Fulham v Newcastle United match banter!
Posted on February 2nd, 2011 | 146 Comments |
With all the recent off pitch distractions with Andy Carroll, claims, counterclaims, lies and damned lies, one could almost be forgiven for forgetting that there was actually a football game this evening, with Newcastle travelling to the upmarket London borough of Fulham for what could be a very tricky game if the lads on 100% and completely focused on the task in hand.
Even with the home advantage of St James’s Park, Newcastle could only manage a 0-0 draw in the previous match between the clubs, and Fulham are usually at their strongest on their own turf. Indeed, Mark Hughes’s side have won their previous three matches at home, not least a rampant 4-0 victory in a fourth round FA tie against Tottenham in their last game.
Looking at things the other way though, The Cottagers currently lie six places below Newcastle in fifteenth place in the Premier League, are only three points clear of the relegation zone. Newcastle also seem to have but their previous London hoodoo of years gone past behind them too, with three victories in the capital so far, against Chelsea, Arsenal and West Ham. Although hard to break down, Mark Hughes’s Cottagers have had no fewer than eleven draws in the Premier League this season, often finding it hard to push on from that and sticking three points in the metaphorical bag.
Team news
Though the squad is now bereft of Andy Carroll, he would have been out of this one anyway. Some good news is that captain, Kevin Nolan, will be available again, as will Danny Guthrie (who limped out of the previous game against Tottenham with cramp). The previously suspended Cheik Tiote will serve the last game of his three match ban. New midfield loan signing, Stephen Ireland will almost certainly not feature in the game because manager, Alan Pardew believes that he is two weeks away from being match fit. So, he will probably join Steven Taylor (hamstring), Dan Gosling (knee), Alan Smith (ankle), Hatem Ben Arfa (broken leg) and Ryan Taylor (ankle) on the sidelines.
On the Fulham side, there is a good chance that Mark Hughes could give debuts to new January signings, Eidur Gudjohnsen and Gael Kakuta in the match this evening. Meanwhile, goalkeeper, Mark Schwarzer, may be rested after International duty with Australia in the recent Asia Cup in Qatar. In midfield, Dickson Etuhu may be a doubt with a hamstring problem. Finally, Philippe Senderos and Bobby Zamora are currently carrying more long-term injuries.
For a more in depth preview to the game, please check out Hugh De Payen’s excellent match preview. We will of course, endeavour to bring you a full teamsheet for the game when we can.
Howay the lads!
Teams
Newcastle United: Steve Harper, Danny Simpson, Mike Williamson, Fabricio Coloccini, Sanchez Jose Enrique, Joey Barton, Kevin Nolan, Danny Guthrie, Jonas Gutierrez, Leon Best, Shola Ameobi.
Subs: Michael Richardson, Tim Krul, Shane Ferguson, Nile Ranger, Peter Lovenkrands, James Perch, Sol Campbell.
Fulham: Mark Schwarzer, John Pantsil, Aaron Hughes, Brede Hangerland, Chris Baird, Clint Dempsey, Steve Sidwell, Danny Murphy, Damien Duff, Andrew Johnson, Moussa Dembele.
Subs: Jonathan Greening, Zoltan Gera, Carlos Salcido, Gael Kakuta, Diomansy Kamara, Simon Davies, David Stockdale.
NUFCBlog Author: workyticket
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