This time around it’s a tad more difficult to have a predicted starting XI for Newcastle United vs Aston Villa.
Mitrovic and Perez were both on the bench vs Spurs but they came on and won us the game. But vs Villa, you expect to start a little more on the front foot. We’re at home, we’re the ones with confidence and Villa is backed into a corner. However, an injured animal may also be at its most dangerous when threatend.
So how do we approach the game? Perez is a skillful and hard worker, De Jong is better at dicating play. Mitrovic is far more phsyical, can hold the ball up and he’s unafraid. Cisse bases his play on instinct and is decent when positioning.
However, to keep spirits up on the pitch and give defenders more of a handful, I’d give Mitrovic the go ahead. He was a strong force against Spurs when he came on and helped hold up the ball better.
Ayoze v Siem though is a bit tougher based on recent performances. If Siem could get his 3rd start today, I think he’ll show he’s come a long way since his return and could be more what we want in terms of playing the game how we want it to be played.
Ayoze is a skillful bundle of energy, working, dribbling and having a clever footballing head. Though I still think he’ll be held on the bench today.
So with that in mind, bar any injuries, here’s our predicted starting XI:
Elliot – Janmaat, Coloccini, Mbemba, Dummett – Sissoko, Colback, Anita, Wijnaldum – De Jong, Mitrovic.
Tell us what you think.