It doesn’t seem so long ago that Stoke were heading north to St. James’ Park for an FA Cup replay on a cold Wednesday night. Stoke, then of the Championship were outclassed and outplayed in a 4-1 defeat with Newcastle playing most of the game with ten men.
An upturn in fortunes has seen the two sides embark on differing journeys in the last three seasons. It almost feels now though like Newcastle has not been away after making such a bright start to this campaign. Perhaps this view isn’t mirrored by those Geordie’s who spent last season travelling up and down the country missing the turn off for Stamford Bridge instead heading for Loftus Road. But they are back with a squad still bearing its relegation wounds but better equipped for a lengthy stay with a few new additions, most notably the capture of Cheik Tiote and the loan signing of Hatem Ben Arfa.
Following an impressive win at Goodison Park with Ben Arfa grabbing all the headlines, the Toon Army will be keen to see their side follow it up with victory over a stubborn Stoke side. The Potters on the other hand will be hoping to upset the current euphoria around the north-east and pick up their first points on the road this season.
Stoke boss, Tony Pulis will not want to head back to the Potteries empty handed in their third consecutive televised clash of the season. With a win and a draw so far, the Welshman will not want to complete the full set with defeat on Tyneside.
An organised Stoke side not giving much away is something we have come to expect but which Newcastle team will turn up is anybody’s guess; the team that thumped Villa 6-0 and grinded out a hard fought victory at Goodison Park or the side that fired blanks at home to a resolute Blackpool which gave Newcastle their first home defeat for 16 months. Ben Arfa could well be the key on his home debut. With no disrespect to Newcastle, it would be difficult to still see him donning the black and white jersey should he keep terrorising Premier League defenders and banging the goals in.
Both teams come into the fixture on the back of impressive midweek wins in the Carling Cup. The home side should be especially buoyed following a 4-3 win at all-conquering Chelsea. Two-goal hero Shola Ameobi will be hoping he has done enough to earn a start against the club he spent a loan spell with three seasons ago. However manager Chris Hughton will be aware of the threat Andy Carroll will pose Stoke’s defence with his distinct height advantage. With Hughton opting to play only one out-and-out forward so far, Ameobi could well find himself back on the bench for Sunday’s game with Carroll spear-heading the attack.
The loss of Steven Harper for three months with shoulder ligament damage will be a huge blow for the Toon Chief. His understudy Tim Krul will make his first Premier League start between the posts.
Stoke have a clean bill of health for the game which will come as a welcome bonus to manager Pulis, who was sweating on the fitness of new signings Jermaine Pennant and Jon Walters. He will now have a selection headache with players like Tuncay, Andy Wilkinson and Danny Higginbotham impressing in the midweek win over Fulham.
The in-form Kenwyne Jones will lead the Stoke attack and will be looking to add to his three goal tally. The Trinidadian’s first touch is likely to be met with jeers from the Geordie faithful from his Sunderland days and he will be hungry to silence the home crowd. He is not the only ex-Mackem to expect a warm welcome with Stoke boasting six former Sunderland players in their ranks, which is sure to spice up the affair.
The reward for both sides’ progression to the last 16 of Carling Cup is another all Premier League tie. The Potters travel to West Ham while Newcastle hosts Arsenal with the ties to be played the week commencing October 25.
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