5 key battles between Newcastle and Norwich

Norwich visit St James’ Park this evening looking to regain their place at the top of the Championship. Alex Neil’s side were top at the weekend, but dropped down to second place after Huddersfield’s victory last night.

For Newcastle, it’s a chance to jump six places to third and ensure that the teams at the top don’t build up too much of a gap going into October.

Following the last minute draw against Aston Villa at the weekend Rafa Benitez’s team will be wanting to get back to winning ways against a team they hammered 6-2 at home in the Premier League last season.

Here are the 5 battles Newcastle will need to win if they want to overcome Norwich.

Sels vs Darlow

New goalkeeper Matz Sels - a £6.5m signing from Belgian side Gent - came in for a lot of abuse after the Villa game. Having looked shaky throughout the season so far fans blamed him for the side conceding late on and missing out on three vital points.

This abuse led to him deleting his Twitter account, with many believing that Karl Darlow - who had a good end to the season last year - should be given a chance in the Championship.

For his part, Rafa didn’t dodge the question in yesterday’s press conference. The Spaniard insists he will decide on the day of the game. Despite the abuse, and who Rafa eventually picks to start in goal, expect Sels to still get a great reception if he’s chosen.

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Murphy vs Lascelles

Norwich’s top scorer is striker Jacob Murphy. The Canaries’ frontman has five goals so far this season - four of them coming in the league - and arguably poses his side’s biggest threat.

Murphy’s pace could be a problem for Lascelles, but the Magpies’ skipper should win any physical battle that takes place.

Given Mbemba was dropped at the weekend he could be rotated back into the squad to support his captain in defence. The pair are probably Newcastle’s best centre halves so it would make sense to play them against one of the league’s strongest teams.

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Murphy vs Yedlin

Norwich’s other Murphy is Jacob’s twin brother Josh. The winger-cum-striker has netted three times in his appearances so far, and replaced his brother from the bench in the weekend’s win over Bristol City.

He’s been deployed on the left as well as up front in his career, and if he plays will test DeAndre Yedlin’s defensive positioning. Yedlin has deputised for the suspended Vurnon Anita well over the past few games, but his own selection is in doubt after picking up a knock in the defeat against Villa.

Yedlin has been a decent attacking threat in his games so far, but tonight we’ll get to see how adept he is at defending.

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Gayle vs Bennett

Despite being Newcastle’s top scorer this season with four goals to his name, the last few games have been frustrating for Dwight Gayle. The striker missed a big one-on-one chance against Villa which could have won his team the game, and has struggled to make an impact since those early goals.

Whether he’s able to get the best of the imposing Ryan Bennett this evening could depend on who’s paired alongside him. Diame and Perez look most likely to get the nod, and their through balls will be key to getting the most out of Gayle’s pace.

If Mitrovic or Murphy is chosen, however, then he’ll need to be on his toes to run on to any flicks from the target men. Two very different options are available, but what’s certain is that Gayle can’t do it alone and is incredibly reliant on who backs him up.

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Howson vs Hayden

Former Leeds man Jonathan Howson is Norwich’s top assist-maker so far, setting up three of his team’s goals. Both Howson and fellow midfielder Wes Hoolahan have been ever presents in the league this season.

It’s more than likely that the pair will get the nod again, and expect Rafa to deploy Shelvey and Hayden to try and stop them from pulling the strings.

Hayden has been solid in the middle of the park, however Hoolahan and Howson are two of the most experienced midfielders in the league so he’ll need to be at the top of his game to get the better of them.