Rafa Benitez has just released team news and the starting Newcastle team to play Leicester City this afternoon.
And it’s not a big surprise that Rafa has again started an unchanged team against the former Premier League Champions.
TEAM NEWS: Here’s how Newcastle United will line up at @LCFC in the @premierleague this afternoon (kick-off 3pm BST).
Rafa Benítez has named the same side that defeated Huddersfield Town last Saturday. #NUFC pic.twitter.com/6j0ANLH2DH
— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) April 7, 2018
Dwight Gayle – good chance for him to get back to his goalscoring ways
So Dwight Gayle and Ayoze Perez will get another chance to add to their goal tallies this season.
And it’s good to see Mikel Merino back on the bench this week as is the now fit Joselu.
A win would be unbelievable, and a draw would be a good result for us today.
There’s less anxiety today after two successive wins but Rafa will still push for the win.
Only one in three fans think we can get all 3 points today.
Howay The Lads!!
Comments welcome.
239 comments so far
Hail Wor Ashley
Apr 7, 2018 at 4:56 PM
Comment #201Great game management after their goal and Dubravka didn’t go into his shell and reacted well.
SAFETY!
A Perez lob over Schmeichel the eventual winner.
Perez MOTM for me for the goal and ran himself into the ground and despite some usual frustrating moments a good assist too.
If he could improve his good to bad decisions ratio – when and where to release it – he’d be a top drawer player. Frequently finds space.
chicousa
Apr 7, 2018 at 4:56 PM
Comment #20210th in table! Get in!!!
Munster Mag
Apr 7, 2018 at 4:56 PM
Comment #203I wonder cud we go for Tammy? Better option than Jorgensen I think
manxpie
Apr 7, 2018 at 4:56 PM
Comment #204Fusk off vardy and maguire whiney little barstewards
Thats us staying up and up to 10th!
willowdalerez
Apr 7, 2018 at 4:57 PM
Comment #205Can Mag – BBC radio Newcastle sayin’ been praising the reffing was really good for the last 10 mins!
Munster Mag
Apr 7, 2018 at 4:57 PM
Comment #206Some achievement by rafa and coaches and players
RUNAWAY777
Apr 7, 2018 at 4:57 PM
Comment #207Got the result 2..1 toon very happy tonight just a note Mirto scores for Fulham as they win 1..0
Our Toon
Apr 7, 2018 at 4:58 PM
Comment #208What a result, cracking result and performance. Well done rafa
Hail Wor Ashley
Apr 7, 2018 at 4:58 PM
Comment #209Great game management after their goal and Dubravka didn’t go into his shell and reacted well.
SAFETY!
A Perez lob over Schmeichel the eventual winner.
Perez MOTM for me for the goal and ran himself into the ground and despite some usual frustrating moments a good assist too..
If he could improve his good to bad decisions ratio – when and where to release it – he’d be a top drawer player. Frequently finds space.
sweendog
Apr 7, 2018 at 4:58 PM
Comment #21010th in the table
Perez lob
Shelvey on the score sheet, what a day.
Some brilliant tackles today as well
AncientC
Apr 7, 2018 at 4:59 PM
Comment #211Jail will not be able to complain much, but he got done at 5/2 odds for Newcastle to win. I got 7/2.
Always, always… check Oddschecker before placing a bet.
Geremi's Prosthetic Leg Fund
Apr 7, 2018 at 5:00 PM
Comment #212That is us surely safe with all the results today below us!!! Essentially 11 points clear with the GD. So happy, so relieved.
Now let’s get this club sold and kick on!
willowdalerez
Apr 7, 2018 at 5:00 PM
Comment #213Leeds / Sunderland even . “Sunderland clinging on with their fingertips to the Championship” as the radio moves to that game “Newcastle, how much up the higher up the table can they climb”
Great way to end the broadcast 😉
manxpie
Apr 7, 2018 at 5:00 PM
Comment #214Plus a game in hand over everton although its against spurs still fantastic result and second half to the season
swemag
Apr 7, 2018 at 5:00 PM
Comment #215Staying up. Not even Huddersfield will get 38, 5 games left and Chelsea, Man City and Arsenal are among those.
AncientC
Apr 7, 2018 at 5:01 PM
Comment #216I wonder if Nufc-83 is going to flip-flop again on Newcastle being able to finish 10th. heh.
Kebabacus
Apr 7, 2018 at 5:02 PM
Comment #217Well, that was the longest 30 minutes of my life.
Diame back to his old ways. Looked like he was on ketamine.
Dummett my man of the match. Blotted his copybook by not jumping with Okazaki for their goal though – can’t really blame Dubravka for that.
Just like the last game, I was slating Perez until he scored 🙂
All round solid performance. If we had a decent number 10 and striker we would be a good team!
JP...from The Rock
Apr 7, 2018 at 5:02 PM
Comment #218Absolutely brilliant performance from all the lads! What a shoft all the lads put in here. They deserved the clean sheet and bearly clinched it but my oh my did they deserve the three points today!
