Newcastle United travel to Norwich City this weekend in a seismic bottom of the table clash that will go a long way in determining both sides’ Premier League fates.
Aleksandar Mitrovic’s last gasp equaliser during the monumental Tyne Wear derby that preceded last weekend’s international break ensured that 19th placed Newcastle head into the final eight games of the season within touching distance of Sunderland and Norwich above them, however, defeat against Alex Neil’s men on Saturday will see the Canaries open up a significant six-point gap over the Magpies – a chasm that Rafael Benitez’s embattled side would find difficult to bridge with the sands of time fast running out.
With newly promoted Norwich floundering at the foot of the table since the turn of the year, pundits and fans alike had cogitated over which North East side would be joining Aston Villa and the Canaries in The Championship next season, however, in recent weeks the East Anglians have defied those that had already written them off by earning a hard fought point against Manchester City before scooping their first win in 11 at The Hawthorns courtesy of Robbie Brady’s second half strike.
An unforeseen return of four points from two conceivably onerous outings has catapulted Neil’s side out of the bottom three and back into contention, and a victory over Newcastle this weekend would hand the Canaries a huge advantage in their quest to consolidate their top flight status at the expense of their troubled opponents.
Newcastle will have been encouraged by the nature of their second fightback against Sunderland in Rafael Benitez’s first home game in charge, however, at the business end of the campaign a side in the Magpies’ position really need to be picking up three points from fixtures against sides in and around them if they are to begin climbing the table.
They have the perfect opportunity to do just that at Carrow Road on Saturday, and after two more weeks to implement his methods and tactics, Benitez will be desperate to kick off United’s late season survival surge by earning his first victory against one of their chief relegation rivals.
Ahead of the mammoth encounter, we decided to construct a combined XI of players from Newcastle and Norwich City. The formation is 4-2-3-1.