Newcastle United host Premier League champions Manchester City at St James’ Park on Saturday and Eddie Howe, once again, has some big selection calls to make.
The Magpies suffered their first defeat of the new season against Fulham last weekend as they left Craven Cottage with more questions than answers.
Howe rotated both full-backs with Kieran Trippier and Lloyd Kelly getting the nod, while Joe Willock came into the three-man midfield with Harvey Barnes replacing Jacob Murphy in attack.
Losing 2-0 at half-time, Howe swapped Hall for Kelly and Murphy for Willock. His side gradually improved - Murphy assisted Barnes moments after entering the pitch - but Newcastle ultimately fell to a 3-1 loss.
Concerns were raised about the midfield balance, with many supporters seeing Sandro Tonali as the man to help change that while the rotation of the full-backs suggests Howe doesn’t yet know his best two.
Howe is also hoping to get a tune out of the likes of Bruno Guimaraes, Joelinton, Anthony Gordon and Alexander Isak, who have endured slow starts to the campaign.
Here’s the Newcastle starting XI we’re predicting Howe to name:
1. GK: Nick Pope
Will look to bounce back from his Fulham mistake | Getty Images
2. RB: Kieran Trippier
Made his first Premier League start of the season at Fulham last weekend. | Getty Images
3. CB: Fabian Schar
Will still be wondering how he didn’t score to make it 2-2 at Fulham last weekend. | Getty Images
4. CB: Dan Burn
Started the campaign strong but has regressed in recent games. Will look to put that right versus Man City. | Getty Images