Steve McClaren will be hoping to put an end to his side’s poor form when Newcastle take on Sheffield Wednesday this evening.
The Magpies are yet to win a league game this season, drawing two and losing four, and have only enjoyed success under McClaren in the previous round of the League Cup – a 4-1 victory over Northampton.
Ahead of tonight’s game, I caught up with Sheffield Wednesday fan and The FL72 editor Adam Allcroft for his insight into the fixture.
If you could take one Newcastle player at Wednesday, who would it be and why?
Do I have to take one? Really? Ok then. I think a lot of players there are underachieving compared to their actual ability so I’m not sure who’s actually good at Newcastle, but one shining light is Daryl Janmaat. He’s fantastic and while we are strong at right back with Jack Hunt, I’d love him.
If you could place one Sheffield Wednesday player from the past in your current team, who would it be and why?
David Hirst. We need a striker, and this guy is a legend. In the early 90s, the question people were asking were who was going to partner Hirst upfront for England. Unfortunately, he never recovered from a vicious Steve Bould challenge, but his finish and power was something special. He is still at the club as a youth coach, but if I could take him as a 20-year-old I’d do it a heartbeat.
Are there any rising stars at Wednesday that we should be keeping an eye on?
There is a young Portuguese striker called Lucas Joao that was signed this summer who is going to be great. He’s raw at the moment, which is why Atdhe Nuhiu generally gets the nod, but he has great physicality and Portugal have been considering calling him into the senior squad. This is someone to watch.
Who is your most important player?
With Fernando Forestieri, unfortunately, cup-tied, you have to look at Kieran Lee. Since moving from right back to central midfield, he has been essential to the Owls. He controls the game from the midfield, rarely misplaces a pass and has got this knack of arriving in the box at exactly the right time. He’s also a hard worker and gives opposition midfielders no time on the ball.
What do you reckon will be the key battle tonight?
It’ll be the battle of whatever full backs Newcastle play and whatever wingers Wednesday play. The delight of league cup rotation. Wednesday’s real quality comes on the wings, whether it’s Ross Wallace, Marco Matias or Modou Sougou. The best thing for Wednesday is that these wingers all offer something different. Wallace is technical and can put a great ball in, as shown by his hat trick of assists at the weekend. Matias has bags of skill and can score wonder goals. And Sogou’s pace is just electric. Newcastle’s full-backs will have to deal with them to stop Wednesday.
Predicted line-up
It’s tough to predict the line up as Carlos Carvalhal loves to rotate but in a 4-2-3-1 it’ll be this: Wildsmith; Hunt – Sasso – Lees – Wiggins; Lee – Hutchinson; Matias – Bannan – Sogou; Joao
Score prediction:
With us playing well and Newcastle not doing so well:
Newcastle 1-2 Sheffield Wednesday
