Newcastle travel to face Wolves at Molineux on Saturday as they go in search of their first Premier League win of the season.

The Magpies are yet to acquire three points in one go this term and now come up against a Wolves side with two wins from their last three in the league.

Steve Bruce’s side were held to a 1-1 draw by Watford in their last game, with Sean Longstaff scoring at Vicarage Road seven days ago.

How many changes will Bruce make to his team for today? Here is our predicted XI…

We are predicting that he will make three changes to the side from Watford, with Fabian Schar, Jacob Murphy and Jeff Hendrick all coming in.

First of all, we believe that Bruce will revert to a 3-5-2, or 5-3-2 depending on how you view it, to match Wolves’ defensive set-up. Bruno Lage’s side lined up with three centre-backs and two central midfielders against Southampton and that could tempt Bruce into going with a similar setup to avoid being overrun in certain areas.

In order to make this tactical change, Newcastle will need to bring in a centre-back to play alongside Ciaran Clark, who we believe will start despite our article urging Bruce to drop him, and Federico Fernandez. This means Miguel Almiron could be axed from the team to facilitate another central defender, with the 27-year-old coming in for criticism for recent performances.

Changing to a 3-5-2 requires a wide player to be sacrificed and that means Joelinton or Almiron would need to be dropped to the bench for Schar to come in. We are predicting that the Paraguayan will face the axe as Joelinton, with his size and power, is more suited to playing in a front two alongside Allan Saint-Maximin.

Another change which could come as a result of the altered formation is at right wing-back. Murphy enjoyed a successful spell in that position last term, averaging a SofaScore rating of 6.73 in 26 appearances, providing two goals and three assists from defence. This means that bringing him in for Javier Manquillo could be a shrewd call if Bruce opts to go with wing-backs.

Finally, in the middle of the park, Hendrick could come in for Isaac Hayden. The latter had the lowest SofaScore rating (6.8) in the Magpies’ midfield against Watford and the switch to three/five at the back could mean that Bruce doesn’t require an out-and-out defensive enforcer in there. Therefore, Hendrick could come in and be given an opportunity to show what he can do alongside Joe Willock and Sean Longstaff.

AND in other news, Time’s up: Bruce must ruthlessly axe £35k-p/w Newcastle flop today, he’s been shocking…

A number of Rangers supporters are pleased that John Lundstram is starting away to Dundee on Saturday afternoon.

Steven Gerrard’s men returned to Scottish Premiership action, following their midweek League Cup triumph at home to Livingston.

The Gers’ form has been a little up and down so far this season and the hope is that now is the point at which they click into top gear.

[freshpress-quiz id=“359326”]

The league leaders took on a Dundee side rooted at the bottom of the table, suggesting it should be a relatively comfortable day at the office for them.

Lundstram is again named in Rangers’ starting lineup, as he looks to kick on further after his move from Sheffield United.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-liverpool-transfer-news-4/” title=”Latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Rangers fans react to Lundstram start

These Rangers fans took to Twitter to show their happiness at the news.

“Good to see Lundstram keeping his place today. He needs a run of games in his preferred position and he will shine. This is a strong Rangers side and I fully expect us to get all three points today. Mon The Gers!!! “

Credit: @CalRobertsonA4U

“Good to see Hagi starting. Roofe and Buff getting more minutes together  Lundstram playing ahead of Davis is the correct decision. Gives Davis more of a rest, which he needs and gives Lundstram more game time to get up to speed with Scottish football”

Credit: @Eddierfc55

“Davis /Lundstram the obvious dilemma but perhaps a little break with do Davis some good. He’s played a lot of football already this season”

Credit: @AMcKellar89

“Hopefully Lundstram continues to move the ball quickly”

Credit: @Cammy26_2

“Lundstram will have a class game today”

Credit: @neilscoles_

“Lord Lundstram”

Credit: @_72alex

In other news, some Rangers fans have been loving a player’s social media post. Read more here.

Celtic finally got off the mark in their UEFA Europa League group on Tuesday afternoon thanks to a 2-0 win at home to Ferencvaros.

