The full force of Newcastle United’s summer spending spree is about to hit the pitch, as Eddie Howe’s side prepares to take on Wolverhampton Wanderers this Saturday at St. James’ Park.
After months of frustration in the hunt for a prolific striker, the Magpies finally have firepower to spare. Club-record signing Nick Woltemade, the much-hyped German prospect, will be joined up top by Yoane Wissa, the proven Premier League goal-getter snapped up from Brentford. Both look to be highly promising additions to Howe’s side, and fans, who for some time longed for a replacement for Alexander Isak after his transfer drama and subsequent move to Liverpool, will have hefty expectations of the striking duo.
But standing in their way is a Wolves side who won’t be featuring one man who might have been wearing black and white himself. Jørgen Strand Larsen who was, for most of early august, a top target for Howe this summer, saw his move to St. James’ Park collapse, with Wolves refusing to let their talisman leave. He will miss the trip to the north east with an achilles issue.
For Newcastle, the stakes feel high even so early in the season. Still without a league win this season, they desperately need three points to kickstart their campaign. A drab goalless draw with Leeds before the international break laid bare their striker shortage, with youngster Will Osula failing to convince despite his brief spark against Liverpool. Now, fans are pinning their hopes on the new boys to finally deliver that cutting edge firepower that the squad has been missing out for so long.
Wolves, however, have problems of their own. Widely tipped as relegation favourites, Vítor Pereira’s men have lost every Premier League outing so far, despite tasting victory against their recent Carabao Cup clash with West Ham, which resulted in a 3-2 win. Heading into the match, another defeat could exacerbate an already troubling period for Wolverhampton Wonderers.
Where to watch
The game will kick off at 15:00 BST on Saturday September 13 and will subsequently be unavailable to watch in the United Kingdom.
Predicted lineups
Newcastle United: Aaron Ramsdale, Tino Livramento, Malik Thiaw, Dan Burn, Lewis Hall, Joelinton, Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimarães, Harvey Barnes, Anthony Elanga, Yoane Wissa
Wolverhampton Wonderers: José Sá, Emmanuel Agbadou, Toti Gomes, Santiago Bueno, Ki-Jana Hoever, Matt Doherty, Hugo Bueno, Jhon Arias, João Gomes , Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, Hwang Hee-chan