The Magpies travel to the Pirelli Stadium in the Sky Bet Championship on Saturday.
Newcastle United will seek a third successive league win in the Sky Bet Championship on Saturday, as the league leaders travel to Staffordshire to face Burton Albion.
The Magpies travel to the Pirelli Stadium fresh from a 2-0 away win at the DW Stadium versus Wigan Athletic on Wednesday night, having not conceded in 180 minutes of football.
Rafael Benitez’s side sit a point ahead of Brighton & Hove Albion just below them, but with a gap of now nine points to third-placed Reading, an immediate return to the Premier League is beginning to hover on the horizon.
Striker Dwight Gayle is over halfway to breaking Glenn Murray’s 2012/13 season 30-goal record in the second tier.
The former Crystal Palace forward failed to find the target against the Latics, but following his hat-trick against Birmingham City last weekend the 26-year-old will be keen to resume his prolific scoring rate.
Nigel Clough’s Brewers sit just two points above the drop zone, taking only five points from their last seven outings – losing the last two.
Burton have however won just under half their home league games during the campaign thus far. Albion have lost to both Brighton and on Tuesday to Huddersfield, but do hold a win over Derby County.
Breaking new ground for both clubs, the meeting will be the first in their rather contrasting club histories. Clough has already suggested Saturday’s game will be one of the great footballing mis-matches.
With both Mo Diame and Christian Atsu finding the target against Wigan, Benitez could be tempted to freshen up with his starting XI, with the festive schedule having begun in earnest.
Here is how Newcastle could line up:
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