Alan Pardew has just announced the side to play Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium tonight and Rolando Aarons and Adam Armstrong both start the game and there are seven changes from the side that started against Spurs on Sunday. 🙁
The good news is that Ryan Taylor is also back, and makes his first start for Newcastle for 26 months – a huge achievement for the 30 year-old Liverpudlian – and we’re sure the 3000 Geordie fans there tonight will give him an ovation.
Teams:
Manchester City (4-2-3-1): Willy Caballero Bacary Sagna, Martin Demichelis, Eliaquim Mangala, Aleksandar Kolarov; Fernandinho, Yaya Toure (c); James Milner, Stevan Jovetic, David Silva; Edin Dzeko
Substitutes: Joe Hart, Pablo Zabaleta, Dedryck Boyata, Fernando, Jesus Navas, Samir Nasri, Sergio Aguero
Newcastle: (4-3-3): Rob Elliot; Daryl Janmaat, Fabricio Coloccini (c), Paul Dummett, Massadio Haidara; Ryan Taylor, Mehdi Abeid, Jack Colback; Gabriel Obertan, Adam Armstrong, Rolando Aarons
Substitutes: Tim Krul, Moussa Sissoko, Remy Cabella, Sammy Ameobi, Yoan Gouffran, Ayoze Perez, Emmanuel Riviere
Certainly it’s a strange side with Paul Dummett at center-back and Haidara in at left back, and Rob Elliot is in as Tim Krul takes a rest.
But this is by no means the best side Newcastle could have played tonight, so Liverpool on Saturday is the big priority.
We had thought (or maybe hoped is the better word) that Alan would essentially start his best team – but there are seven changes from the side that started on Sunday, and Steven Taylor is not even on the bench tonight.
That must be the strongest bench we’ve seen at Newcastle for a long time.
However it’s good news on the injury front with Ryan Taylor, Rolando Aarons and Manu Riviere all back from injury, and we’re a little surprised Sammy Ameobi didn’t get a start – but that may be because he will be starting on Saturday?
If we win the game we will be in the quarter finals of the League Cup and a chance to win something for the first time since 1969 – so maybe it was worth fielding a stronger side – that’s what we would have liked to see.
The disaster scenario is what happened last season – that we take City to extra time but lose the game – since we only have a short recovery time before the early kickoff game at home to Liverpool on Sunday.
However, we have seven players on the bench who will probably start on Saturday with Manu Riviere also back – which is good news.
Two out of three fans think we’ll lose the game tonight – about the same percentage that thought we would lose at Tottenham on Sunday. 😀
As we were reminded on Sunday – you just never know what’s going to happen with Newcastle United.
Howay The Lads!!
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321 comments so far
SA Toon
Oct 29, 2014 at 10:02 PM
Comment #321Bloody fantastic!!!!!!!! Good to see the boys playing with such enthusiasm. I’m not sure what I liked most about this game. Aaron being back in the mix and scoring, Sissoko continuing with his positive play, Armstrong getting in amongst the Premier League, Abeid showing that he can do a job, Collo standing tall, Rivière back from injury …… There are just so many positives that came from that game. But I think it has gotta be Raylor back on the pitch and lasting the game. HOWAY THE LADS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!