Ben Crump takes a look ahead to Monday night football’s Premier League clash between Newcastle United and Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium.
Alan Pardew’s Newcastle United travel to Stoke on Monday night in need of three points, having failed to pick up a single win in their opening league games.
Their current form continues from a dismal end to the 2013/2014 season, resulting in just one win in their last 13 Premier League games, giving boss Pardew a troubling month, which has seen him attacked by the club’s fans.
Papiss Cisse has returned to some goalscoring form to appease some of the pressure and netted twice in their 2-2 draw against Hull City last weekend, but a result against Stoke City will have to come if they are to avoid a daunting trip back up North.
A result seems less likely looking back at recent results, which have seen the visitors pick up just three wins from their last 17 visits to the Britannia stadium.
Siem de Jong, Davide Santon and Ryan Taylor are injured and therefore – miss the tie.
Stoke, meanwhile, are just two points better off than Newcastle, with Mark Hughes’s side struggling develop a style thus far.
Former Barcelona defender Marc Muniesa will be back in the squad after an impressive two goals against Sunderland in the League Cup win, but Marko Arnautovic is likely to miss out.
Potential starting line-ups:
Stoke: Begovic; Bardsley, Shawcross, Wilson, Muniesa; Whelan, N’Zonzi, Diouf, Adam, Moses; Crouch
Newcastle: Krul; Janmaat, Williamson, Coloccini, Dummett; Cabella, Colback, Tiote, Gouffran, Sissoko; Riviere
@bencrump84 says: Stoke City 2-2 Newcastle United