Here is how we predict Newcastle United will line up against Stoke City on Monday.
Newcastle United travel to the Britannia Stadium on New Year’s Day to take on Stoke City in a must-win clash for both sides.
The Magpies are just a point outside the relegation zone with the Potters one point and one place ahead of them in the Premier League table.
With Crystal Palace, West Ham United and Swansea City all showing signs of resurgence under new managers, neither Stoke boss Mark Hughes or Newcastle gaffer Rafa Benitez will want to slip any closer to the bottom three.
In early team news, Newcastle are without Rob Elliot, Florian Lejeune and Aleksandar Mitrovic, but they have an otherwise clean bill of health and will know they cannot afford to drop points against their fellow strugglers.
Stoke cannot call on Ryan Shawcross, Bruno Martins Indi or Glen Johnson, and it is up to Hughes to ensure his team are fired up for this clash.
The pressure is on the former Wales international and he will want to successfully navigate this tough time in his tenure.
The same can be said for Benitez, and this is how we predict Newcastle will line up against Stoke for their first match of 2018:
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