Barnsley v Newcastle - Match Preview
Newcastle head to Yorkshire on Tuesday in search of another away victory with the possibility of going top of the Championship, should Norwich fail to beat Fulham at Craven Cottage. The Geordies comfortably overcame Brentford over the weekend with a 3-1 win to move 2nd in the table, but the midweek fixture against Barnsley will prove to be another test.
The Tykes have failed to win their last four, and will be aiming to set things right after their 4-2 home defeat to Fulham. Paul Heckingbottom’s men sit 11th in the league, six points clear of relegation and only four points away from the play-off zone. Early days, of course, but it’s a testament to how tight the English 2nd tier is. The newcomers made an inauspicious start to their campaign, losing their opener and then being knocked out of the EFL Cup by Northampton, but they rallied and picked up some impressive wins, including a 4-0 away win at Wolves.
Conor Hourihane will be the creative spark in midfield for Barnsley, the former Republic of Ireland U-21 international has notched in three goals and picked up the Championship Player of the Month accolade in August. Under the terms of the loan agreement, Adam Armstrong will be ineligible to play against his parent club – a wise decision when you consider the Lomana Lua-Lua case when Newcastle faced Portsmouth back in 2004. Midfielder Josh Scowen will play no part on Tuesday evening after he was given his marching orders against Fulham, this could see a change in formation with Barnsley playing five in the middle, Marley Watkins dropping back into midfield and either Tom Bradshaw or Sam Winnall playing as their sole striker.
Dwight Gayle has been in scintillating form, exemplary of the number 9 shirt, but he has only managed one goal away from home – the 1-0 win against Bristol City. On the road, Newcastle tend to sit a little deeper, which doesn’t seem to suit Gayle, it’ll be interesting to see if Benítez opts to play two upfront and give Mitrović the nod to partner the Championship top-scorer. Benítez has made no secrets in rotating the side in order to deal with the quick turnaround of games. Along with Mitrović, Hayden, Diamé and Yedlin will be all vying for starting spots at Oakwell.
There were question marks at the start of the season over Jonjo Shelvey. His qualities are undoubted, but did he have the stamina and commitment to compete in a long and rugged season? In recent games, he has dictated the midfield and has justified his position as an automatic starter. Matt Ritchie wasn’t in the squad over the weekend, but if fit, he will take the right-midfield slot; Christian Atsu set to be rested after putting in the air miles on international duty then playing 70 minutes against Brentford.
At the start of the season, everyone envisaged a defensive partnership of Lascelles and Mbemba. However, Ciaran Clark has duly bulldozed himself into the starting XI. Initially deemed as a back-up, Clark has put in some great defensive performances and grabbed his 2nd goal of the season with the opener against The Bees.
Tuesday couldn’t come quick enough, with a strong 5,900 support; the Toon Army will be expectant of a win. For some of the Barnsley players, this will be their opportunity to shine. Newcastle will need to nip it in the bud and ensure the home side have nothing to shout about during the closing stages of the game. At Aston Villa, Newcastle were dominant, but succumbed to a late goal, and at Rotherham there were certainly some nail-biting moments. Our last outing at Oakwell ended in a 2-2 draw, Nolan and Harewood the goalscorers, and our last league victory at Barnsley was almost 33 years ago. A professional performance is required in order to overcome another potential tricky away fixture.
Preferred Starting XI: Darlow (GK) • Dummett, Clark, Lascelles (C), Yedlin • Gouffran, Shelvey, Hayden, Ritchie • Mitrović, Gayle
