Newcastle United have clicked into form at the perfect time, starting to close the gap on the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool at the top of the Premier League – who both lost at the weekend – and now preparing the defences for the upcoming Champions League tie against Paris Saint-Germain at St. James' Park.
Eddie Howe's Magpies have indeed won four of the past five matches across all competitions, including an 8-0 drubbing over Sheffield United and a hard-fought win over Manchester City in the Carabao Cup.
The one match they failed to win came in the Champions League opener against AC Milan, with the Toon soaking up the pressure of the San Siro and stoically rebuffing the Serie A side's offensive efforts – PSG are next in line, and it will prove to be a tough task indeed.
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Howe will have to contend with a deluge of injuries unfortunately, with Sven Botman, Joelinton, Joe Willock and Harvey Barnes unavailable.
Sandro Tonali might return to the starting line-up after starting from the bench during the recent 2-0 victory over Burnley, with his Champions League experience and control on the ball perhaps crucial against a technical Parisien side.
And while Miguel Almiron dazzled against the Clarets, Jacob Murphy might be selected for a starting berth to deal with the robustness of the Ligue 1 side's left channel, with the 28-year-old praised for his "relentless" work rate by journalist Chris Waugh.
Why should Newcastle start Jamal Lascelles?
One absolute in the build-up to the pivotal European encounter will be that captain Jamal Lascelles will retain his starting spot in Howe's team, with Botman's expected absence meaning that the 29-year-old will have the chance to shine on the ostensibly biggest match of his career.
Despite only starting twice in the Premier League last season and having been touted for an exit over the summer, Lascelles was kept on the books and has been a vital presence over the past few matches, praised as a "superb servant" by reporter Daniel Wales.
As per Sofascore, he excelled against the Citizens, winning 100% of his duels and making seven clearances, and he also won four of his six duels against Burnley while completing 88% of his passes and making a key pass.
Kieran Trippier will be confident that his defensive acumen is enough to stifle the threat of the left forward Kylian Mbappe, proclaimed to be an "alien" by Piotr Zielinski for his awe-inspiring feats, with the World Cup-winning France star already scoring eight goals from just seven matches this season.
But Lascelles, who kept a clean sheet against Pep Guardiola's City and the Clarets, will feel that he holds the tenacity and "heroic" mentality – as said by Howe – to effectively aid his team.
The £40k-per-week asset has been on the periphery since Howe took charge over 18 months ago, although now he could truly prove his worth up against the devastating, Mbappe.
