Anthony Gair says…
Well, just to start off, I’m absolutely bricking it. I always do, and I always will before the derby.
Our main threat against Newcastle will be down the wings, I expect. Hopefully they field Dan Burn and Kieran Trippier as I feel Romaine Mundle, Bertrand Traoré, Wilson Isidor, Brian Brobbey, Chemsdine Talbi, Eliezer Mayenda, Enzo Le Fée and whoever else can play up top can cause real problems for their defence, irrespective of who’s playing.
Everyone will say Granit Xhaka and Noah Sadiki, but I think
the importance is on the attack and their ability to beat their man in the final third.
John Wilson says…
Like a lot of teams, Newcastle won’t “like it up ’em”, so an on-fire Granit Xhaka is essential.
That may be a go-to answer, so I’ll also give a shout out to Dan Ballard. Apart from his defensive duties alongside Omar Alderete, I think he’ll be able to cause them great concerns from corners and free kicks.
Ballard had an unfortunate FA Cup game in 2023/2024 so he has even more to prove about his development and improvement since then. His surging runs out from the back are becoming more of a feature of his game, as well as his deft chips to set off an attack, so he’s well capable hurting them in defence and in attack.
Can you imagine a scenario where he scores a late winner? “BALLARD!!”
That’ll do for me!
Joseph Tulip says…
A derby game can be decided in a single moment, with any individual player stepping forward to make a difference.
We’ll need a collective effort in terms of performance from all our starters and finishers, but I think Robin Roefs will be just as important as the likes of Dan Ballard, Granit Xhaka and whoever else completes the spine of our side.
Roefs has been in superb form all season and there’ll be difficult moments where we’ll need our Dutch stopper to come to the rescue.
From his aerial dominance — which will be tested against the likes of Nick Woltemade — to his shot-stopping ability, I back Roefs to make a string of vital saves which could tip the balance in our favour.
Malc Dugdale says…
It was a tough loss to take at Manchester City but after playing them and Liverpool in such a short period of time, it was a touch too much for our strong but still-developing squad.
That said, we’ve always bounced back from the odd defeat this season, and doing that this weekend will be oh so sweet.
In terms of players, we’re so much better now than we were in that FA Cup tie, so I’m confident we can take them on all over the park, to be honest.
Robin Roefs is an amazing goalkeeper and will boss his box and distribute very well.
Trai Hume and Dan Ballard will want revenge for the cup loss — especially Ballard after his unfortunate own goal. They’ve both improved massively since that 0-3 loss and surrounded by Nordi Mukiele and Omar Alderete, they’ll be a formidable force for Newcastle’s attack to try and breach. Nick Woltemade will be a handful but if we can negate Erling Haaland, we can handle him too.
It’s in the middle and up front that I think we have the main upper hand.
We have the experience, energy and technical prowess in Noah Sadiki, Granit Xhaka and Enzo Le Fée to hold our own against any side, and they showed that against Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool.
Up front, we not have not only Wilson Isidor and Eliezer Mayenda to choose from, but also Brian Brobbey, whereas in the FA Cup, we were playing Nazariy Rusyn with Jobe as a false nine, while a forlorn Hemir sat on the bench.
The step up in quality since that game is within the realms of trading in a battered old mini for a shiny Ferrari. I do hope they’re all thinking the delta is as it was then, as they’ll get a massive surprise and will be run ragged.
I agree with Anth that the wide men will be key and with Romaine Mundle fit, we have even more options to create out wide and to feed the front men. Both Bertrand Traoré and Chemsdine Talbi have had great run outs of late too, scoring and working very hard, and Mundle is building up his fitness but is already showing glimpses of his ability.
In short, we have talent everywhere and most of all, we’re a team of great lads with camaraderie, confidence and spirit, led by a tactical genius.
The Mags only managed to beat Burnley 2-1 at the weekend — with an extra man for over half of the game and through a very dubious penalty, and if they play Dan Burn and Joe Willock down the left, I honestly think any of the above lads will have a field day.
Tino Livramento isn’t a bad right back, but with Jacob Ramsey in front of him, that side can be attacked too.
When we get closer to the weekend I’ll start getting nervy, but I’m more excited than worried right now. These are the games we wanted back on the list. It’s more than about league points — it’s about bragging rights after centuries of rivalry.
I can’t wait. Bring them on.
