Newcastle United Takes on Fulham After Champions League Win

NEWCASTLE, England — Newcastle United returns to the Premier League on Saturday, facing Fulham at St James' Park following a 3-0 victory over Benfica in the Champions League.

Kick-off is set for 15:00 BST, and Newcastle manager Eddie Howe has made one change to the starting eleven, bringing Joelinton back into the midfield in place of Jacob Ramsey. This comes after Ramsey made his second start of the season midweek against Benfica.

Midfielder Sandro Tonali, who has been recovering from illness this week, is named among the substitutes. Lewis Miley remains in the squad after scoring his first senior goal for the club against Fulham last season.

Howe spoke to the media on Friday about the need for a strong performance against the Cottagers. “The very best performance will be needed. We know the qualities of their team,” he said. “These are difficult games for us, returning from a Champions League game. It is a mental challenge, and we must rise to that challenge.”

Newcastle currently sits in 14th place, while Fulham is just below them in the league standings. Last season, Fulham managed to defeat Newcastle twice in league matches. Howe emphasized the importance of today’s match, stating that a win is essential to improve their standing.

“It’s all down to our attitude, our mentality,” Howe added. “Our attitude must be the same for every game. We need to bring the same will to win that we had against Benfica.”

Newcastle’s squad features Nick Pope in goal, with Kieran Trippier, Sven Botman, Malick Thiaw, Dan Burn, Bruno Guimarães (c), Lewis Miley, Anthony Gordon, Jacob Murphy, and Nick Woltemade rounding out the lineup. Among the substitutes are Aaron Ramsdale, Fabian Schär, Tonali, Harvey Barnes, Emil Krafth, William Osula, Anthony Elanga, Joe Willock, and Ramsey.

Howe also mentioned the impressive assist from goalkeeper Nick Pope during the midweek match. “It was a great moment for Nick, for Harvey, and the team. I’m sure it is one we look back on in time as it is not often you see a goalkeeper do that,” he said.

As for Fulham, manager Marco Silva has made notable changes to his lineup after losing to Arsenal last week. The team will likely start with goalkeeper Bernd Leno, defender Kenny Tete, and striker Raul Jimenez, who scored in their previous encounter at St James’ Park.

The atmosphere is expected to be electric as Newcastle aims to gain momentum in the league following their European success.