Eddie Howe explains bold Newcastle United team selection to face Liverpool
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The Magpies boss made three changes from the 4-0 defeat at Leicester City as top scorer Callum Wilson dropped to the bench. Joe Willock and Miguel Almiron also dropped out while Ryan Fraser, Isaac Hayden and Jacob Murphy came into the side.
When asked if he’d sacrificed flair for functionality, Howe responded on BT Sport: “We tried to pick a team which gives us the balance that we need to get our plan right in terms of how much we attack and where we press Liverpool.
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Hide Ad"I think we've got an exciting team with a lot of pace on the pitch so hopefully that shows.”
Liverpool confirmed they had been hit by COVID-19 prior to kick-off with Virgil Van Dijk, Fabinho and Curtis Jones missing out.
NUFC XI to face Liverpool:Dubravka; Manquillo, Schar, Lascelles, Lewis; Hayden, Shelvey, Fraser, Murphy; Saint-Maximin, Joelinton
NUFC subs: Darlow, Clark, Wilson, Ritchie, Hendrick, Almiron, Willock, Gayle, Longstaff