Newcastle United vs Cambridge United: Five key battles that could decide FA Cup tie at St James’ Park

FA Cup ties between Premier League sides and lower-league opposition rarely play out like they would on paper.

Okay, this might not be the case when Manchester City put their strongest team out against a helpless League Two side every year, but by and large, those at the lower end of the football pyramid have a tendency to bloody the noses of those at the top.

This season’s FA Cup third round draw has given us a plethora of giant-killing possibilities. League One sides Shrewsbury Town and Morecambe will head to Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur respectively, while National League outfit Chesterfield will travel to Stamford Bridge to face Champions League holders Chelsea. Elsewhere, Swindon Town will be this year’s helpless League Two side to host Pep Guardiola’s Man City.

One tie that has gone under the radar is Cambridge United’s trip to Newcastle United, who have recently become the richest club in world football. However, given the Magpies’ disastrous form this season, there’s a feeling that Mark Bonner’s men could cause an upset at a sold-out St James’ Park.

Here’s five key battles that’ll determine who comes out on top on Saturday afternoon.

Dwight Gayle vs Jack Iredale & Jubril Okedina

Before we begin, it’s important to mention that we have no idea how Newcastle will line up for this game. While fans have an idea of who may start against the U’s, Eddie Howe could end up playing a significantly stronger team than expected, or perhaps one filled with youth players.

That being said, Dwight Gayle seems to be a shoo-in to lead the line in Saturday’s cup game.

The 32-year-old has only started one game for the Magpies this season – the penalty shootout defeat to Burnley in the Carabao Cup. Despite picking up a few cameo appearances in the league, it’s widely believed that Gayle will be leaving the club in the January transfer window as the new owners look to bring in a world-class attacker to start up front.

However, injuries to Allan Saint-Maximin and Callum Wilson leave the former Crystal Palace man as the only fit striker at the club, assuming that Mexican youngster Santiago Muñoz is still ruled out through injury.

While the absence of Newcastle’s star strikers may be seem a blessing to Cambridge’s backline, Gayle is clearly a very capable player with a highly impressive goalscoring record away from St James’ Park. His pace will undoubtedly cause problems, and the U’s centre-backs will need to limit the amount of space that he’s given.

Jack Iredale and Jubril Okedina have formed a somewhat makeshift partnership in the heart of Cambridge’s defence, with the latter the club’s only fit centre-back at the time of writing. However, their mobility can help them nullify Newcastle’s attacking threat, as shown in Monday’s clean sheet against in-form Portsmouth.

The U’s have often struggled when playing on wide pitches, however, with the likes of MK Dons exploiting the gaps in their back four on the ginormous surface at Stadium MK back in November. Bonner’s side will have to deal with the same situation on Saturday, which could give Gayle plenty of space to run through on goal if not marked properly.

Miguel Almirón vs George Williams / Harrison Dunk

While Iredale and Okedina will have their work cut out to isolate Gayle on Saturday afternoon, the U’s full-backs may be tasked with a much harder job.

Miguel Almirón has struggled to nail down a starting spot since Howe was appointed at the start of November, with the Paraguay international starting just three of Newcastle’s last eight Premier League games. The 27-year-old failed to complete the full 90 minutes in any of them and, as a result, he’s been widely tipped to start against Cambridge on Saturday afternoon.

If he does start, Almirón would almost certainly be the biggest name on the pitch given the absence of Wilson and Saint-Maximin. He would also cause a lot of problems for George Williams or Harrison Dunk, depending on which wing Howe decides to utilise him.

Given the likelihood of Jacob Murphy starting on the right, Almirón would likely be asked to play on the left-flank, a position that he’s rarely played in this season. This would mean that U’s right-back George Williams would be tasked with keeping the skilful attacker quiet.

A natural attacking midfielder, Almirón has a tendency to cut inside, something that Williams would need to be mindful of to avoid getting dragged too far out wide. If the right-back fails to stay tight to the Newcastle man, he’ll have acres of space to run into, especially given the U’s aforementioned positional struggles when playing on wide pitches.

