Newcastle vs Benfica Preview and Prediction: St. James' Park to erupt!

Latest team news for Newcastle vs Benfica

Newcastle continue to face defensive crises on both flanks as Tino Livramento is sidelined with a knee injury and will be out for at least eight weeks, while Lewis Hall remains recovering from a hamstring injury.

Therefore, Dan Burn will continue to play left-back, while Kieran Trippier will take the right-back position. Centre-back Fabian Schar – who started against Barcelona – may be included in the starting lineup by manager Eddie Howe, replacing either Sven Botman or Malick Thiaw.

New signing Yoane Wissa has yet to make an appearance since joining from Brentford due to a knee injury, but Nick Woltemade is having an impressive season with 5 goals in all competitions, including a spectacular strike against Brighton.

Anthony Gordon is Newcastle's top scorer in the Champions League this season with 3 goals, including a brace against Union and Woltemade's opening goal. He is expected to continue his strong form against Benfica.

Midfielder Joelinton is experiencing fitness issues and only played 45 minutes against Brighton. Youngster Lewis Miley – who performed exceptionally well after coming on as a substitute – may be given a chance to start in the next match.

On Benfica's side, manager Mourinho rotated the squad in the match against Chaves, but many key players will return for this away game.

Goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin is expected to start, while center-backs Nicolas Otamendi and Antonio Silva will reunite in the heart of the defense. Midfielder Richard Rios will also return after missing international duty.

Vangelis Pavlidis is in excellent form with 4 goals in his last 4 matches, and the Greek striker will continue to be Benfica's biggest hope in attack.

However, the Portuguese team is still struggling with injuries: right-back Alexander Bah and defensive midfielder Manu Silva are both out for extended periods due to torn anterior cruciate ligaments, while winger Bruma remains absent due to an Achilles tendon injury.

Latest predicted lineups for Newcastle vs Benfica

Newcastle United:

Pope; Trippier, Schar, Botman, Burn; Miley, Tonali, Guimaraes; Gordon, Woltemade, Murphy

Benfica:

Trubin; Dedic, A Silva, Otamendi, Dahl; Barrenechea, Rios; Ausnes, Sudakov, Lukebakio; Pavlidis

Latest Newcastle vs Benfica football match prediction

Newcastle finished fifth in the Premier League last season, securing their second Champions League spot in three years, but the draw has given them a tough start.

Facing Barcelona – who reached the semi-finals last season – in the opening match was a huge challenge, and the Spanish side secured a 2-1 victory at St. James' Park. A brace from Marcus Rashford (currently on loan from Manchester United) meant Anthony Gordon's consolation goal was merely a gesture of support.

However, Newcastle quickly recovered their spirits with a resounding victory in Brussels in the second matchday. Although they have never advanced beyond the Champions League group stage in their history, they have significantly increased their chances of doing so this season.

With tough opponents like Athletic Club, Marseille, Bayer Leverkusen, PSV Eindhoven and Paris Saint-Germain still ahead, Newcastle are aiming for three more points on Wednesday morning – which would give them two consecutive Champions League wins for the first time since February 2003.

To achieve this goal, manager Eddie Howe and his team need to quickly forget the 1-2 defeat against Brighton last weekend – a loss that ended a run of two consecutive wins and saw Newcastle drop to 12th place in the Premier League table.

Meanwhile, Benfica easily defeated Chaves 2-0 to advance to the next round of the Portuguese Cup (Taca de Portugal). A brace from Vangelis Pavlidis in each half helped Jose Mourinho's team end their two-match winless streak.

This was also Mourinho's third victory in all competitions (two draws, one loss) since his appointment on September 19th. The past two months have been truly turbulent for the 62-year-old strategist, who was invited back to the hot seat by Benfica – the very club that indirectly caused his dismissal from Fenerbahce – and has soon faced two former clubs in a short period of time.

An own goal by Richard Rios sealed a 0-1 defeat for Mourinho on his return to Stamford Bridge, marking Benfica's fourth consecutive loss in the Champions League. Prior to that, they had also suffered a 2-3 home defeat against Qarabag in the opening match – a result that led to the sacking of manager Bruno Lage.

Nevertheless, the recent goalless draw against Porto at Estadio do Dragao has somewhat helped Benfica regain their spirits. The capital club is currently third in the Primeira Liga with 18 points after 8 rounds (5 wins, 3 draws, 0 losses), 5 points behind league leaders Porto.

However, the upcoming trip to Tyneside promises to be very difficult. History shows that Benfica have only won 1 of their last 9 away matches against English teams in European competitions (3 draws, 5 losses).

Latest Newcastle vs Benfica score prediction

Based on the above football analysis, we and leading football websites worldwide have provided our predictions for the match.Newcastle vs Benficaas follows:

• Sportsmole:Newcastle 2-0 Benfica

• WhoScore:Newcastle 2-1 Benfica
• We predict:Newcastle 2-1 Benfica

When and where can I watch Newcastle vs Benfica live?

To watch the Newcastle vs Benfica match live in the Champions League at 2:00 AM on October 22nd, viewers can tune in to the following channels:K+ Sport,K+PMor online sports channels. We hope you enjoy watching football.