Kyogo Furuhashi, long odds with LV BET for first goalscorer, opened the scoring for the hosts just short of the hour mark, before an own goal late on sealed all three points for Ange Postecoglou’s team at Parkhead. However, not all of the Hoops thrived, as The Transfer Tavern dives into the three worst-rated players by statistical specialists Sofascore…

David Turnbull

Turnbull was the third-worst rated Hoops player (6.9) per Sofascore, as players have to had played a minimum of 45 minutes to be taken into account.

The Scotland international failed to record a single shot on target or dribble in the match, and also lost possession of the ball on nine separate occasions.

With little depth in midfield behind the 22 year-old, his place in the XI will likely remain safe for now.

Tom Rogic

Rogic was another midfield player who may have been a bit disappointed by his overall performance, as Sofascore gave him a measly 6.6 rating.

The 28-year-old lost out on five of his duels in total, and also did not manage a shot, while his 78% pass accuracy was the worst out of his outfield teammates.

Rogic also lost possession on no fewer than on 15 different occasions, the third-highest out of any Celts player.

Liel Abada

Abada did not have the most productive of afternoons, and was unsurprisingly ranked as the Bhoys’ worst player with a mere 6.4 overall rating.

The winger lost nine of his duels, the joint-most out of any player to have set foot on the pitch, and also did not have a shot on target or successful dribble, while his zero key passes or accurate crosses (Sofascore) pretty much sums up his lack of end product.

Abada also lost the ball 13 times, the fourth-most out of his teammates, in what was a frustrating afternoon for the Israeli.

In other news, find out which player Celtic are having doubts over here!

Liverpool must ‘blow up’ their wage bill to keep Mohamed Salah or risk losing their star man to a club like Manchester City, claims Sky Sports pundit Kevin Campbell.

The Lowdown: Terrific Salah

Salah’s time at Liverpool is nothing less than remarkable. Since joining from AS Roma in 2017, the winger has hit insane heights with 134 goals and 50 assists in 212 games, winning the Premier League, Champions League, Club World Cup and Super Cup in Red.

He has started the current campaign in tremendous form, with six goals in seven Premier League games and three goals in Liverpool’s opening two Champions League games.

But with his contract expiring in 2023, there is fear they could lose their Egyptian King if they don’t offer an increase to the £200k-per-week he already earns, and it was reported by David Maddock that talks are ‘complicated’.

The Latest: ‘Blow up’ wage structure

Speaking to Football Insider after Maddock’s revelation, Sky Sports pundit and former Arsenal striker Campbell has claimed Liverpool must do all they can do to keep Salah at the club.

“When you have a player who is doing what Mohamed Salah is doing, normally there are no questions about tying him up. Normally there are no questions about tying him up because that is a priority for the team.

“I don’t know what‘s going on inside Liverpool, but I know Salah is out-playing his present contract. 100 per cent he is.

“Whoever is dealing with the negotiations has a problem. Another club like Man City could probably double Mohamed Salah’s money. That is the problem Liverpool have.

“They work within a structure but that structure is going to get blown up because Salah is playing that well. This is the type of player he is.

“It would be crazy to lose him over this. They cannot allow it to leave, but we have seen it before. It would not be the first time.

“The finances are football are so important but with a player like Salah, you have to break the bank.”

The Verdict: Need to move fast

Salah’s importance to this Liverpool squad is unquestionable and offering the attacker a new and improved deal should not even be debated after his amazing period at the club.

Breaking their traditional plans when it comes to player contracts and wages is what is going to be needed, but losing Salah to City, or another Premier League or Champions League rival, would be devastating for Liverpool fans and far outweigh any negatives which come with ripping up the wage structure.

In other news, this Liverpool target’s ideal destination has been confirmed. Find out more here.

Scorecard
Buoyant after their win yesterday, Bangladesh Under-19 continued strongly to take a 2-1 lead in the five-match encounter. A quick fifty from Saikat Ali coupled with another superb bowling display from Sabbir Rahman saw them assert their supremacy yet again at the Shamsul Huda Stadium.Choosing to bat first, Bangladesh U-19 were lifted by Saikat’s confident strokeplay. His 76-ball innings comprised nine fours and three sixes, and the fourth-wicket stand of 50 with captain Mahmudul Hasan set a solid platform for the hosts. Chathura Peiris took three wickets to keep Bangladesh U-19 in check but Tasamul Haque (42) and Noor Hossain took the hosts past 250.Even as Sri Lanka U-19 lost wickets regularly, captain Dinesh Chandimal led from the front with a well-compiled half-century. Together with Kushal Janith Perera, they added 88 for the fourth wicket as the visitors looked to be well on course. But Sabbir had other plans, dismissing both batsmen, triggering off a panic that resulted the tail surrendering meekly by the 43rd over.

