It’s the midweek they been waiting two decades for on Tyneside with Kylian Mbappe and PSG pulling up at St James’ Park. Man Utd fans will trudge rather more wearily to their big game in the Champions League.
Game to watch – Newcastle v PSG
Champions League football returns to St James’ Park on Wednesday night – and Newcastle are determined to put on a show.
The plastic flags are already out and the Gallowgate End will be awash with repurposed bedsheets to welcome Kylian Mbappe and his PSG pals to Tyneside. Raucous is nothing they haven’t seen before, but the drone show is something different, and an indication of the buzz around St James’.
It helps that Newcastle have overcome their three-defeat wobble with four wins in five – the other game was the draw in Milan – during which they haven’t conceded and scored a dozen. Granted, two-thirds of those goals were put past Sheffield United last Sunday, but that should not detract from the renewed confidence coursing through the Toon right now.
‘Play the game, not the occasion’ sounds like just the sort of soundbite we should expect from Eddie Howe ahead of Wednesday, and very often it would be good advice. F*** that, though. Newcastle are purring; PSG are pootling, fifth in Ligue 1 having dropped points this season as often as they’ve not.
Into ’em, Mags.
Team to watch – Brighton
Like the Magpies, the Seagulls face French opposition on another massive night for a club even less familiar with European football. And Brighton can’t claim to be as buoyant as Newcastle as they prepare to head to Marseille on Thursday night.
The last fortnight has checked the Seagulls’ ascent somewhat, with their defeat at home to AEK Athens on their Europa League debut followed by a Carabao Cup exit at Chelsea and an alarming capitulation at Aston Villa at the weekend.
Roberto De Zerbi reckons Saturday’s humping could prove to be a positive in the long-term: “It may be one of the most important days of our lives and our time in Brighton because the level is changing.” He expects to see ‘the true Brighton’ when they head to the south of France.
Some consistency of selection might help. De Zerbi has made 39 changes over the last five matches as Brighton come to terms with the need for squad rotation. The Seagulls appear to have the depth in quality, but their recent form suggests the manager is guilty of tinkering too much.
Unless the ‘true Brighton’ does show up at the Stade Velodrome, De Zerbi won’t have to worry about fighting on many fronts for much longer.
Manager to watch – Erik ten Hag
Two games. That was respite for Manchester United fans before they were plunged back into crisis with the miserable defeat at home to Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Losing 1-0 to the team they tonked last Tuesday in the Carabao Cup, and the manner in which they succumbed to defeat, has ratcheted up the pressure on Ten Hag once more. The manager looked thoroughly fed up – again – with his players, pinning their fourth defeat in seven Premier League games primarily on his attacking players.
“We have to do better. This is not good enough,” Ten Hag said. “These players can do better in the final part of the pitch. We often got into good positions but we were not clinical enough. The decision making was not good enough. The final pass, extra pass, shot or whatever…”
That, as Ten Hag has already discovered, is not a quick fix. Last season, they neither created nor scored enough goals and those problems have exacerbated this term, despite the signing of a much-needed centre-forward.
Rasmus Hojlund gets a pass here – which probably feels like too much of a novelty these days. As Peter Schmeichel said of his compatriot, much of what little good United offer is channelled through the centre-forward. Perhaps it is taking his team-mates time to re-learn how to play with one.
Marcus Rashford certainly seems to be struggling with the readjustment of not having to do it all himself. Many feel Ten Hag’s point about decision-making was aimed principally at the England forward since he took many wrong turns down dead ends against Palace. On the other side, Ten Hag is hoping Facundo Pellistri can prove him wrong about being ready for regular action while Jadon Sancho and Antony deal (or not) with their own problems. Might Antony make an appearance against Galatasaray on Tuesday night now he’s back in the fold? He’s ‘in consideration’, says Ten Hag.
Read more: Premier League winners and losers features Havertz, Luton, De Zerbi; Liverpool in both camps
Player to watch – Wilfried Zaha
One winger who will make his Old Trafford return on Tuesday night is Zaha as the ex-Palace star continues to fulfil his Champions League dream.
Zaha left his boyhood club for the second time this summer when he joined Galatasaray as a free agent. The first time he flew the Eagles nest, he migrated north to United in 2013.
Few people really know exactly what went wrong with Zaha at United. He was the first signing to really flop in the post-Fergie era, which is perhaps unfair on the winger since it was Ferguson who he thought he was signing for. But when he moved to United, six months after initially completing the deal, it was David Moyes waiting to greet him.
Zaha’s face never fit under Moyes, nor Louis van Gaal. In the end, wherever the bulk of the blame laid, he was delighted to get away and return to Palace where he was cherished rather than ignored.
Zaha was brilliant for Palace and on more than one occasion, sought to retake the next step. In the end, he had to wait for free agency and though his options were not what they might have been, Zaha made a ballsy move, far away from his manor to Turkey.
He’s finding his feet at Galatasaray. Zaha scored on his first start for his new club at the weekend after laying on an equaliser on his long-awaited Champions League debut in a 2-2 draw with Copenhagen.
The 30-year-old has been back to Old Trafford many times but never on this stage. Revenge might not be his motivation but, as much as ever, Zaha will be desperate to put on a show.
🟡🔴 Wilfried Zaha has arrived at Galatasaraypic.twitter.com/U7MGLNJEcT
— COPA90 (@Copa90) October 2, 2023
EFL game to watch – Leicester v Preston
It’s a biggie in the Championship with four of the top five facing each other over Tuesday and Wednesday night’s packed programme.
First, Ipswich can go top if they beat fifth-placed Hull at Portman Road before leaders Leicester welcome Preston to the King Power.
North End were perched at the summit until they were unseated by the Foxes last week. After six wins on the spin, Ryan Lowe’s side drew with Rotherham before being battered 4-0 by West Brom in their first defeat of the season on Saturday.
In contrast, Leicester are picking up their momentum. They were big winners at Blackburn on Sunday with a defeat to Hull five games ago the only occasion they have dropped points.
Leicester are expected to challenge but Wednesday ought to reveal more about North End’s promotion credentials and whether their flying start is built on something more sustainable than temporary form.
