Newcastle v Everton: 5 talking points ahead of the game

Newcastle could have a new defence and midfield dynamo playing on Tuesday night

1. How will Newcastle shape up?

With new owners, the January transfer window was always going to be a key time for Newcastle and their manager, Eddie Howe. Five key new signings have come in, although Magpie fans may question the quality of these bar one big midfield signing, and the side will look very different from the last time they played 17 days ago in a crucial win at Leeds United.

However Everton will look very different also, maybe not as much in personnel, but certainly in style, attitude and confidence after Lampard has come in and they beat Brentford in the FA Cup on Saturday by four goals to one.

There is a strong possibility Newcastle will have half of their back four making their debuts on Tuesday night, and one other just making their third appearance. Dan Burn, a permanent transfer from Brighton, and Matt Targett, on loan from Aston Villa, were added to Newcastle’s defensive resources on deadline day last week. Kieran Trippier had already joined from Atletico Madrid earlier in the window.

It would seem likely all three could form the defence with captain Jamaal Lascelles if he can be passed fit after picking up a minor injury in that Leeds match.

The one key exciting signing in the January transfer window was to get Bruno Guimaraes, the Brazilian international, from Lyon in France for a deal that is reported to be around £45 million pounds. Guimaraes will give Newcastle a real boost in midfield and is a box to box midfielder who injects an all action energetic style.

A player of this quality will make his mark on the Premier League, but will it take him some time to adjust to the league? No doubt he will make his debut against Everton and his battle with fellow Brazilian Allan will be great to watch.

Further forward there will not be so many key changes as Chris Wood, the £20m permanent signing from Burnley earlier in the window, has already made his Newcastle bow. Everton will be glad Callum Wilson is injured as he has scored several times against the Toffees in recent meetings.

Newcastle will likely line up in a 4-3-3 formation with Guimaraes taking up the key centre role in the midfield three. The key as always will be to keep Allan Saint-Maximin quiet, easier said than done! His runs and dribbling skills from the left of the front three will have to be stopped for Everton to have any chance of keeping a clean sheet.

Howe has a big job to put all the pieces Newcastle have assembled together and Lampard will have to second guess some of the tactics the opponents could use on Tuesday night. Maybe it is a better time to play them with that in mind, but the passionate Geordie faithful will be right behind the new signings and team.

Newcastle have conceded many goals this season while not scoring too many so it will be key for Everton to see out the first twenty minutes, something they were unable to do at Norwich in similar circumstances and ended up costing Rafa Benitez his job.

Lampard will know this, but confidence will be up and he will likely tell his players to get on the front foot and unsettle the newly formed Newcastle back line as soon as they can.