MatériaMais Notícias

O meia Cícero se pronunciou por meio de nota oficial sobre o seu afastamento do São Paulo, consumado nesta quarta-feira. No texto, o jogador nega que tenha tido qualquer problema de relacionamento no grupo, um dos argumentos internos para justificar a decisão. Diz ainda que ficou triste com a atitude da cúpula, mas que continuará “trabalhando sério”. O jogador usou sua carreira para pedir respeito. Essa é a segunda passagem dele pelo Tricolor, que defendeu entre 2011 e 2012.

Cícero foi contratado no início do ano a pedido de Rogério Ceni, e reforçou isso na nota. Disse que saiu da zona de conforto que estava no Rio de Janeiro para tentar conquistar títulos no clube. Ele tem contrato até dezembro de 2018.

A decisão foi confirmada nesta quarta, mas já vinha sendo amadurecida. Há duas semanas, a diretoria comunicou o estafe do atleta que ele estava fora dos planos e poderia buscar outro clube. Na época, foi utilizado o argumento de que ele tinha sido indicação de Ceni e que, com a saída do técnico, não estava mais nos planos

Confira abaixo a nota oficial de Cícero:

“”Gostaria de esclarecer algumas informações que estão sendo veiculadas na imprensa sobre a minha situação no São Paulo. Quero deixar claro que não tenho inimizade alguma dentro do elenco, muito pelo contrário, tenho muitos amigos e sempre tive uma ótima relação com todos. Fiquei muito feliz em receber ligações de vários companheiros prestando solidariedade nesse momento.

Fico triste com a decisão tomada pela diretoria do São Paulo, mas vou respeitar e continuar trabalhando de forma séria, como sempre fiz. Agradeço pela oportunidade de vestir novamente essa camisa que é tão importante no cenário mundial”.

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Leeds scored a last-gasp equaliser against Wolves on Saturday as they rescued a point in the Premier League at Elland Road against Bruno Lage’s team.

Hee-Chan Hwang’s goal appeared destined to win the three points for the travelling side, only for a last-minute penalty from Rodrigo to ensure that the points were shared between the two teams.

The result means that Leeds remain 17th in the table and they are now three points ahead of the drop zone, with Burnley and Newcastle on four points and Norwich, in 20th, on two points.

Whilst Rodrigo may take the applause for scoring the spot-kick late on to seal a point, another player was Marcelo Bielsa’s real hero during the match – Brazil international Raphinha.

Despite being withdrawn early in the second-half with an injury concern, Raphinha was Leeds’ most impressive performer as he produced a sublime display on the pitch. The Brazilian was a constant threat down the right wing for the Whites and was unfortunate not to come off with an assist for his troubles.

On the ball, the wing wizard was spell-binding. Per SofaScore, he had three shots on goal, created two chances and completed an incredible nine dribbles, with a 100% success rate, as he helped Leeds up the pitch in transition.

His dribbling ability opened up space in the final third and allowed him to drive down the flank, which ultimately led to him creating two opportunities. This piled on the pressure for Leeds and began to wear Wolves down, playing a part in the eventual equaliser after he left the field.

Defensively, he was just as good. Per SofaScore, he won a whopping 12 duels, losing four, and made three interceptions and two tackles. He also managed to avoid being dribbled past in the game, with these statistics showing that he was able to put in a sturdy defensive display to go along with his exceptional attacking talents – making it the perfect all-around showing from the ex-Rennes flyer.

Therefore, he was the real star of the show for the Yorkshire side. Rodrigo may have scored the all-important goal, but Raphinha’s stunning display laid the groundwork for Leeds to go on and fight hard for the equaliser as he led by example until his injury forced him out of the game. Hopefully, he will be back fit and raring to go with a similar performance against Norwich next weekend.