3 wins in a row and we’re now almost certainly safe! Happy Fking Days!! Hahaha oh yesss!
Well done the lads and well done the gaffa what an amazing achievement. And are my eyes seeing right but are we now 10th in the table!??? OMG HAHA I’m buzzing!
HWTL
HWTG
HWTF!!
Get in!!!
Optimistic Panda
Apr 7, 2018 at 5:02 PM
Comment #219Cracking result which should see us safe.
Got to congratulate the players coaches and all other staff and to Rafa himself, to be good as safe with 6 games to go is brilliant.
It’s amazing what you can achieve when you all pull together, oh for a ambitious owner..
RUNAWAY777
Apr 7, 2018 at 5:02 PM
Comment #220Lads remember when albert scored that type of goal against Schmeichel father great win over man Utd.
toon kk
Apr 7, 2018 at 5:02 PM
Comment #221Proud of our players, the way we have stuck in is commendable. We’ll done Rafa.
Kebabacus
Apr 7, 2018 at 5:03 PM
Comment #222Oh, and every single result went our way AGAIN!
RUNAWAY777
Apr 7, 2018 at 5:03 PM
Comment #223Sorry lads was not his farther in goal that day pmsl
Tsunki
Apr 7, 2018 at 5:03 PM
Comment #224I’ve been driving so it’s probably already been mentioned but what is it about the Schmeichel boys and getting lobbed by Newcastle players?
Canadian Mag
Apr 7, 2018 at 5:03 PM
Comment #225These are definitely the type of game we would like to a poor penalty call or red card. Hats off to Atwell and his team. Excellent game for them. Didn’t give in to pressure from players or fans and let the fair result come out
Canadian Mag
Apr 7, 2018 at 5:04 PM
Comment #226Like = lose
Black and white armpit
Apr 7, 2018 at 5:04 PM
Comment #227Great battling performance, nobody ducking out of challenges
Tsunki
Apr 7, 2018 at 5:04 PM
Comment #228Oh I see it has 😀
cyprus
Apr 7, 2018 at 5:04 PM
Comment #229Europe here we come
Lascelles sells sea shells by the sea shore
Apr 7, 2018 at 5:05 PM
Comment #230I really can’t believe the immediate difference having a top keeper made to us as a team, he must have glue in his gloves the way he comes out to claim balls, I little cautious with his decision making for the goal but as someone else mentioned he done exceptionally well to stay right mentally and claimed every ball in the box after that… The makings of a great keeper, he’s quick around his box too.
When Okazaki came on I feared the worst, he always causes us bother and you can’t help but like the little ficker, always plays with a smile and a very busy wee player, he got the assist but our resilience showed when we aren’t he game out
Tsunki
Apr 7, 2018 at 5:05 PM
Comment #231Brought you by Ed’s blog – catchy free for 45 days.
willowdalerez
Apr 7, 2018 at 5:06 PM
Comment #232Surely safe now… Wish I could have watched last weekend’s win over Hudders (long weekend with the family) and not just listened to today’s over the radio but 3 wins on the trot and surely safety, happy as can be! Now gotta run but enjoy it fellas I’ll be back on later to see how the voting went… I couldn’t see it so I’ll just read the reviews and watch MOTD later.
MOTD going to be a real treat!
Kebabacus
Apr 7, 2018 at 5:06 PM
Comment #233I loved that little passage of play with 5 or 6 crunching tackles or headers – and we won all of them! What Rafa has done with this squad is miraculous.
Mag52
Apr 7, 2018 at 5:07 PM
Comment #234Perez is not the finished article. Hope he stays with us till he is.
Great goal and, for me, MOM.
AncientC
Apr 7, 2018 at 5:07 PM
Comment #235I didn’t think Diame was as good as people were making out anyway—improved, yes, but no world beater. That new contract idea for Diame may be worth thinking twice about. 1 more year out of Diame seems about right to me. Diame won’t be worth a fee in another year anyway, not on the wages he is on, so a new contract for Diame could end up costing the club in the long run.
PK-Norway
Apr 7, 2018 at 5:08 PM
Comment #236Tsunki
Pereez-Lob-Goal
Mag :P
Apr 7, 2018 at 5:09 PM
Comment #237I don’t think I have appreciated a Newcastle team in my lifetime as much as this one.
It feels like the last 10 years have been robbed now that I know what could have been. Yeah, some players are poor, but they work so harder the cause and that’s all I want in players.
Now imagine that takeover happens…
Magtoonpie
Apr 7, 2018 at 5:18 PM
Comment #238Ancient C Diame has dramatically improved even making pogba look bad during the Man U game. I was a big critic of his but the turn around is incredible. Rafa has built the team from the back to front next is striker in Summer.
Sherlock
Apr 7, 2018 at 5:18 PM
Comment #239Phew another nervous nelly match. Cracking defending as a team and always a threat going forward. Even joselu helped last 10 minutes. MOTM no idea I was so nervous. Gonna give it to Rafa think he deserves one.