Newcastle on horizon – is this the starting line-up?

Has looked right up for it in friendlies

So there’s two weeks to go and after three pre-season friendlies – and assuming (possibly dangerously) there won’t be any new arrivals it may be a reasonable moment to look at the likely starting line-up for Newcastle.

Declan Rice is fifty fifty to be absent as he continues to recover from a foot injury which although he has joind up with England is likely to keep him out of the games against against Iceland and Denmark.

There have of course been one of two stand-out performers over the first three games -notably Tomas Soucek of course, Jarrod Bowen, with Andriy Yarmolenko pressing hard which has been great to see with two weeks to go

Manu Lanzini may not have been a stand out as such but his form has improved to the point in the friendlies where I’d expect him to get the shout over Anderson – who himself showed more signs of life against Brentford.

Michail Antonio is a given upfront assuming David Moyes plays one striker which will almost certainly be the case.

We can only hope to God that we get some defenders in before the game because right now we really aren’t good at the back.

Here’s my personal line-up on what I’ve seen so far:

Fabianski; Johnson, Diop (assuming fitness), Ogbonna, Cresswell; Bowen, Soucek, Noble, Fornals, Lanzini, Antonio.