AND in other news, Phil Hay makes big Leeds transfer claim that’ll surely leave fans buzzing…

John Buchanan, the Kolkata Knight Riders coach, wants the IPL to allow more overseas players in a XI

Cricinfo staff04-May-2009John Buchanan, the Kolkata Knight Riders coach, wants the IPL to allow more overseas players in a XI. Under the current rules, a franchise can have a maximum of four foreign players in a XI. There can be a maximum of 10 foreign players in the squad.”It is a question that we have posed to the IPL a number of times, about the involvement of more [foreign] players on the field,” Buchanan told . “I have personally mentioned that a number of times. Hopefully the IPL will look at that more seriously going forward into next season and beyond.”At the moment we have adopted a batting strategy, so that’s where our international effort is. That means guys who are international bowlers, be it [Charl] Langeveldt, [Mashrafe] Mortaza, [Ajantha] Mendis… whoever, their opportunities are limited.”Kolkata have played Chris Gayle, Brendon McCullum and Brad Hodge in all seven of their games so far while the fourth overseas spot has been shared by Australian allrounder Moises Henriques (two games), Sri Lankan spinner Ajantha Mendis (two games) and, most recently, the South African wicketkeeper Morne van Wyk (three games). Bangladesh allrounder Mashrafe Mortaza and South African fast bowler Charl Langeveldt have not yet played a match.There is no indication, though, that the IPL will increase the cap to more than four overseas players. In fact, Ravi Shastri, a member of the tournament’s governing council, said that the IPL had decided that there would be no more than four foreign players on the field at any given time, which meant that teams could use an overseas player as a substitute fielder only if the total number of foreign players on the field did not exceed four.The decision was taken after the Chennai Super Kings lodged a complaint after their match against Delhi Daredevils on April 23 in Durban. Delhi used David Warner as a substitute after Manoj Tiwary broke his hand, taking the number of overseas players on the field to five, the others being Tillakaratne Dilshan, AB de Villiers, Daniel Vettori and Dirk Nannes.

Andrew Miller’s plays of the day from Lord’s

Andrew Miller at Lord's07-May-2009

Spell of the dayGraham Onions didn’t have a wonderful introduction to Test cricket. He was bowled first-ball by a low full-toss, and then dropped short with his maiden delivery to be pulled ruthlessly through midwicket. But then, in his sixth over, everything started to click. Lendl Simmons received a brutal lifter to be caught at slip for Onions’ maiden Test wicket, two balls later Jerome Taylor was strangled down the leg-side, then, to cap a memorable over, Sulieman Benn sliced a third-ball drive to third slip. Still Onions was not finished. He made it four in seven balls when Denesh Ramdin was pinned lbw one delivery, and had his Durham team-mate, Paul Collingwood, clung onto a sharp chance off Lionel Baker he’d have made it five in 12. Ultimately, it was 5 in 27, as Baker succumbed after a defiant cameo. Not a bad first day proper at the office.Innings of the dayRavi Bopara led the way on the first day, but he barely got a look in when play resumed today. Graeme Swann is not a man who lacks confidence in any department, and today he was on remarkable form. In all, he flogged eight of his nine fours on the up and through the off side, including six in the first hour this morning before Bopara had the chance to add to his own overnight tally of 14. Then, to cap his performance, Swann posted his maiden Test half-century by walloping Lionel Baker into the Mound Stand for six. By the time he was left unbeaten on 63, he had surpassed Ashley Giles’ Test-best 59, and restated his growing claims to an Ashes starting berth.Interruption of the dayEngland were motoring in the first hour of the morning, adding 24 handy runs in five overs as West Indies struggled to rediscover their first-day vim. So it came as a total surprise when the umpires wandered across to have a chat with the batsman, and gave them the chance to troop off for bad light. It seemed a senseless break in England’s momentum, reminiscent of Marcus Trescothick and Mark Butcher’s walk-off at Headingley 2003. But then, after a 15-minute hiatus, Swann resumed with three fours in five balls, and that was the end of that analogy.Poor example of the dayFidel Edwards was rightly aggrieved at the close of the first day’s play, having suffered at the hands, quite literally, of his team-mates, who spilled three clear chances in the final session to delay his richly deserved five-wicket haul. When play resumed he would surely have wished to set the fielding example for his errant colleagues to follow. Instead, from the first ball of the day, he went down into the long barrier, and let a gentle push to mid-on roll straight through his legs.Clanger of the dayAs Edwards himself admitted at the close of the first day’s play, it has been a long, long while since he’s bowled on a pitch that rewards his natural pace. That hasn’t, however, stopped him digging it in when the mood suits him, and one brute of a lifter struck James Anderson an ugly blow on the back of his helmet as he averted his gaze and braced for impact. After a lengthy delay and a switch of headgear – his old lid had a ball-shaped chunk taken out of the bottom edge – he groggily resumed and survived with some courage through to lunch.Stat of the dayAt the break, in fact, Anderson was 1 not out from 17 deliveries. Nothing remarkable in that, you might suggest. How wrong you’d be. By nudging the final ball of the session off his hip for a single to square leg, Anderson extended his world-record sequence of 47 innings without ever being dismissed for a duck. He has been unbeaten on 0 on ten occasions, and fallen for 1 seven times. But the dreaded blob remains elusive.Bowling change of the dayWhen England’s turn came to bowl, Broad took one half of the new ball – no surprise there. At the other end, however, Andrew Strauss pulled a complete fast one on the punters, pundits and West Indies players alike. With Swann on a high after his half-century, he was thrown the ball ahead of Anderson and both debutant seamers, Onions and Tim Bresnan, who didn’t get to feature in the first innings at all. Perhaps the decision was influenced by Yuvraj Singh’s over to Kevin Pietersen in Mohali, or KP’s own opening of the bowling in the IPL last month. More likely, it was inspired by Swann’s dominance of West Indies’ openers, Chris Gayle and Devon Smith, who between them accounted for five of his 27 wickets prior to this Test.Double whammy of the dayAnd sure enough, Smith soon succumbed to his nemesis, who has now claimed his wicket on four occasions in Test cricket. With the first ball of his second spell, moments before the tea break, Swann beat the inside-edge with one that zipped through the gate, and then, before West Indies knew what had hit them, he dealt Shivnarine Chanderpaul a knockout blow as well, which a beautiful tweaker that took the edge to slip. By the time their other sheet-anchorman, Brendan Nash, had fallen by the wayside as well, Swann had 3 for 16 in five overs, and the gravy-train had been set in motion. Over to Onions, to slice and dice the lower-order.

