While we’re always a little cynical when it comes to withdrawals prior to international friendlies, Alan Pardew clearly has plenty to ponder ahead of Newcastle’s Gameweek 1 opener against Spurs. Having watched his side lose 4-1 to Cardiff at the weekend, the Magpies boss is keen to rally his troops in time for Saturday evening’s home clash with Andre Villas-Boas’ side but this morning he revealed he has several first-team concerns on the horizon…
Up front, both Demba Ba and Papiss Cisse are struggling for fitness. The pair missed out against Cardiff, with Pardew handing Shola Ameobi the lone striker role in a 4-4-1-1, which saw Jonas Gutierrez play in “the hole” – a possible sign of things to come should the Senegal strikers fail to recover from their respective injuries.
Bearing in mind that Newcastle then travel to Greece to face Atromitos in the Europa League on Thursday August 25 before their Gameweek 2 visit to Chelsea only two days later, it’s fair to say that Pardew will likely be cautious with his team selection for fear of any long-term absence.
“Papiss has got a slight hamstring we think he will recover by Tuesday or Wednesday. Demba has a shin injury which he has carried for a week or so. So we took him out of the game on Tuesday.”
There are plenty of other concerns, aside from the two forwards. Pardew also conceded that Hatem Ben Arfa is all but out of the Spurs game due to a knee problem, while Yohan Cabaye’s lack of match fitness is a big worry. Ben Arfa’s absence looks set to boost the first-team chances of Sylvain Marveaux – the winger impressed in the recent 5-1 win over Hartlepool by bagging a brace – while Ryan Taylor’s versatility could be significant here; he has started in central midfield recently and could well fill in again.
Indeed, Taylor’s chances are increased by the news that Cheick Tiote is also a doubt after limping out of the Cardiff defeat with a calf problem. With skipper Fabricio Coloccini also battling to overcome a hamstring knock, Pardew is facing an anxious next few days as he prepares for the curtain to raise on the new campaign.
All this, of course, could be good news for Tottenham’s attacking assets in Gameweek 1. With the London outfit set to follow this trip with (WBA, NOR, rdg, QPR), plenty investment in Villas-Boas’ side is already expected. The idea of Gareth Bale, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Rafael Van der Vaart lining up against an under-strength Magpies will strengthen Fantasy faith as we look to nail down our squads prior to Saturday morning’s deadline.
Our full team news service will be restored very soon, collecting all the very latest and offering predicted lineups as the days tick by towards the kick-off.
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