Elliot Anderson vs Paul Digby

Elliot Anderson is living the dream of playing for his boyhood club, but the 19-year-old has found chances in the first team hard to come by. The attacking midfielder has featured twice for Newcastle’s senior side, both off the bench against Arsenal in the FA Cup and Premier League respectively.

Nonetheless, fans have been clamouring to see the youngster in action, and many believe that he’ll be given a chance to start against Cambridge.

The Scottish youth international would likely play in a midfield trio with Jeff Hendrick and possibly Matty Longstaff, although the latter is seriously lacking in match fitness after a failed loan spell at Aberdeen. This could leave Anderson as the Toon’s main creative outlet in the middle of the park.

This is where U’s captain Paul Digby comes in. The imposing defensive midfielder would likely be tasked with stopping Anderson’s progression into the final third, and his physicality could be a crucial attribute in achieving that.

Of course, this will be Cambridge’s first ever match with VAR in use, so Digby, who’s a regular yellow-card magnet in League One, will need to be careful when stepping out onto the pitch at St James’ Park.

Paul Dummett vs Joe Ironside

Howe’s options at centre-back remain fairly limited, with Fabrizio Romano reporting that Newcastle will be looking to add in that position in the January transfer window, as LOSC Lille’s Sven Botman continues to be linked with a move to St James’ Park.

Fabian Schär and Jamal Lascelles will likely be rested for the weekend’s cup tie, potentially allowing Federico Fernandez or Ciaran Clark to come into the side. Perhaps a more likely inclusion would be Paul Dummett, who has recently returned to training following a calf injury.

The 30-year-old has alternated between left-back and centre-back, playing on the left side of a back three under Steve Bruce. His injury has kept him out of Howe’s plans so far, but he may be given a chance to start in the heart of defence against Cambridge.

Of course, this depends on his fitness levels, but regardless of who starts, Newcastle’s defensive record has been woeful at best. This presents powerful target-man striker Joe Ironside with a chance to bully the Magpies’ back line.

If Ironside can assert his physical dominance on Dummett, who will likely be lacking in match fitness if he does start, he can undoubtedly get himself into some incredibly threatening positions. His aerial prowess is the U’s best attacking outlet, but it entirely relies on him receiving ample service from his teammates.

Matt Ritchie vs Jack Lankester

Much like Newcastle’s centre-back options, Howe has a selection dilemma when choosing who to start at left-back.

Javier Manquillo started there in the Magpies’ last game, but he may be asked to cover on the right if Emil Krafth is benched and Kieran Trippier’s impending transfer from Atlético Madrid isn’t finalised in time for Saturday’s match. This could see Matt Ritchie return to the side, having missed the draw against Manchester United after testing positive for Covid-19.

The 32-year-old has a good relationship with Howe, having played under him for a number of years at AFC Bournemouth. Ritchie was primarily utilised as a right-winger on the South Coast, but has been transformed into a full-back under Bruce at Newcastle.

He’ll likely be tasked with marking Jack Lankester, who has been starved of game time since joining Cambridge from Ipswich Town over the summer.

While Shilow Tracey or Sam Smith would likely be Bonner’s preferred option on the right flank, both will be ruled out of the trip to the North East due to injury and suspension respectively. The U’s head coach spoke highly of Lankester’s attitude in training after Monday’s draw to Portsmouth, claiming that he would’ve been given time off the bench had Smith not picked up a second yellow card 15 minutes after the restart.

Wes Hoolahan, if fit to start, will have to take the burden of Cambridge’s creativity. But working with a target-man striker in Ironside, crosses into the box could be the U’s best chance of getting on the scoresheet at St James’ Park.

While Williams and Dunk are naturally attack-minded full-backs who thrive off delivering balls into the penalty area, both will likely be pinned back by Almirón and Murphy (or whoever starts out wide for the hosts). This puts a much bigger emphasis on left-winger James Brophy, as well as Lankester, who has a point to prove in order to nail down his place in Cambridge’s starting lineup.

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