Frank McAvennie says Ange Postecoglou may be overlooking his ‘best left-back’ in Boli Bolingoli. 

The lowdown

Bolingoli has been limited to just two starts in Celtic’s first 11 league games under Postecoglou.

Greg Taylor started the season as the Australian’s first choice in the top flight before sustaining a shoulder injury against Ross County in mid-September.

Postecoglou has looked to Josip Juranovic, a natural right-back, and teenager Adam Montgomery in addition to Bolingoli during that lay-off.

That indicates he’s not entirely convinced by a player who spent last season on loan at Turkish Super Lig outfit Istanbul Basaksehir.

To be fair to the manager, Bolingoli didn’t exactly set the world alight out on loan, starting only ten games and averaging just a 6.63 average match rating with the Turkish outfit.

The latest

McAvennie says he’s been impressed by Bolingoli’s performances so far this season and declared them far better than Taylor’s displays prior to his injury.

“I still think he’s our best left-back,” the ex-Hoop told Football Insider. “But the manager sees him every day, I don’t need to point out that he knows more than me.

“All I can say is what I have seen. Bolingoli has been great when I have seen him this season.

“I think he’s looked miles better than Taylor. For that reason, I was surprised he has been left out again.

“We are playing well at the moment and Postecoglou might not be comfortable with him in the new style.

“I doubt it’s a temperament issue. He’s not that kind of player. He’s strong in the tackle is all.”

The 61 year-old ended his comments rather bluntly: “I don’t get it.”

The verdict

How has Bolingoli fared when he has played? Well his average SofaScore rating stands at a commendable 7.0, although it does rank him slightly below Juranovic and Taylor.

Overall, he’s won the majority of his defensive duels, but his attacking output was very limited in those games, with no key passes and only one accurate cross recorded. That could be the stylistic concern McAvennie alludes to.

That said, one could argue that having a right-footer in the position is a bigger issue from that point of view, restricting the team’s width and the full-back’s ability to bomb down the flank and whip crosses in.

Seeing a right-back selected ahead of him will surely put a significant dent in Bolingoli’s confidence, and perhaps tempt the defender to find a new home elsewhere when the transfer window rolls around.

In other news, read this injury expert’s verdict on Christopher Jullien.