the wing for defenders to attempt to limit.
While Burn is a strong figure in terms of his ability to win the ball, the Englishman is far from blessed with pace, which could prompt Howe to make a swift reshuffle at the back to pardon the danger of Wolves’ star man.
Once lauded as “quality” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, Newcastle’s summer capture, Lewis Hall, could have the traits to match the presence of Neto this evening.
Identified as a player that can bring “dynamism” and “pace” by scouting site Breaking the Lines, Hall is the faster of the Geordies’ two identifiable left-backs, while his talents span way beyond his speed.
Last season, the 19-year-old was given a chance to show his worth at Chelsea in the Premier League, during which he showcased his defensive strengths by averaging 2.6 tackles per game and a win rate of 59% of his total duels, via Sofascore.
The teen is a defender capable of eliminating danger and is a competent and combative force at the back, and also brings an added threat on the overlap, to where he averaged 1.7 key passes per game for the Blues last term.
In deploying Hall over Burn, Howe could spare his first-choice left-back the embarrassment of chasing Neto for 90 minutes, giving the loanee a chance to show his worth at Molineux.
