Sunday 20 November 2016 10:26, UK
Newcastle boss Rafael Benitez faces a selection headache of the best kind on Sunday, with two in-form strikers vying for a starting berth at Leeds.
Newcastle head to Elland Road looking to extend a seven-match winning run in the Sky Bet Championship, but face a Leeds side with their own lofty aspirations, having climbed into the top six before the international break.
The form of both sides' strikers has been key, with Dwight Gayle the division's top scorer with 11 goals, while Chris Wood has found the net eight times.
However, Aleksandar Mitrovic has been making a case to be the Magpies' first-choice marksman with seven goals from his last six starts for club and country, including breaking the hearts of Wales fans in earning Serbia a 1-1 draw last Thursday.
Benitez will now have to decide whether to go with Mitrovic again, having started the 22-year-old last time out against Cardiff, recall the well-rested Gayle or, for the first time, start with both.
Sky Bet put the question to Sky Sports EFL pundits Peter Beagrie and David Prutton in their Facebook Live match preview...
Beagrie said: "Dwight Gayle for me has got to start. He's going to be fresh, he does everything that you hate as a big centre-half, he makes great runs and they've got the players around him to pick out those runs.
"I would also think he could play with a foil and Mitrovic would benefit from not having to run the channels. Mitrovic will also be helpful to come back and help defend set-pieces."
Prutton said: "I think the sort of liveliness that Gayle has up against the two big centre-halves, Pontus Jansson and Kyle Bartley, will cause all sorts of problems. That's unless we get a reducer from one of the central defenders early on!
"I think Benitez will go with Mohamed Diame and Ayoze Perez around him and then continue to look to use Mitrovic as an impact substitute."
What do you think Newcastle should do? Vote in our poll below.
